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Guns of Navarone - award winning ska band [- Hide]
The Pulse Magazine Nov 2008Guns of Navarone
By Rebecca Carter
Already w...
Guns of Navarone
By Rebecca Carter
Already winning awards in Worcester County for Best Ska Act, the Guns of Navarone, who take their name from The Skatalites’ song of the same title, have become the predominant band in the local ska/reggae scene.
It was almost a decade ago now that mainstream forerunners like The Toasters and The Specials were keeping the skank side of reggae alive in the alternative consciousness, and locals like Spring Heeled Jack had their horns blazing at The Espresso Bar. But after a hiatus from the airwaves, ska is experiencing a resurgence with the help of The Aggrolites and Michael Franti, who are bringing the party side back to music with a message and are providing a whole new audience for up and comers like the Guns of Navarone.
Formed in January of ‘07 by punk veteran Bob Beaumont and Berklee student Mike Rinker, Guns of Navarone have seen a lot of line-up changes, but are currently standing united with Beaumont on vocals, Joe McEachern on bass, Dave Menard on tenor sax, Jack Vincent on baritone sax, Katie Berlent on alto sax, Mike Hartford on the keyboard, Ken Freeman on guitar, James Middendorf on drums, and Helen Beaumont on backing vocals.
“We play traditional ska and reggae music. Not a new version of an old style but the actual old style,” Bob described. “We very often have people tell us that we are not what they expected. People often think o f ska as punk-ska, which is much faster and almost unrecognizable as a relative to true ska. We play true ska, which is up-tempo but not spastic.”
Although their repertoire consists only of covers at the moment, The Guns of Navarone tend to mix it up with both recognizable ska staples and some under-appreciated songs that wouldn’t be immediately recognizable to the pedestrian fan.
Their most recent release, The Exciting Rhythms of Guns of Navarone, features renditions of Bob Marley’s “Simmer Down” and The Specials’ “A Message to You Rudy,” plus their namesake and more, all executed in traditional style. The band has plans in the works to start recording a follow-up this winter.
“Ska and reggae are music styles that are widely shared amongst musicians, fans, countries, and generations,” says Bob. “We love getting people dancing, singing, shouting, and having a great time. Guns of Navarone is 100% about entertaining people.”
Experience Guns for yourself at Tammany Hall in Worcester on November 1, and for more dates and more information, check out myspace.com/navaronereggae and
gunsofnavaronereggae.com.
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