 April 2002 |
The
ska band, Beat Soup has just released their latest CD entitled, Miriam
Your Toast Is Burning, and if you're a devotee of ska, then this album
is for you. The line-up here is long and impressive. With Tom Healey -
guitar and vocals, Dan Cuetara - guitar and vocals, Art Cohen - Bass,
John Jackson - drums, Robin Haynes - tenor sax, Karl Schneider -
trombone and John Deane - trumpet, there is big sound and much texture
to be found in this festive, musical gathering. With four additional
(guest) musicians on the roster, one wonders how all these folks fit
in the studio. But gladly they did , for the performances here are
strong , pronounced and full of energy. These musicians are all
accomplished and not afraid to dig deep. The rhythm section, in
particular, is tight and unrelenting. Bassist Cohen and drummer Haynes
lock in together and never let go. Topped off with tasty horn charts,
choppy guitar work and eccentric vocals, this CD is a fête. The
opener, "Bad Head,” is an buoyant pop/ska/rocker that tells the
tale of this collection; the tale of power, dynamics and color. The
band drives full throttle right from the opening drum kick. The horn
solo, suggestive of the sax solo on The Beatles' "Lady
Madonna" , is chaotic and interesting. The collective brass
finesse of this group is showcased on the beginning strains of
"My Pleasure.” The syncopated rhythm that dominates here is the
perfect platform for Karl Schneider's short and sweet Trombone solo.
The title track is a good piece of songwriting. Original and furious,
it's a high-decibel, think-out-loud, question and answer trade-off
that reflects the state of sanity, individualism and life in the
modern world. Beat Soup pays tribute to Buddy Holly, covering his
time-tested "Every Day,” and in the process, prove that premium
ska is made up of notable songs, dedicated musicians and a staunch
passion for the genre. -Michael Khouri 4/02 |
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 April 2002 |
(4
out of 4 stars) Campbells never made anything that tasted this good. Beat Soup is a warm, tasty helpin’ of ska the way it should be made, hearty and chock full of funkstanance. They’ve got a Madness about them, literally. Ska hasn’t sounded this good since the Specials. The complaining horns, the spasticity of the guitar and drum alliance, the lead singer engorged in the vocal chords of a young Elvis Costello (Attractions style). I’ve never heard them before, but I feel like I’ve known them forever. It brings a tear to my ear. The bouncy music merely finger paints over intelligent, well-constructed rhythm and poetry... they’re amazing. Don’t blow your Soup, let it burn! -Marcella Iovanni 4/02 |
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 February 2002 |
Now
this is what I like to hear. A perfectly balanced fusion of old school
ska combined with enough of a fresh approach to make you feel as if
you’re not listening to the same old songs over and over.
Beat
Soup
has
truly managed to find that happy medium that makes people like me want
to get up and dance. Miriam Your Toast is Burning has a hard-hitting combination of strong upbeat rhythms and amazing brass. The only real complaint I have is that the CD isn’t longer. The songs are a nice blend of smooth instrumentals, such as “Taxi” and slick vocals, including that old standby of having everyone in the band just shout all the words at once and calling it the chorus. Really, the title track is enough to make me want to cry for joy. It’s so rare that one hears any real ska anymore. I’m glad to know someone is keeping it alive. On the other hand, the approach is new enough to keep even me entertained. So for those of you who wonder what happened to ska – this is what happened. It turned into Beat Soup . - Marissa Warner Wu 2/02
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 February 2002 |
When
it comes to Ska, nobody plays it better than Boston's own Beat Soup.
Funky horn lines, pumping bass runs, flawless drumming and some of the
coolest vocal work you've ever heard are just a few of the highlights
in Beat Soup's impressive resume. Singer-guitarists Tom Healy and Dan Cuetara handle most of the band's songwriting, as well as fronting the shenanigans while bassist Art Cohen, drummer John Jackson, and the horn section of Robin Haynes, Karl Schneider, and John Deane lay down Ska-steady rhythms that would make a Swiss timekeeper envious. Expect to hear a lot of Beat Soup tracks being played on radio stations because this is one of the finest sounding CDs I've heard in quite some time. Excellent. - Douglas Sloan 2/02
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| ARCHIVES | ||
March 1998 |
There are a lot of ska bands in Boston nowadays. A lot of them. Their music is getting some good airplay on the radio and more and more people are going to see what the hype is all about. This couldn't be better for a band like Beat Soup, one of the tightest, most fun Boston ska bands to see live. The seven piece ensemble known as Beat Soup are one ska band that have their own unique style of music, while still holding on to what makes ska what it is. Without matching suits and choreographed dance steps, Beat Soup is almost like ska-rock. Their tunes are written like pop or rock tunes, sometimes holding kind of "hard edge" guitar solos here and there, but the ska beat and the jump-up-and-down vibe is where there foundation is at. Together with good harmonies and a well orchestrated horn section, Beat Soups Start From Scratch is a strong record. ...Fave picks are"Die a
Little," "Down," Coup de Ska," and
"Nature Boy." The album as a whole is strong
and keeps you listening.
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February 1998 |
I’ve always felt that Beat Soup has been one of the most underrated bands in Boston. They’ve been playing their slick brand of tuneful ska for about four years now and it pains me to see some of the newer ska bands getting the big breaks. Whatever happened to paying your dues? Well, Beat Soup has certainly paid their dues and their time has come! With this here full length, all this is going to turn around and they are finally going to the attention they deserve. One listen to "Start from
Scratch" reaffirms my thoughts. Beat Soup has all
the key ingredients that all the top notch ska bands have
soulful vocals, a super-tight rhythm section, and
sizzling horns. This disk is overflowing with steaming
hot music. Thirteen glorious two tone treasures in all.
