Chicago’s Deal’s Gone Bad has completed the recording of their latest record, “Heartbreaks And Shadows,” a follow up to their 2007 record “The Ramblers.” This will be the second of their records featuring the distinctive voice of Todd Hembrook. The band’s next step is pressing and distribution of the record and they’re looking to their fans, friends, and the good people at Big Tunes to fund the record.
For those not familiar, Big Tunes is a crowdfunding platform akin to Kickstarter, but it’s geared specifically to music projects which means both the artist and the fans come out ahead. It’s also run by the same good people that run Whatevski Records, so you know they really get ska, rocksteady, and reggae music.
The band makes it very clear on the fundraising page that this record has already been made, and it’s been made with the same love that the previous record was made with. (And seriously, lots of love went into the promo video above). This is strictly about getting the music into people’s hands. Incentives and pre-order options range from the usual varieties of vinyl and merch to music lessons, hangouts, and the band’s gear (but if I buy the drum set what will they play with?).
The bottom line is that this is a record worth getting in on. I’ve got The Ramblers on red vinyl and CD and it’s a killer from start to finish (AllMusic called it flawless, in fact). If your a fan of Westbound Train, Go Jimmy Go, The Stingers ATX, or just great music in general, then you’ll dig this. Below is a sampler of the record.
At the time of this post, the band was just over halfway to their goal. Go chip in right now. Naturally, we’re hoping there’s a tour to support this release. To the best of our knowledge, their last visit to the area was with 2009’s Ska is Dead Tour (video below).
UPDATE 2/2/14 10:00 AM: They reached their fundraising goal! It’s still a pre-order which ends Monday, February 3rd, so if you want this physically, you have to order by then. For those who pre-order, they can download the tunes as early as Tuesday, February 4th.
UPDATE 2/5/14 12:42 PM: For those who have already pre-ordered, the record is available right now. And it’s awesome. The pre-order has been extended 2 days; get on that! Also, Jump Up Records will be releasing a 7 inch for “Shine.”
“Far From Home” – off of “Heartbreaks and Shadows”
“Shine” – off of “Heartbreaks and Shadows”
“Movin’ On” – Foxboro, MA, Ska is Dead Tour, 2009
There’s also a music video for Movin’ On.
Once again, we’re including news that might be of interest to the Boston Ska community, not just information about the Boston Ska scene. Should we do more of this? Let us know.