Hornpod: A Ska Podcast

The Slackers and Hornpod reunite for another Things I Can't Forget. In this chat, Vic Ruggiero, David Hillyard, Glen Pine, and "Agent" Jay" Nugent join the conversation to go in depth about their new EP, "Money is King." Tune in for the stories behind each track and the threads between them. For the first time ever, this episode was recorded with a couple dozen audience members on the Zoom call, giving feedback and asking questions via the chat. Off topic questions include such subjects as recently discovered music, horror films, and Vic impressions."Money is King" is streaming everywhere, available for download on Bandcamp, and available on vinyl from Pirates Press.

Shortly before his untimely death, Greg Lee of Hepcat dreamt of a Slackers song. Now, Dave Hillyard and The Slackers have brought that dream song into reality.The Slackers podcast returns to discuss this new single, My Last Star, and how its creation comes from outside our conscious world. Out soon on Pirates Press Records.

The Slackers podcast is back!  Horn section, Dave Hillyard and Glen Pine join JJ and Matt to talk about their new single, "What We Gonna Do Now?" / "Pick and Choose" on Pirates Press Records. Released to coincide with 2024 US Presidential Election, the new single deals in themes of freedom, democracy and justice. We also find ourselves thinking a lot about communication this time… connecting with live audiences, finding the clearest lyrics and expressing thoughts through horn solos.  And we get a little mushy trying to figure out how The Slackers really feel about each other.

Legendary percussionist, Larry McDonald joins us to discuss his latest collaboration with Dave Hillyard of The Slackers.  Dave and Larry have been making music together for decades as the Rocksteady Seven and their new album, Plague Doctor is out now!  We talk about Larry's days in pre-ska Jamaica all the way up to his recent work with the late Lee Perry, and everything in between.

JJ and Matt are joined again by all six members of the Slackers for more conversation about the band's new album, Don't Let The Sunlight Fool Ya. This time the focus is on the songwriting and the stories behind some of the album's songs.

The Slackers' brand new album, Don't Let The Sunlight Fool Ya will drop on April 15th- but we're here with a track-by-track preview of the record.  Dive deep with JJ, Matt and the members of The Slackers as we reveal the new tunes and the stories behind them!

Berlin Studio Days Slackers saxophonist, David Hillyard, sits down with Slackers fans, Matt Wixson and JJ Loy, to comb through rare songs and alternate takes from the band's thirty-year career. Hillyard and a rotating cast of Slackers bandmates swap memories unearthed by these long-forgotten tunes, giving fans a rarity of their own: an up-close and intimate conversation with the New York City ska and reggae legends. This time, Ara and Jay are back and we're talking about side-projects, dub theory and some foggy memories of the "Berlin" sessions.

Boss Medication Slackers saxophonist, David Hillyard, sits down with Slackers fans, Matt Wixson and JJ Loy, to comb through rare songs and alternate takes from the band's thirty-year career. Hillyard and a rotating cast of Slackers bandmates swap memories unearthed by these long-forgotten tunes, giving fans a rarity of their own: an up-close and intimate conversation with the New York City ska and reggae legends.  For episode five, we are joined again by trombonist, Glen Pine and Slackers' lead singer, Vic Ruggiero to reminisce about the Boss Harmony Sessions, Self Medication and all tunes lost and found.

The Making of Peculiar Slackers saxophonist, David Hillyard, sits down with Slackers fans, Matt Wixson and JJ Loy, to comb through rare songs and alternate takes from the band's thirty-year career. Hillyard and a rotating cast of Slackers bandmates swap memories unearthed by these long-forgotten tunes, giving fans a rarity of their own: an up-close and intimate conversation with the New York City ska and reggae legends.  For episode four of the series, Dave, Matt, and JJ are joined by Slackers drummer Ara Babajian and later by singer Vic Ruggiero, as well, to discuss the making of the band's 2006 album Peculiar. The album boasted a new lineup, a novel recording process, and an evolved sound for the band.

2001-2003 Slackers saxophonist, David Hillyard, sits down with Slackers fans, Matt Wixson and JJ Loy, to comb through rare songs and alternate takes from the band's thirty-year career. Hillyard and a rotating cast of Slackers bandmates swap memories unearthed by these long-forgotten tunes, giving fans a rarity of their own: an up-close and intimate conversation with the New York City ska and reggae legends.  For the third episode of this series, Dave, Matt, and JJ are joined by Slackers trombonist and vocalist Glen Pine to discuss the process of creating the band's 2003 album Close My Eyes. You'll never hear the song "Old Dog" the same again after this one!

More Wasted Days Slackers saxophonist, David Hillyard, sits down with Slackers fans, Matt Wixson and JJ Loy, to comb through rare songs and alternate takes from the band's thirty-year career. Hillyard and a rotating cast of Slackers bandmates swap memories unearthed by these long-forgotten tunes, giving fans a rarity of their own: an up-close and intimate conversation with the New York City ska and reggae legends.  For the second installment, Dave, Matt, and JJ are joined by Slackers bassist Marcus Geard and guitarist Jayson "Agent J" Nugent to discuss the band's 2001 album Wasted Days, including discussion of the drastically different vinyl tracklisting and the impact of the iconic title track on the band.

1996-2000 Slackers saxophonist, David Hillyard, sits down with Slackers fans, Matt Wixson and JJ Loy, to comb through rare songs and alternate takes from the band's thirty-year career. Hillyard and a rotating cast of Slackers bandmates swap memories unearthed by these long-forgotten tunes, giving fans a rarity of their own: an up-close and intimate conversation with the New York City ska and reggae legends. In the first of this miniseries Dave, Matt, and JJ are joined by Slackers keyboard player, vocalist, and songwriter Vic Ruggiero. The four discuss the period around the band's first few albums.

In this long-overdue deep dive, JJ and Matt are joined by ska-jazz musician and aficionado Rich Graiko (Westbound Train, the Attractors, Void Union) to discuss the origins, output, and ongoing legacy of the legendary Skatalites. How many of their albums belong in the Hornpod Ska Canon? The answer may surprise you!

JJ and Matt compare lists of their favorite ska/reggae albums of 2020. Then they consider a couple albums for the Ska Canon that seemed to predict a resurgence of 2-Tone influence in ska-punk

JJ and Matt are joined by Obi Fernandez (Westbound Train, the Inevitables) to just totally nerd out about the Slackers, a favorite of all three. This is part one of two, and covers the period of the band up to and including the Close My Eyes album. Then some shocking decisions are made when it comes to placing Slackers albums into the Ska Canon.

JJ and Matt are joined by author Heather Augustyn to discuss often overlooked women in ska and reggae history. Then they consider some notable records for the canon.

JJ and Matt are joined by Vinnie Fiorello (The Inevitables, ex-Less Than Jake) to discuss how ska is received outside of the ska scene, and also talk about his new ska supergroup and book.

JJ and Matt trace the origins of modern EDM back to 1960's Jamaica and then see how it has fed back into ska over the years. Then they consider some albums for the Ska Canon.

In this special episode JJ and Matt pay tribute to Frederick "Toots" Hibbert, of Toots and the Maytals, who passed away on September 11, 2020.

JJ and Matt chat about supergroups and all-star combinations in ska music, and consider some albums that fit the theme for inclusion in the Ska Canon.