Version City Podcast: Third Try

It has finally come together. With the immense history of the ska scene in New York during the ‘90s, it’s taken King Django a good three tries to nail it down, but now he’s done it. While his voice should be enough to get any podcast over, the diminished length of both previous episodes really limited listener’s ability to enjoy the interaction between Version City’s honcho and Steady Rocker.

Very possibly because of Vic Ruggerio’s presence, Django seems more talkative and interested in explicating each of the tracks that gets a bit of air time. Listeners are privy to the personal history of two of the most important dudes in the ska scene - not just in New York or this country, but possible the civilized world. We get to hear about an old practice space the two shared, which apparently ended up being an early version of what is now Django’s studio. But hearing who performed there is more than worth the time spent wading through the rest of the conversation.

The Slackers’ front man seems rather at ease with his old companion, which allows him to recall numerous, amusing anecdotes involving anyone and everyone you might know from the NYC Ska scene. It doesn’t devolve into gossip – although at one point as the theft of someone’s equipment is discussed, the culprit’s name gets checked. But, I suppose, that’s the risk you run of being a smacked out thief in one of the busiest cities in the world.

Of course, the music represented here is why listeners might take the time to download this podcast, and clocking in at almost forty minutes, there’s finally enough music to listen to. Django address the fact that he previously just wanted to fit in as many tracks as possible to give listeners a wider breath of what’s gonna down at Version City, but due to emails and such, he rethought the format. Vic, though, figured that the format was simply as a result of the nation’s dwindling attention span. Either way…

Thankfully, we get some tracks that are not only rather scarce, but probably unknown to most ska fans. A Vic Ruggerio track, one of the earliest recorded at Version City, “Cocaine” gets trotted out along with a decent story about its birth as well as subsequent performances.

A different Vic – this time Rice – gets a bit of time on the playlist, as his dubs are described and lauded. And as always, Rocker T gets a moment to shine on his “Boss Deejay” track. The emcees NYC roots are discussed briefly, as is his former major label band, the Skadanks. The East Bay resident, though, hasn’t made an appearance on one of these podcasts as of yet, but would surely make a good addition.

All of these components simply work towards a pleasant listening experience. And while Django and Vic get kinda chatty, it’s more than entertaining. Now all we need are a few tracks played in their entirety and the Version City Podcast might be one of the most entertaining things on the interwebs. Here’s hoping.

Tracklisting:
01. Version City Time - Westbound Train
02. Sugar - Version City Rollers
03. Shopping for More - Sic & Mad
04. Shtiklakh - King Django
05. Cocaine - Victor Ruggiero
06. Damage - Victor Rice
07. Boss Deejay - Rocker T & Version City Rockers
08. Straight to Hell - Skinnerbox
09. Patience - Victor Rice
10. Motel Room - Victor Ruggiero