Good karma

Metro Stylee take ska to the East

by Don Fluckinger

Andy Shaw, a/k/a Andy Stylee of Metro Stylee, loves New York so much that he has the letters "NYC" tattooed on his wrist. The letters also appear on the cover of his band's debut CD, soul garage ska, for no reason other than he's proud to be identified with the city. Despite its sometimes bleak urban shortcomings, New York is the band's home -- and in its own twisted urban way, the city helps fuel the band's message of love for all humankind.

"This is how it is," Shaw says, sounding every bit the Brooklynite he professes to be, "I think that when a bunch of kids get together in a suburban area, all you see is trees, and, you know . . . it's different here. We all grew up in Brooklyn and Lower East Side. We see a lot of different things: tall buildings, busy traffic, people fighting with each other, a hostile environment."

Finding a need to create some positivity, Metro Stylee, who play the Space tonight, focus on poppy ska grooves and lyrics that tell poetic stories inspired by the life experiences of lead singer Trish Verdolino. There's hope amid bleakness, themes of love and goodwill cropping up in their lyrical streetscapes of tangled emotional reactions to city life. Punctuated by a three-piece horn section, Metro Stylee's tunes may talk about tough times, but the music is decidedly upbeat.

Sound like every other ska band you've listened to? Sonically, there's one overriding element that sets Metro Stylee apart from the sea of ska flooding the club circuit: Verdolino's rich voice. Her intensely singular delivery melds the chirpiness of Björk and smooth vibrato of Billie Holiday -- these two diverse singers are favorites on her personal playlist.

There's also another twist: Buddhist and Hindu themes surface throughout the CD, reflecting Verdolino's spiritual quest through Eastern religion; the opener "Moksha Priya" is Verdolino's flat-out apology to a nun at a Hindu temple whom she left without explanation while trying to get her life together. Then in "Destroy," she sings "Farmer of your karma, you plant it, you keep it . . . for every action, there is a reaction."

Then there's "Nude Reggae (Song for Siddhartha)," in which Verdolino plays a modern-day version of the evil Mara's temptress daughter from the Buddhist scriptures. It's a heavy tune; but it sports a slinky, cocktail-lounge feel. Sailing into punk waters, the rhythm section ("the drummer and rhythm guitarist listen to a lot Fugazi and Bad Brains," Shaw says) belt out a rocking intro to "Lullaby." "Evil Eyes," a wonderfully addictive tune, is a mantra to ward off the gaze of creeps who ogle Verdolino on the street.

Rough times in New York may have inspired these songs, but Metro Stylee have had some pretty good times up the coast in Boston. The group made several friends, including producer Vinny Nobile (he currently sings and plays trombone for another NYC ska band, the Pilfers), who took the group's demo tape to his old band, Bim Skala Bim, who in turn released soul garage ska on their DVS Media label. The connections don't end there. Metro Stylee's tenor sax player Eric Singer used to be in the Allstonians. When in town, the group also play with and hang out with Bim Skala Bim and other regional favorites such as Mission 120 and Kicked in the Head.

They also got a big break after winning a battle of the bands thus nailing down a spot at this summer's New England Ska Festival in Westford. The show drew 2000 people and increased the group's presence among the most rabid of ska fans.

"We earned that . . . last year we didn't play the ska fest," Shaw says, but they went to the show and worked the crowd. "We made 500 cassette demos and 1000 fliers and handed them out to everybody. We promoted ourselves like crazy. And this year, we actually competed with three other bands; and we won. So we're very happy about it."

Right now, the East Coast is the only place you can catch a Metro Stylee show. The band aren't quite ready to make the big jump to extended nationwide touring. That day will come, Shaw says, but for now they limit themselves to weekend trips to New Jersey and New England. No doubt it will not be long before this hip group capture a much larger audience.

Metro Stylee appear at 8 p.m., September 25, at the Space. Locals, Knuckle Sandwich, and Damn Personals also appear. Tickets are $6. Call 753-0017.