Pressure Cooker News

Dear friends of Pressure Cooker:

In celebration of our 15th anniversary making roots reggae, rocksteady and ska music, we’ve launched production on recording our seventh full-length album.

We are reaching out to you, our fans, to pledge to help us make the new album via Kickstarter, an online funding platform for creative projects. We’ve set a goal to raise $6,000 to help pay for production costs and bring the new music to our fans as quickly as possible.

In return for your pledge, you’ll be the first to receive the new music when it’s ready for release later this year. You can receive the full album digitally with as little as a $10 pledge, but we hope you’ll consider the $25 and higher packages which include generous rewards including CD’s with Your Name in the liner notes, t-shirts, buttons, live concert tickets, and access to all our previous albums in both digital or CD format.

Please visit our Kickstarter project page to learn more and we hope you will join us in the making of this record. Thanks for all of your great support over the years!

Click here for more details

Pressure Cooker returned from a beautiful weekend of live music, new friends and warm memories in Rhode Island. On Thursday night, 7/16/09 we performed to a packed house at the ConserFest Music Festival on Block Island alongside phenomenal Providence hip hop artist Chachi, please check him out http://chachihiphop.com/. Also surf/funk/reggae band Homeslice for kicking off the night. Huge big up to Cameron Greenlee for spearheading the festival and also Travis & Alice for the island hospitality.

On Friday night 7/17, we joined forces with Rhode Island’s premiere ska-rocksteady-reggae band SOULSHOT at one of their favorite haunts, the Ocean Mist. Pressure Cooker kicked off the night with special guest players Frank Moniz, Ken Stewart and Mark Bernie in the lineup. Then, Soulshot kicked it in to high gear backing Boston’s Tom O’Brien and Jamaica’s Dalton ‘Screwdriver’ Lindo, culminating in a super-enjoyable evening of roots reggae music for all in attendance.

Come and join Michael O’Connor and some of the Pressure Cookers as they raise buckets of cash for a great cause* and to celebrate the release of Michael’s newest benefit CD for Sibusiso!

Proceeds from the CD release party and all CD sales will go to support the work of this great organization.But don’t come just because it is the Right thing to do… come because it will be the FUN thing to do.

Michael’s Sibusiso CD Release Party:
@ Spontaneous Celebrations
45 Danforth Street
Jamaica Plain, MA 02130

June 20th, 2009
7pm-12am
$25 at the door

*Sibusiso, Inc. is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization which mobilizes and marshals the skills and talents of Boston’s medical community to help the poorest victims of HIV and AIDS in South Africa. Since its founding in 2003, Sibusiso has helped countless South Africans by offering food, children’s after school programs, health care, medications, HIV testing and counseling, TB and HIV treatment, community education. With your help, we’ll reach many more in 2010!

From the Music is Our Occupation Ska & Reggae Music Blog:

Pressure Cooker – What She Wants
Posted in Reviews on April 26th, 2009 by Gabe

Like fine wine Pressure Cooker has proven to get better with each release and this album is no doubt their best yet. Picking up where they left off on Future’s History their rhythm section is tighter, the horns are brighter, and the vocals are on fire. I had no idea what to expect when I popped this CD in but I was excited. I pressed the play button, crack goes the drums, in rolls that warm bass line and smooth horn arrangement. Turn that up louder my ears say! Wow, listen to Craig ride that riddim like Toots with those hooks and soul in his voice, listen to that production, alright this is gonna be good I think as I turn up the song “What She Wants” even louder.

Read the rest of the review here:
http://www.dancingmood.net/musicaloccupation/?p=1362#more-1362

Pressure Cooker will be kicking off the show at the House of Blues, Boston this Saturday April 25th. The doors are 7pm and Pressure Cooker hits the stage first at 8pm in support of John Brown’s Body and SOJA. Get there early!

