“I usually put reggae and reggae-related releases in the World/Ethnic section, but the latest from King Django (the man who pretty much serves as the center of gravity for New York City’s surviving ska scene) is all over the place stylistically while remaining consistently informed by the unique flavors of the NYC scene: on this excellent disc you’ll hear ska, rock steady, and vintage-style reggae in both roots and dancehall styles, along with a slightly hilarious Police cover and instrumental contributions from the likes of Regatta 69, the Scrucialists, and even the mighty Soul Syndicate. Django’s sense of humor and skanking energy are a source of delight throughout. Highly recommended.”

“In 1987, Jeff Baker made one of the most crucial decisions of his life. On one hand, he was a 20-year-old who was very adept at computer programming, and those skills had landed him a job offer that put a lot of currency on the table. On the other, he was King Django, a Brooklyn-raised ska/reggae acolyte who had become deeply infatuated with toasting (reggae singing/speaking) as a teenager and was quickly growing acclimated with playing music himself. The programmer and the active musician would not be able to coexist. “I thought about it a lot. At the end of the day, I said, 'You know what? If I take that job, I'm not going to be able to do this anymore,' and I didn't take the job. That was probably the first major fork in that road there,” says the 45-year-old Django, who cribbed his name from the Upsetters' song “Return of Django” and is now based out of New Brunswick, NJ. “I don't really think about it too much, but once in a while, I'm like, 'Damn, I wish I had health in”

“Jeff “King Django” Baker has been one of the most prolific musicians of our generation. Whether he is playing ska, reggae, dancehall, punk, hardcore, or some conglomeration of any/all of those, he has put out quality release after quality release. Musically, he has been the ringmaster of Skinnerbox, the Stubborn All Stars, his Roots & Culture band, and recording under his own name. He has also worked with a who’s who of bands such a Rancid, Murphy’s Law, the Slackers, Civ, and the Toasters. Not just a musician, Django also runs long running label Stubborn Records and the Version City studio. Recently, King Django released his latest record, Anywhere I Roam. The band features a number of special guests such as Obi Fernandez, the Forthrights, Regatta 69, and many more. I had a chance to catch up with the man I am proud to call my king.”

“If you looked at the concert listings for the Version City Tour, and upon seeing the name “King Django,” thought, “wow, someone jumped on the ‘Django Unchained’ bandwagon pretty quickly,” you couldn’t be more wrong. Jeff Baker has been using the name as a singer, songwriter, bandleader, arranger and multi-instrumentalist as a seminal figure on the ska, reggae and rocksteady music scene since long before Quentin Tarantino pulped his first fiction. During the boom called the “third wave of ska” in the mid-’90s, King Django was perhaps one of the most respected musicians on the ska scene, known equally for his respect and reverence for the roots of Jamaican music and for his willingness to experiment and take the music in new and challenging directions. Whether exploring the old school with Stubborn All-Stars or expanding horizons with Skinnerbox — his two main projects in the ’90s — his credit on a record guaranteed that it merited attention.”