Unlikely Alibi
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Unlikely Alibi

Fort Wayne, Indiana, United States | INDIE

Fort Wayne, Indiana, United States | INDIE
Band Rock Reggae

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"Unlikely Alibi - At the Ready"

Unlikely Alibi – At The Ready

I know I’ve mentioned them before but if you missed it Unlikely Alibi is a great midwest ska band from Fort Wayne, IN. These guys just recently released their first full length album, At The Ready, and it sounds great. I’ve seen Ulikely Alibi live several times over the past couple years and was pretty excited to hear about this album. All the songs are very well done and very enjoyable to listen to, the thing that threw me off was the style presented, Unlikely Alibi is a band reaching into some new musical territory and has a great way of putting it together.

“Dancin’ On Coals” starts off At The Ready with a great guitar intro that says, “Hey! We’re here and we’ve got something you’re gonna love!” After the intro we get to hear some great upbeats from the organ tieing in with a smooth walking bassline and solid vocals from Todd. Throughout the song you hear each of these songs melding in a way that creates a great reggae/trad feel to it.

Following up perfectly is “Pretend” which follows the same feel but a little more laid back. It almost feels like they only changed a few notes around, backed off on the guitar, and brought the organ up front a little more. None of this, however, prevents it from being a really catchy tune and warming up your ears for the rest of what you’ll be hearing.
The album continues pretty solid in that vein pretty until we get to “In Your Eyes” which keeps some of those basic sounds but has some great new vocal stylings thanks to legendary reggae/ska producer King Django who has been working with Unlikely Alibi on this album.

The real change in the album comes in on “What I want” where the guitar upbeat seems to kick in a little more and the songs seems to feel a little brighter. “What I Want” is really a great ska/reggae song that brings in some pretty common lyrical ideas of loving, unity, and freedom.

Two songs on this album really have me second guessing the artist when I have my shuffle on and one of those is “Everything My Way”. Every time I hear the intro I keep thinking it’s going to be a song by Ore Ska Band or maybe a number of different US east coast ska bands with this sound. Then just as soon as Todd’s voice comes in I realize Unlikely Alibi completely switched gears and showed their true versatility; it’s horn heavy, there’s a solid guitar upbeat, and a busy bassline that doesn’t stop. It’s a great, upbeat 2-tone song that is all sorts of fun to skank to.

A couple more 2-toneish songs go on then we get to “Colder”, which every time I hear the opening horn line I think of Big D & The Kids Table’s “Been Wishing On” [From their newest album Fluent In Stroll]. After hearing this song I decided seeing these two bands on tour together would be a great time. It’s really laid back, horn heavy song that doesn’t do much for your dancing feet but appeals to your lay back and relax side.

“Highly Unlikely” then comes in as a complete 180 which picks it back up to the bright 2-tone sounds from earlier. This song is definitely one of my favorites on this album and I really wish they had a few more with this type of feel. The one thing I dislike about this song is it really makes me want to hear more from them but it’s the end of the album.

Overall, I think Unlikely Alibi is on a great path to bringing together some past sounds with some fresh new ideas and grooves. The blends between reggae, 2-tone, rock, third wave, and trad comes together in such a way it almost seems to form its own ska genre. The best I can relate this album to is Big D’s Fluent In Stroll, they really seem to be bringing something new to the stage and it’s good, very good.

As always, check out their MySpace and listen to some samples then if you like them, help support them.

- Checkered Socks


"Big Time Ready"

Unlikely Alibi-Big Time Ready

By Deborah Kennedy

It’s taken almost four years, but ska/reggae rockers Unlikely Alibi are preparing for the release of their first full-length CD, an all-originals disc whose name, At the Ready, says it all.

“We’ve been working on this so long we’re ready to blow it up,” said drummer Duane Alexander.

“It’s about where we are as a band,” added frontman Todd Roth. “We’re in a really good place, and now we have a really good album to go out and promote. We’re ready to hit the scene, and I’m just hoping people are ready for us.”

When I met up with the nucleus of the band – Unlikely Alibi are a more-the-merrier kind of act with six full-time members and four guys who rotate in and out depending on the gig – the CD master of At the Ready, which features fan favorites “Dancin’ on Coals,” “Everything My Way,” “Highly Unlikely” and “We Can’t,” was finished and on its way to the pressing plant.

“It’s been a labor of love and a true pain in the ass,” said Roth, who penned all the disc’s tunes.

