Dirty Rig was second on the bill this night and went on before Body Count. Like Mahavatar, Dirty Rig's live show has gotten stronger over the years. I had seen Dirty Rig a number of times at The Continental with original lead singer Ed Sebastian but this was the first I had seen them with Korey Clarke (x-Warrior Soul) on vocals. The band seems to have toned down some of their southern-fried influences and are now playing more straight-ahead hard rock with a strong funk/boogie influence. I would compare their sound to a cross between mid-70s Aerosmith and the funk rock of some of the bands that appeared in the early 90s like White Trash and Lucy Brown.

If you are a fan of this style of music, Dirty Rig is well worth seeing. The band has two dates in the area before going off the England.

Aug 31 2006 8:30P The CRAZY DONKEY Farmingdale, NY

Sep 1 2006 11:00P DINGBATZ Clifton, NJ

I have more pictures of the band on Flickr, along with some pictures of opener Mahavatar. It is hard to mention Korey Clarke without mentioning Warrior Soul. Warrior Soul fans will be excited to know Esacapi Music has reissued all five of the Warrior Soul CDs which have been out of print for years. (See the Escapi Music press release below)

ESCAPI TO RE-RELEASE ALL 5 WARRIOR SOUL GEMS FROM THE ‘90s
New York, NY (February 27, 2006)—Escapi Records will re-release all five albums from the acclaimed band Warrior Soul. On March 14, Escapi will re-release the band’s 1990 Last Decade Dead Century debut, the 1991 Drugs God & The New Republic followup, and 1992’s Salutations From The Ghetto Nation. Then, on April 4, Warrior Soul’s groundbreaking fourth album, Chill Pill (originally released in 1993) and Space Age Playboys (originally released in 1995) will be re-released. All tracks on all albums will be remixed and remastered.

New York, NY (February 27, 2006)—Escapi Records will re-release all five albums from the acclaimed band Warrior Soul. On March 14, Escapi will re-release the band’s 1990 Last Decade Dead Century debut, the 1991 Drugs God & The New Republic followup, and 1992’s Salutations From The Ghetto Nation. Then, on April 4, Warrior Soul’s groundbreaking fourth album, Chill Pill (originally released in 1993) and Space Age Playboys (originally released in 1995) will be re-released. All tracks on all albums will be remixed and remastered.

The constant in all five albums is frontman Kory Clarke. It’s Clarke’s vision that permeates the proceedings: from the trippy Doors-influenced debut to some of the more punk-oriented and heavy metal material. Clarke was a man on a mission. He had something to say. Drenched in angry politics, Clarke used his podium as a soapbox to expose what he saw as major social inequities, yet he did it in such a profound and poetic way that it never came off preachy. Taken as a whole, the five records show an incredible arc…there’s a basic continuity that blossoms from one record to the next in a spiraling orgy of sound that, in its five-year tenure, was criminally overlooked and underrated.

Much of what Clarke warned about on these records has come to pass…and more. But he’s not gloating. In fact, he was hoping that wouldn’t be the case. For right now, Clarke is thinking of doing some shows featuring this material with former Warrior Soul members, outside of his new band Dirty Rig.

Escapi Records has been making waves of late. UK’s hard rockers, Tokyo Dragons, had its Give Me The Fear debut released last October by Escapi; and rapper/actor Ice-T’s heavy metal band, Body Count, had its Live In L.A. DVD released last November by the label.

2006 is a perfect time to revisit the glory that was Warrior Soul. The times today almost demand it.