It seems like there hasn't ever been a better year for KC reggae. The growing popularity of progressive newcomers such as SeedLove and 77 Jefferson unintentionally paved the way for a reunion of ska-stronomic proportions: the return of the Blue Riddim Band, Kansas City's original purveyors of that Studio One sound (not to mention one of the first white reggae bands in the Midwest). Though the group's heyday was from 1978 to '89 and peaked with a 1986 Grammy nomination, it had re-formed over the years under various names, such as D.D.I. and the New Riddim Band. However, the death of longtime frontman Scotty Korchak in 2007 — the same year that the band was inducted into the Kansas Music Hall of Fame — seemed to bring Blue Riddim to a state of permanent rest. Jah had other plans. Local hip-hop producer Leonard DStroy coaxed Blue Riddim out of retirement and began laying tracks for a new release on the INnatesounds label. In the meantime, Blue Riddim shook the dust off the previously unreleased Ska Inferno and began playing out again, including a spot at last month's Kansas City Reggae Uprising Festival. Uprising, indeed.
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