King Django - Reason
(download)
It's not very often that you hear white boys playing reggae (or rock-infused reggae, for that matter) without a nagging desire to draw up a giant placard informing them to "Put down the bong. You suck at this."
For the longest time I assumed that another band had randomly picked the same name, but they have also been purveyors of Klezmer ska - which is awesome by definition. Though their shows page only goes back to '05, I first caught them in '02 or so at the old Florida Theatre in Gainesville. Not more than 50 people showed, but those that did got their skulls reconfigured. Fuck Matisyahu. These guys are the real deal. Sick guitar skills with motion rhythms and smooth vocals from the King (a.k.a. uber-Rudy Jeff Baker). After not seeing them for nigh a decade, it's good to know they'll be at the Brooklyn Music Festival in about 6 weeks.