Go Eat, Go Out!The bars, clubs and restaurants of Thailand, and especially Bangkok, make the destination an excellent stopover - or even home base - for those who enjoy a wide variety of cuisine and a good night out of culture or clubbing. Get ideas and gain insights on dining (Go Eat!) and entertainment (Go Out!) in the kingdom.
T-Bone gets a good deal of credit for promoting reggae music in Thailand, having performed ‘live’ and sold a large number of CDs in this genre for over a decade.
More recently, however, an outfit called Teddy Ska has begun to win plaudits, after being originally formed as the house band of the Brick Bar, a famous music venue on Khao Sarn Road.
The venue has helped to underline the growing popularity of reggae, and has hosted numerous reggae musicians over the years. Its rather impulsive decision to launch a ska night led to the establishment of the band Teddy Ska.
A quick peek at the band’s schedule reveals that the band takes to the stage at 11.30 pm, and the performance comes to an end at about 1 am. I decided to visit on a Friday night since it’s a perfect spot to enjoy a lively start to the weekend. The venue was pretty much packed with young fans aged between 20-30 years old. Sing-along-a-ska
While queuing for a ticket (150 baht [US$4.28]), and preparing to be cleared by a front of house security check, I heard the crowd singing along to Teddy Ska’s cover of T-Bone’s ‘To Long Tong’. Due to the lighting and location of the stage, I couldn’t really make out too much of what was going on, but I certainly heard the strains of a violin during this piece.
The use of a violinist (named 'Champ'), along with the more traditional bass, drums, guitar, horns and percussion instruments, distinguishes Teddy Ska from most other ska outfits. Champ is often the focus of solos during the set and also plays a significant part in keeping the audience entertained, which he carries off extremely successfully.
The bassist, drummer and guitarist
controlled the Teddy Ska rhythm section effectively, with a strong
sense of harmony, while providing hints of pop and rock from time to
time. The percussion player provided an intense feel, while the horn
section, including a trumpeter and trombonist, add a touch of gloss to
the overall sound.
A dance-driven set
Teddy Ska delivers cover versions of both local and international
classics, ranging from pop through to reggae and ska. The set included
numbers from their 2008 album The Rude Boys are Coming.
And no matter which genre they touched upon, it seemed on the night of
this performance they delivered on one of ska music's key objectives –
providing a soundtrack for non-stop dancing (known as skanking)
throughout the show.
Brick Bar opens daily from 5 pm through
1 am. Located on the first floor of the Buddy Lodge Building towards
the Tanao Road end of Khao Sarn Road (see map), you can call the venue
on Tel: +66 (0)2 629 4477 (ask for Brick Bar).
Photos: Omen 666.
Insider insight: 'Champ' chips in
Maneeya Dhammataree (MD): What would you say are the band's main attributes?
Champ: That we feature so many kinds of instruments, including the violin. The only other band I can think of that uses so many diverse instruments is The Trojans, who managed to even incorporate aspects of Irish and Scottish music, such as bagpipes, into their songs.
MD: Where did you learn to play (violin)?
Champ: I began playing when I was four years old and graduated in classical, blues and jazz violin.
MD: Which artists inspire you?
Champ: The Trojans, certainly, but also the English band The Specials. I also like the Skatelittes from Jamaica and Tokyo Ska from Japan.
Go Eat, Go Out! 
Go Eat, Go Out!
The bars, clubs and restaurants of Thailand, and especially Bangkok, make the destination an excellent stopover - or even home base - for those who enjoy a wide variety of cuisine and a good night out of culture or clubbing. Get ideas and gain insights on dining (Go Eat!) and entertainment (Go Out!) in the kingdom.
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