The labor of love part applies not only to the making and recording of At the Ready but to the band’s genesis as well. Unlikely Alibi began in 2005 when Roth, a native of Fort Wayne and graduate of North Side High School, came back to town from a brief stint in Florida. He was looking for a few guys to jam with and found them in Alexander, whose resumé includes thumpin’ the tubs for Pusghetti and Dave P, and Tony Timms, a bassist and a founding member of the now defunct Strut Train.

“I had a head full of music,” Roth said. “There were all these tunes floating around in my head, and I just needed the right people to jam with, the right environment to get them down on paper.”

Roth, Timms and Alexander were joined by Jerome Schooley, formerly of CookiePuss, on guitar, and the band had its first gig at Columbia Street West before they even had a name. A triumphant performance at whatzup’s Battle of the Bands and a Whammy for Best New Performer soon followed. Eventually Timms and Schooley left to pursue other projects, and the band is now rounded out by Travis “bring the thunder” Fry on bass, Mexico (the quiet one) on guitar, Kris Miller (the overextended one) on keys and Jake Wilhelm (the young one) on backup vocals and percussion.

Sometimes six just ain’t enough, and that’s when buddies Matt Cashdollar (sax and flute), Aaron King (trombone), Dan Cappelli (baritone sax) and Curtis Shaw (vocals) come in.

If those names sound a little familiar it’s no coincidence. Roth went to school with most of the members of area funk favorites The Freak Brothers, and Unlikely Alibi are in a sense orphans from a lot of other area bands, including Skavossas (later Heavy Step), CookiePuss (whose breakup is often mistakenly attributed to Alibi’s formation), SupaBadd, Superhunk, and Waking Abbott.

So, while Unlikely Alibi might seem on the surface to only be four years old, they actually have years of performing under their belts, years that include thousands of CDs sold and hundreds of shows headlined and opened all over the U.S.

Their musical pedigree varies. Alexander, 39, and Fry, 23, are self-taught musicians. Mexico, 27, is studying classical guitar at IPFW, and Roth’s musical career started early when his mother taught him piano and how to read music around the same time he was learning his ABC’s. He picked up the trumpet in elementary school when a visiting musician demonstrated a horse’s whinny on the instrument.

“We were trying out instruments, and the trombone and the trumpet were the easiest for me,” Roth said. “Then I saw the guy do the horse thing, and I thought that was pretty rad. My decision was made.”

In addition to their Whammy and Battle of the Bands first-place finish, Alibi have steady gigs and a loyal following at Columbia Street West, Bill’s City Grill and the Brass Rail, and their riveting rendition of Bob Marley favorites won them a whole new set of fans at Embassy Theatre’s Down the Line 3 in February. Known in part for their unusual covers – they were rehearsing a ska version of “Easy Lover” when I arrived – Unlikely Alibi describe themselves as ska/reggae that rocks.

“We’re not ska or reggae elitists,” said Roth. “We do songs we like, like ‘Part-Time Lover,’ and we do them in a way that’s completely different. There are reggae bands and ska bands that would turn their noses up at us because we’re not doing completely traditional songs, but we don’t really care. We’re going to do things our way.”

“People who come to see us are people who love to dance,” Alexander added. “We play good music, and people have a good time.”

So much for the love. Here’s where the pain in the ass part comes in. Unlikely Alibi have been working on At the Ready for almost four years, having stepped into the studio for the first time together in 2005, but then that studio closed unexpectedly.

“Everything that could have possibly gone wrong did,” said Roth. - Whatzup Magazine


"Unlikely Alibi - At the Ready"

Unlikely Alibi – At The Ready

I know I’ve mentioned them before but if you missed it Unlikely Alibi is a great midwest ska band from Fort Wayne, IN. These guys just recently released their first full length album, At The Ready, and it sounds great. I’ve seen Ulikely Alibi live several times over the past couple years and was pretty excited to hear about this album. All the songs are very well done and very enjoyable to listen to, the thing that threw me off was the style presented, Unlikely Alibi is a band reaching into some new musical territory and has a great way of putting it together.

“Dancin’ On Coals” starts off At The Ready with a great guitar intro that says, “Hey! We’re here and we’ve got something you’re gonna love!” After the intro we get to hear some great upbeats from the organ tieing in with a smooth walking bassline and solid vocals from Todd. Throughout the song you hear each of these songs melding in a way that creates a great reggae/trad feel to it.

