Courtney John

I know dude looks like a stunt double from the Jamaican version of "Baby Boy" but this song is too good.

The End Of Heavy Manners

Here is a shot of the last order of Heavy Manners tees to be sold.

Why no more Heavy Manners?

Maybe it was the economy, maybe it was apathy towards a consumer culture that sickened me, or maybe it was just shitty destiny.

I've been making tee shirts since 2002. It's been a long road. Compared to some of my peers 8 years in the game is nothing. Some of my mentors have been at this game for decades and are still going.

Heavy Manners only did one full offering and few other one off tees and I really didn't get a chance to show visually where the brand was going. I've been sitting on amazing stuff that never saw the light of day due to money issues and bad business decisions.

It was fun while it lasted and although the line went generally unnoticed by the blogosphere we did manage to pull off a few things that made me proud.

Some of the highlights:

Producing a DanceHalloween exclusive mixtape for The Fader with Dasheye and Unite from Tribe of Kings Sound. We got dubs from Demarco and Michael Rose right when "Shootout" Riddim was blowing up. We also did another tape with Sizzla which wasn't too bad I must say.

Working with Kevin Lyons who was and is still a huge inspiration to me.

Getting to work with my partner in crime designer Justin Atallian. Who I still believe is the most slept on designer in the game. Get your fucking website up homie!

Having the skinhead dudes featured in the photo on the Heavy Manners "Riot" tee somehow email me and tell me what really happened in the picture when that photo was taken. Small world.

Having Unite get a tee on Sly Dunbar of Sly and Robbie fame.

Sitting in a ganja filled bus chatting with Half Pint about how dancehall started in the Waterhouse era.

And most importantly having the Godless Killing Machine tee featured on FFFFOUND.COM

Thanks to everyone that showed support and love and although I am going on record and saying this is the end that doesn't mean I won't bring it back sometime down the road.

If you want to buy any of what is surely the last batch of Heavy Manners tees on the planet just check back here when I post a link of where they will be sold at online.

Thanks again.

To end here is my favorite dubplate that we did.

Demarco "Can't Frighten" (Heavy Manners x Tribe of Kings)

Run it.

Israel Vibration

The best polio stricken roots group of all time.

If you ever get a chance to see them live I would highly recommend you do so. This is their first album and has the usual suspects on the session side: Sly and Robbie, Dean Frasier, and Roots Radics.


Download:

Israel Vibration "Same Song"

Mikey Dread

Our good friend Mikey Dread might not be with us anymore, but his music will obviously live on.

This one has a few of my favorites on here like "Walk Rastafari Way" , "The Voice of Jah" , and "Barber Saloon".

Produced by Mikey himself with Sly & Robbie on drums and bass, Horsemouth on drums, and Augustus Pablo on keys.

Craziness.

Track Listing:

Dread Combination
Walk Rastafari Way
Everybody Needs A Proper Education
The King In The Ring
Step By Step
Love The Dread
The Voice Of Jah
Barber Saloon



Download:

Mikey Dread "Evolutionary Rockers"

Barry Brown

Nice likkle rub a dub roots from Barry Brown with Sly and Robbie on the production side.

A Channel One Studio joint.

Track List:

Your Love Is Real
Trod On
Down In A Babylon
Stand Firm
Far East
Be Careful
Forward On
Run Wicked Man
So Jah Jah Say
Problem
My Woman
Sensemilla
Come We Dub Tonight

Download:

Barry Brown "Far East"

Sly Dunbar Heavy Manners

I could care less seeing rapper such and such wearing our gear. It's almost expected these days. Rappers will wear ANYTHING for anyone.

But when I get a flick from Unite of Sly Dunbar wearing a Heavy Manners tee I get that same geeked feeling that I used to get when I first started designing tee shirts.

Who is Sly Dunbar?

Sly Dunbar along with his partner in crime Robbie Shakespeare have produced over 200,000 songs give or take.

Not impressed?

No Doubt, Madonna, Ben Harper, Bob Dylan, Mick Jagger, The Rolling Stones, Grace Jones, Joan Armatrading, Gilberto Gil, Joe Cocker, Serge Gainsbourg, Sting, Khaled, Mey Vidal, Tricky, Doug E. Fresh, Carlos Santana, Sinéad O'Connor, The Fugees and others have had these guys make songs for them in the last 30 odd years.

Thanks for making my day Sly. Keep the riddims coming and can a dude get a pound for rocking the overalls with one strap please? Easy star.