The Slackers

The Radio is a collection of 11 cover tunes, some famous, some obscure, all beautiful and perfect. The digital download includes a rare and mysterious bootleg of a Lone Wolf radio show recorded from WSKI 89.3 FM. It features all the songs from the album, plus some interesting surprises mixed in.

Dave Hillyard from the band says it best:

"Tom from Whatevski heard our cover of 'Strychnine' and got the idea of a radio station where all the songs were the slackers. Hence,'The Radio.' He sent us a list of covers which he thought we could do and then we adding some ideas of our own and came to a meeting of the minds about the final list. Cover albums have a bad name in ska cause a lot of the 3rd wave bands would do these 'ironic' covers of songs. Our covers aren't 'ironic.' We are trying to find the truth in the lyrics. We are honestly trying to bring out the best part of songs and do them in a style that is true to our own."

The Slackers

Victor Ruggiero - Vocals, Organ, Percussion
Marcus Geard - Bass
David Hillyard - Saxophones
Glen Pine - Vocals, Trombone, Percussion
Jayson Nugent - Guitar, Percussion
Ara Babajian - Drums

Larry McDonald - Percussion on 'Bitch', 'Volunteers', and 'Jeepster'

Mixed by Vic Ruggiero and Jayson Nugent
Basic Tracks recorded at Lovelite Studios, Berlin.
Engineer: Jochen Stroeh

Overdubs at Studioslack & Crazy Baldhead Studios

Executive Producers: Steve Bordin for The Slackers, and Tom Gibbons & Crawford Norman for the Whatevski Record Group.

"The Slackers are part of an imaginary universe. It wasn't their fault, well not completely. The caterpillar told them not to eat the mushroom on the right. But they did and for 15 yrs now they've had to play Imaginary-Jamaican-Rock-and-Roll, and try to explain that to everyone who passes. One asks,"Are you a reggae band?...where are your dreadlocks then?" Another says,"YOU DONT SOUND LIKE PUNK-ROCK WITH HORNS AT ALL!!" One elderly gent says,"Why it sounds like a lot of music I used to like, but I don't think any of you boys look addicted to HEROIN!" Doomed to try and explain themselves to a world full of hungry club-promoters, style-police, genre-slaves and the generally confused, they wrote bio upon bio, hoping to snag someone...ANYONE!...who might understand...here is attempt #6,364..."

- Vic Ruggiero, The Slackers

The Slackers sound is Jamaican rock n roll. While they have been influenced, and even personally taught by Jamaican ska/reggae originators, like the Skatalites and the Upsetters (Original backing band for the Wailers), the band sees its music through an American lens. This band is equally appreciative of old blues, 60s soul, rock, and Rnb as it is of reggae, rocksteady, dub, and Ska. It is as if the Rolling Stones or the Yardbirds had grown up on Bob Marley as well as Muddy Waters. From their 1996 release, Better Late Than Never through to 2008 with Self Medication, the NYC-based band, the Slackers have established themselves as America's premiere interpreters and innovators of Jamaican music and a pretty good rock band to boot.

http://theslackers.com