Following up perfectly is “Pretend” which follows the same feel but a little more laid back. It almost feels like they only changed a few notes around, backed off on the guitar, and brought the organ up front a little more. None of this, however, prevents it from being a really catchy tune and warming up your ears for the rest of what you’ll be hearing.
The album continues pretty solid in that vein pretty until we get to “In Your Eyes” which keeps some of those basic sounds but has some great new vocal stylings thanks to legendary reggae/ska producer King Django who has been working with Unlikely Alibi on this album.

The real change in the album comes in on “What I want” where the guitar upbeat seems to kick in a little more and the songs seems to feel a little brighter. “What I Want” is really a great ska/reggae song that brings in some pretty common lyrical ideas of loving, unity, and freedom.

Two songs on this album really have me second guessing the artist when I have my shuffle on and one of those is “Everything My Way”. Every time I hear the intro I keep thinking it’s going to be a song by Ore Ska Band or maybe a number of different US east coast ska bands with this sound. Then just as soon as Todd’s voice comes in I realize Unlikely Alibi completely switched gears and showed their true versatility; it’s horn heavy, there’s a solid guitar upbeat, and a busy bassline that doesn’t stop. It’s a great, upbeat 2-tone song that is all sorts of fun to skank to.

A couple more 2-toneish songs go on then we get to “Colder”, which every time I hear the opening horn line I think of Big D & The Kids Table’s “Been Wishing On” [From their newest album Fluent In Stroll]. After hearing this song I decided seeing these two bands on tour together would be a great time. It’s really laid back, horn heavy song that doesn’t do much for your dancing feet but appeals to your lay back and relax side.

“Highly Unlikely” then comes in as a complete 180 which picks it back up to the bright 2-tone sounds from earlier. This song is definitely one of my favorites on this album and I really wish they had a few more with this type of feel. The one thing I dislike about this song is it really makes me want to hear more from them but it’s the end of the album.

Overall, I think Unlikely Alibi is on a great path to bringing together some past sounds with some fresh new ideas and grooves. The blends between reggae, 2-tone, rock, third wave, and trad comes together in such a way it almost seems to form its own ska genre. The best I can relate this album to is Big D’s Fluent In Stroll, they really seem to be bringing something new to the stage and it’s good, very good.

As always, check out their MySpace and listen to some samples then if you like them, help support them.

- Checkered Socks


"At the Ready album review"

At the Ready

Unlikely Alibi


Once in a great while there is a moment at a live show when it’s clear to the audience that they’ve just witnessed something amazing and rare, and a collective chill goes through the crowd while goosebumps rise up on hundreds of forearms at exactly the same time. I’m going to go out on a nice, firm limb here and say that anyone who was lucky enough to attend last year’s Down the Line knows exactly what I’m talking about: Unlikely Alibi’s lilting rendition of “No Woman No Cry.” Remember the split-second hush that followed their set and the deafening standing ovation that shattered the silence? I don’t know who could forget it. I couldn’t. Can’t. Won’t.

From that night on I’ve been a loyal fan of this sometimes four-, sometimes six-, sometimes eight-piece ska/rock/reggae act fronted by trumpeter Todd Roth. And the best news I’ve had to share in a long time is that now, four years after these guys played their first gig at Columbia Street West, they’re returning to that stomping ground October 3 to celebrate the release of their first full-length CD, At the Ready.

From the first note of the first track, “Dancin’ on Coals,” At the Ready lives up to its name. It begins with a bang, or, more accurately, a gutsy and contagious guitar riff courtesy of former-turned-current lead guitarist Jerome Schooley and just gets better from there. “Dancin’” is a good introduction to Roth’s talents as a songwriter. The tune tackles the essential yin and yang of existence, and, while that might sound heavy, Roth, onetime member of ska act Heavy Step, treads lightly and expertly through both familiar and not so familiar territory. The next three songs – “Pretend,” “Between Us” and “Do It All Over” – deal with relationships, primarily those of the doomed variety, but it would be difficult to find more infectious, dance-like-an-idiot-in-your-car type tunes. Breaking up has never been so fun. Other highlights – and really, there are no low lights – include the Gothic, keyboard-infused “In Your Eyes” and “Walk Out,” a cantina tune that showcases Roth’s trumpet and will have you hankering all day for some south of the border drink with a side of sun.