It’s cleverly titled track number six that really
blows me away. "Coup de Ska" is perhaps one of
the greatest ska tunes ever written, no joke.
There’s so much soul and energy packed into this
song that I know for a fact there isn’t a dancehall
in the world that wouldn’t get up and skank to this.
Other standout tracks include the catchy upbeat
"Time Ain’t Money," which by the way has
some smoking percussion work, is sure to be stuck in your
heads for weeks. This effort is sure to propel Beat Soup
into the next level. Every ska fan should get this disc
and check out their killer live show.
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January 1998 |
Beat Soup has
been carving a name for themselves into the Boston ska
scene with their energetic live shows. On their debut
disc Start From Scratch, they solidify their
standing with solid execution and hip musical
arrangements. From the clever artwork right down to each
member’s personal contributions, Beat Soup is a
consummate ska act.... Gang, these kids are smashing and good for the soul too!
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Cheeseball |
This is some sweet stuff from the Boston ska scene. The
combination of horns and a vocalist that has a striking
resemblance to Dan Vitale of Bim Skala Bim. There is more
of a Caribbean style here with rock lines used sparingly
to maintain some musical identifying element for the
newly initiated. Something to Be with its time
changes and chaotic nature is exciting. They do a mighty
fine version of the exotica classic Nature Boy
penned by the wildman Ahbez so many years ago (and
again the musical changeups, I like!). The live
version of Coup de Ska makes me hungry to see
these party monsters live. This band also serves up a
little social consciousness into the set which is always
good for the soul. Many ska bands find their sound and
that's pretty much it, just variations after that but
Beat Soup seems to have a range that makes them harder to
define and that is fine with us for there is an infinite
amount of ways to skank.
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 March 1998 |
...last Saturday night for instance the line was out
the door and getting longer.The band, Beat Soup, played
original ska and had a group of followers skanking under
posters of the Allstonians (a local ska group) and a
cutout of a Guiness bottle.
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 February 1998 |
...The Middle East has a
slew of cool shows lined up, starting on February 17 with
Boston's Beat Soup, whose brand of bouyant,
calypso-tinged ska translates nicely on its debut disk,
Start from Scratch.
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| Patriot Ledger January 1998 |
 Beat Soup Still Having Fun After Starting From Scratch By Jay Miller "We’re still having fun, still dancing and still skankin’," said guitarist Tom Healey of Sharon, summing up the last eventful year for the band Beat Soup. After replacing almost half its lineup, the local septet released its second album, "Start From Scratch," in November. The band serves up its ska-flavored musical stew at the House of Blues in Harvard Square tonight. Bored with the standard pop fare they’d been playing, Healey, vocalist Dan Cuetara and bassist Ted Sewell founded the band in 1992. "We’d all met in a previous pop-oriented band," Healey said, "but we all had a common interest in ska. We were especially fans of the 1980’s ‘two-tone’ stuff, and so we decided ‘let’s go for ska."
At that time, with ska in the New England area limited to Bim Skala Bim, the Mighty Mighty Bosstones and a few others Beat Soup enjoyed immediate success. "As a pop band, we’d been getting only opening slots, because there were a million other rock bands. When we came out with horns and a different sound, we were one of the maybe five ska bands in town. Clubs loved to put together an all-ska night, and we played so many nights with the High Hats and Agent 13 it became almost a regular tour." Beat Soup’s lineup stayed intact for maybe about 4 years, but eventually family commitments and other factors took their toll. In the past year, two Cohasset musicians have joined the band, John Jackson replacing Zack Herman on drums and Robin Haynes taking over for Laura Lanes on sax. Also, Somervilles’s Dave Alexander has replaced Sewell on bass. Original members still in the band include Healey, a Sharon native now living in Franklin, Boston’s Cuetara, Norwood trombonist Glen Pine and Acton trombonist Karl Schneider. Cuetara, Pine and Healey all share vocal duties and write as well."The important thing is that our core of songwriter has stayed together, "Healey said," and now we’re finally feeling comfortable with this new lineup – we’re really tight musically again." Beat Soup plays across New England and as far afield as New York City. The new album on the band’s own No Clue Records, is getting national distribution from Moon Ska Records, and more extensive touring could be around the corner. One of its favorite local spots is the Sea Note in Hull, where it played in a regular rotation last summer. The band’s most challenging show is a monthly night at the Commonwealth Brewery in Boston. "It’s a little different than performing for a crowd that comes specifically for ska," Healey said. "When we convert an otherwise hostile crowd into a dancing and having-fun group, it’s a big kick. People need to have some fun, we’ve found, and we try to bring it to them."Beat Soup hopes to get back into the studio for more recording as soon as possible. Healey doesn’t think the band’s sound has changed dramatically but feels it still has a unique flavor in the ska spectrum. "Beat Soup is rooted more in vocals than most ska bands," he said, "and with three capable vocalists we can do harmonies you won’t find with most ska bands. Also there are two main schools of ska; the oldstyle, Jamaican roots stuff, and the ska-core which is what the Bosstones are known for, a harder sound. We kind of straddle the line between the two, more like the 1980’s British ska bands. I guess we’d be kind of rockin’ ska. Beat Soup’s new CD is available at Tower Records, Strawberries, HMV Records, as well as the band’s shows or via its website at: http:/www.metworks.com/soup. If you want a real hoot tonight, ask the band to play its ska’d-up version of the pop standard "Nature Boy." - Jay Miller 1/98 |
