Rude Boy George

Rude Boy George is a NYC-based band that reimagines 80's New Wave classics in ska, reggae and rocksteady versions. They are motivated by a shared love and respect for ska (reflected in the reference to 1960s and 2 Tone rude boys) and the extraordinary amount of good music produced in the late 70s and early 80s New Wave/post-punk era (Boy George). And we want to have some fun doing it. That's Rude Boy George’s agenda and mission statement--simple as that.

Rude Boy George formed in January 2013 with members drawn from several popular and long-standing NYC area ska bands: Bigger Thomas (vocalist Roger Apollon, drummer Jim Cooper, bassist/Marco on the Bass blogger Marc Wasserman, and guitarist Spencer Katzman), Beat Brigade and The Toasters (keyboardist Dave Barry), and Across the Aisle (singer Megg Howe)—plus a ska blogger/former indie ska label guy (Steve Shafer on backup vocals) thrown in for good measure.

The band’s live debut took place at Electric Avenue in Manhattan on April 13, 2013 to a very enthusiastic crowd and the band has been gigging throughout the New York area since. Our perpetually expanding set list includes songs by Human League, Soft Cell, The Romantics, Billy Idol, INXS, The Smiths, Cyndi Lauper, Squeeze, Culture Club, Gary Numan, Psychedelic Furs, Talking Heads, Berlin, and The Pretenders.

Rude Boy George has recorded its debut album at Bill Laswell’s studio in West Orange, NJ with ex-General Public/Special Beat/English Beat bassist Wayne “Waylo” Lothian producing. The result is a nine-track digital LP "Confessions" featuring ska and reggae versions of songs by Human League, INXS, The Romantics, Billy Idol, Squeeze, Madness, Eurythmics, Berlin and Naked Eyes.