This is the kind of album you listen to and suddenly everything seems okay. There’s a financial crisis? So what. My credit card bill is the length of a Dead Sea Scroll? No biggee. My horoscope’s predicting certain heartbreak and possible famine? Whatevs. I’ve got this CD to keep me smiling. Roth puts it best in the album’s final track, “Highly Unlikely” – “Life is too short for us to spend it miserably.” Amen, brother. (Deborah Kennedy) - Whatzup Magazine


"At the Ready album review"

At the Ready

Unlikely Alibi


Once in a great while there is a moment at a live show when it’s clear to the audience that they’ve just witnessed something amazing and rare, and a collective chill goes through the crowd while goosebumps rise up on hundreds of forearms at exactly the same time. I’m going to go out on a nice, firm limb here and say that anyone who was lucky enough to attend last year’s Down the Line knows exactly what I’m talking about: Unlikely Alibi’s lilting rendition of “No Woman No Cry.” Remember the split-second hush that followed their set and the deafening standing ovation that shattered the silence? I don’t know who could forget it. I couldn’t. Can’t. Won’t.

From that night on I’ve been a loyal fan of this sometimes four-, sometimes six-, sometimes eight-piece ska/rock/reggae act fronted by trumpeter Todd Roth. And the best news I’ve had to share in a long time is that now, four years after these guys played their first gig at Columbia Street West, they’re returning to that stomping ground October 3 to celebrate the release of their first full-length CD, At the Ready.

From the first note of the first track, “Dancin’ on Coals,” At the Ready lives up to its name. It begins with a bang, or, more accurately, a gutsy and contagious guitar riff courtesy of former-turned-current lead guitarist Jerome Schooley and just gets better from there. “Dancin’” is a good introduction to Roth’s talents as a songwriter. The tune tackles the essential yin and yang of existence, and, while that might sound heavy, Roth, onetime member of ska act Heavy Step, treads lightly and expertly through both familiar and not so familiar territory. The next three songs – “Pretend,” “Between Us” and “Do It All Over” – deal with relationships, primarily those of the doomed variety, but it would be difficult to find more infectious, dance-like-an-idiot-in-your-car type tunes. Breaking up has never been so fun. Other highlights – and really, there are no low lights – include the Gothic, keyboard-infused “In Your Eyes” and “Walk Out,” a cantina tune that showcases Roth’s trumpet and will have you hankering all day for some south of the border drink with a side of sun.

This is the kind of album you listen to and suddenly everything seems okay. There’s a financial crisis? So what. My credit card bill is the length of a Dead Sea Scroll? No biggee. My horoscope’s predicting certain heartbreak and possible famine? Whatevs. I’ve got this CD to keep me smiling. Roth puts it best in the album’s final track, “Highly Unlikely” – “Life is too short for us to spend it miserably.” Amen, brother. (Deborah Kennedy) - Whatzup Magazine


Discography

At the Ready (full length) released on Stubborn Records 2010

Photos

Bio

Reggae Ska Rockers Unlikely Alibi formed in 2005 when frontman Todd Roth gathered together some of the most accomplished and popular musicians from the Fort Wayne, Indiana area. Soon they were playing to packed venues both in and out of state. That same year they took the top prize at Whatzup Magazine’s Battle of the Bands, as well as that publication’s Best New Artist award, earning them several thousand dollars to put toward recording At the Ready.

The members of Unlikely Alibi, who hail from some of northeast Indiana’s hardest working and most popular bands, have collectively sold thousands of CDs and played hundreds of shows throughout the United States, opening for such artists as Ben Folds, The Foo Fighters, Eve 6, and Train, as well as ska greats The Skatalites.

In addition to Roth (vocals and trumpet), the core of Unlikely Alibi consists of Jerome Schooley (lead guitar), Travis Fry (bass) and Duane Alexander (drums). They’re often joined by Kris Miller on keys, Jake Wilhem and Curtis Shaw on backup vocals, Matt Cashdollar on sax, Aaron King on trombone and Dan Cappelli on bari sax.

Obviously this leads to the kind of rich sound not often found in today’s mainstream music scene and now, thanks to ska legend King Django and Stubborn Records, that sound is now available to the public. Unlikely Alibi’s first full-length CD “At the Ready” hit the shelves in January of 2010 and has been met rave reviews and tons of online plays. Growing their already large fan base to a new level.

Courtesy of Roth’s vocals and horn, the accomplished guitars of Schooley and Fry, and, of course, Alexander’s ever-steady sticks, Unlikely Alibi have been steadily building their fanbase in the Midwest and have also met with a warm welcome from the East Coast, where they recently brought down a packed house with their energized performance at the Knitting Factory in New York City.

This is the kind of band that isn’t afraid to bust out of the norm, yet stay true to their roots. This is the kind of band that isn’t afraid of anything. They’re ready to launch their debut album and a full blown U.S. tour this spring, and take the music scene by storm.