Willi Williams at Dub Club Jan 13!

[echodelic]

wednesday Jan 13 Dub Club presents
WILLI WILLIAMS
backed by The Expanders
with special guests
David Hillyard of the Slackers on Sax
reggae legend Larry McDonald on percussion
Mr T-Bone (from Italy) on Trombone
plus Jah Faith

advance tickets $10 from ticketweb.com
$15 at the door , $10 before 10pm
special 18 and over night!
at The Echoplex 1154 Glendale Blvd in Echo Park

Willi Williams is best known as the writer and singer of "Armagideon Time," a beloved reggae anthem once popularized by The Clash, but over his 40-plus year career, he has contributed consistently to the greater body of Jamaican reggae, collaborating with many of the music's luminary figures.
After recording "Calling" for Coxson Dodd's Studio One in 1966, Williams' career grew steadily as he established the Soul Sounds label in 1969 and produced artists including Delroy Wilson, The Versatiles, and the legendary Barrett Brothers (as Rhythm Force), who would later become the engine of Bob Marley's band.
Through much of his career, Williams split his time between Kingston, Jamaica and Toronto, Canada, where he formed a close association with Jamaican keyboard legend Jackie Mittoo. Mittoo, perhaps the single most influential musician in Jamaican music history, recorded frequently with Williams in the 70s and contributed significantly to Williams' outstanding album Messenger Man, released in 1978.
Williams voiced the breakthrough track "Armagideon Time" in 1979. "Jackie Mittoo and myself were working on some projects, and we went to New York and met up with Coxson [Dodd]," Williams recalls. "I had a song at the time that was getting good coverage ['Messenger Man']. [Dodd] heard the song and he wanted to do something with me. He mentioned that when we started out in the early days, he didn't have enough time and ammunition to work with me how he wanted. So he wanted me to go back into the studio."
Williams' original recording of "Armagideon Time" has remained a reggae standard and was included on the comprehensive four-disc set, Tougher Than Tough: The Story of Jamaican Music, released by Mango Records in 1993. "Armagideon Time" also found its way back into popular culture via the 1999 Jim Jarmusch film Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai.
"Armagideon Time" utilized the Studio One backing track known as "Real Rock",and Willi's cut of the rhythm helped propel it to become the most "versioned" or recycled in all of reggae history. Punk legends The Clash helped internationalize "Armagideon Time" in 1979 as a b-side to its "London Calling" single and a standard part of its live performances.

Far from being a one-hit wonder, Williams' reggae career has been substantial and prolific with frequent tours to Europe through the years. His work with singer/producer Yabby You has marked his reputation, as well as his later efforts with dub icon Augustus Pablo. In the 80s, Williams recorded See Me and Natty With A Cause for the London-based soundsystem giant Jah Shaka.
In the last few years his classic Messenger Man album was re-released by Blood and Fire records, and many of his early Studio One cuts such as Addis-A Babba have been included on the popular reggae compilations on the Soul Jazz label.

Recently Williams has also overseen the production of Full Time Love, released through M10 Records in France. The set features a live backing band, The Drum Street Crew, and Jamaican keyboardist Bobby Kalphat, another of Williams' notable musical associates. Full Time Love captures the full-band sound of reggae's past, but with a contemporary production touch. "When you get that live drum and bass you just hear something that . . . you can't imitate it with a computer," says Williams.

For this show at the Dub Club Willi will be backed up by the outstanding local roots band The Expanders , who are known for their devotion to capturing the vintage sound and feel of classic reggae. They will be joined for this gig by an all star cast: David Hillyard plays sax for one of the most popular Ska/rocksteady bands worldwide- The Slackers, Mr T-Bone is the top reggae trombone player from Italy , and Larry McDonald is a legendary reggae percussionist , having played on too many classic albums to count. Joining the band for a few opening tunes on vocals will be the Dub Club's own Jah Faith, along with a couple originals from The Expanders and some instrumental scorchers from Mr Hillyard+ co. A wicked night of music all around! See you there!

[Soulfool]

This is going to be awesome!!!

[echodelic]

nice write up from the LA Weekly :
Wednesday/January/13

Willi Williams at the Echoplex
The Dub Club scores another wet-dream booking with this ultrarare show from reggae kingpin Willi Williams, the potent Jamaican chanter responsible for apocalyptic groove masterpiece “Armagideon Time.” With it’s darkly irresistible riddim and haunting end-time lyric, Williams crystallized reggae’s emphasis on doom and destiny, oppression and justice, with memorably epochal flair, and its music went on to serve as backing track for innumerable Jamaican discs before finally being introduced to the Anglo mainstream, when the Clash slapped their version onto the B-side of the “London Calling” single. Williams, of course, has quite an impressive additional slew of credits — he’s been cutting records since ’66 as part of the essential, unbeatable Studio One crew, and he brings the full experiential weight of that musical revolution along with him. Backed by able acolytes the Expanders, with the crucial addition of veteran reggae percussion legend Larry McDonald, not to mention Slackers saxist David Hillyard and Italian trombone man Mr. T-Bone, there will be very little suffering here tonight. (Jonny Whiteside)

[theconqueror]

amazing show last night. thanks for having this.

[reggaedelic]

Agreed, fantastic show!

Big respect for bringing the artists we love to Dub Club!

[echodelic]

Thanks to the Ska/Rocksteady massive for coming out...your support helps me book more vintage artists. Willi Williams is a really cool person , and man he has a lot of great songs! A memorable night for sure. Big up Dave Hillyard+ THe Expanders for an excellent job.

[Man Like]

Check this video of Armagideon Time from the show:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_gU9ub1iui4