The Slackers Give Us <i>The Great Rocksteady Swindle</i>

BY Keith CarmanPublished Mar 3, 2010

In keeping with their tradition of an album virtually every 18 months, New York-based reggae/ska/dub/soul/jazz sextet the Slackers have announced the upcoming release of yet another collection of tunes.

Slated for release via long-standing home Hellcat Records, The Great Rocksteady Swindle - amusingly named in honour of old-school British punks the Sex Pistols - will hit store shelves on April 20.

For those keeping track, The Great Rocksteady Swindle is album number 12 and features Dave Hillyard (sax), Vic Ruggiero (keyboards, vocals), Jay "Agent Jay" Nugent (guitar), Glen Pine (tromboneee, vocals), Marcus Geard (bass) and Ara Babajian (drums).

"We're trying to make music last, something that you want to listen to years from now," notes Hillyard in the official press statement. "We've never really been part of a trend. We've always been on the edge of different trends. It's one reason why we haven't gotten hugely famous but also one of the reasons why we've stuck around so long."

If you're curious to hear how their eclectic sound has evolved over the past 20 years, check out this link to first single "Anastasia."

Of course, the Slackers have some upcoming tour dates in support of the new record, including a pile of U.S. dates, but only one Canadian stop in Vancouver,

The Great Rocksteady Swindle:

1. "How It Feels"
2. "Because"
3. "Mr. Tragedy"
4. "Sabina"
5. "Cheated"
6. "Daddy"
7. "A Long Way Off"
8. "Bo Evil"
9. "Tool Shed"
10. "Ain't No Sunshine"
11. "Don't Look Back"
12. "Anastasia"
13. "Thank You"
14. "The TV Dinner Song"
15. "The Same Everyday"

Tour dates:
3/24 Portland, OR ? Mississippi Studios
3/25 Vancouver, BC ? Rickshaw Theatre
3/26 Seattle, WA ? El Corazon
3/27 Sandpoint, ID ? Taps Bar Lounge
3/28 Spokane, WA ? The Blvd
3/30 Bend, OR ? Mountains Edge Bar
3/31 Redmond, OR ? Timber's Bar
4/1 Eugene, OR ? Wetland's Bar
4/23 San Francisco, CA ? Slim's
4/24 San Jose, CA ? Bank Club
4/25 Sacramento, CA ? Harlow's
4/27 Yuma, AZ ? Dunes' Restaurant
4/28 Phoenix, AZ ? Rhythm Room
4/29 San Diego, CA ? Casbah
4/30 Los Angeles, CA ? El Rey Theater
5/1 Pomona, CA ? Glasshouse
6/4 New York, NY ? Highline Ballroom (Record Release Show)
6/5 Baltimore, MD ? Otto Bar

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