Pressure Cooker thanks all the fans who came out to support us at our CD release party at the Milky Way! If you missed it, please come check us out at Johnny D’s on 2/28 & pick up your copy of the new record. For those of you outside of Boston, we will also be hitting the Bishop’s Lounge in Western Mass. and the Snowbarn in Southern Vermont so check the calendar. Last but not least we are supporting John Brown’s Body and SOJA (Soldiers of Jah Army) at the new Boston House of Blues in late April!

Pressure Cooker is pleased to partner with Chicago’s famous ska label Jump Up Records to release the brand new album – WHAT SHE WANTS. The album is set to release in late January 2009.

What She Wants is Pressure Cooker’s sixth full-length album of new original reggae songs for 2008, culminating a year and a half of studio recording sessions held in the Brighton & Allston neighborhoods of Boston. Craig Akira Fujita, Pressure Cooker’s unique frontman leads the nine piece band through a versatile array of 70’s style reggae, rocksteady and ska music, skillfully mixed by the group’s renowned sound engineer Craig “Dubfader” Welch.The result is a fresh set of fifteen songs exploring themes on love, good times and hard times, all the while keeping the sound and spirit on a lively, upbeat vibe. Highlights include “Can’t Stop Thinkin’,” “Hold On,” “One Kind of Love,” “Higher Than High,” “Without Purpose,” “Darkest Hour,” and the instrumental jam “Rocker’s Delight.” Once again, Pressure Cooker delivers a unique set of songs that stay faithful to the roots of reggae music but have some new things to say — and can be appreciated by fans both inside and beyond the genre.

We have posted two new tracks on the site from the forthcoming album What She Wants for your listening pleasure! Please check out “You’re The One” and “Without Purpose” and stay tuned for the exact release date of the album.

Wishing all Pressure Cooker fans a safe and happy new year 2009. Please check us out on  Saturday 1/3  with Destroy Babylon, The Macrotones and Guns of Navarone at Bill’s Bar in Boston.

Pressure Cooker is pleased to release our new full-length album “What She Wants” on Jump Up Records in January 2009. Album release party in Boston is scheduled at the Milky Way Lounge & Lanes in Jamaica Plain on January 30, 2009!

The new song “You’re the One” is available for listen now at Jump Up’s myspace site

After two years in the making, Pressure Cooker is finishing production on a new full-length studio album release, scheduled to drop later this Fall, 2008. Please stay tuned to Pressurecooker.net for updates and many more details coming very soon.

Pressure Cooker welcomes Jump Up! Records artists Deal’s Gone Bad alongside Boston’s own Void Union for a night of old school ska and rocksteady live at the Middle East Upstairs on Tuesday July 22nd. Don’t miss this show!

Erik Ziedses des Plantes interviews Pressure Cooker’s Craig Akira Fujita on March 25th at WERS Live Music Week 2008. Read it here.

Pressure Cooker performed three songs & interviewed last night at WERS 88.9’s Local Music Week. Click here to download the mp3!

Pressure Cooker has been working hard in the studio over the last several months on our SIXTH release! We are working on a whole new batch of original tunes, with the guidance of accomplished sound engineer Craig Welsch in a terrific new studio called Hillside Sound in Brighton, Mass. There are over a dozen new tracks in the mix, and we hope to release a new recording in the winter or spring of 2008.

Speaking of music releases, what format do you listen to nowadays? Are the days of the CD over? Or is it still the best way to deliver music, artwork and lyrics? Do you prefer MP3’s, vinyl, streaming media — on turntables, iPods, computers, cellphones or iPhones? Let us know where you like to find music and we hope to release our tracks in your favorite format. Also, calling all interested music labels please get in touch. We want Pressure Cooker music to reach ska and reggae music fans all over the world.

For the second time this year, Pressure Cooker joined forces to support 2-tone era ska legend Dave Wakeling & his current English Beat touring band. It was a night to remember, with an excellent four-piece band called Destroy Babylon opening up the night, fusing a Clash-esque sound and dubbed out beats. By the time Pressure Cooker took the stage it was a packed house and we blazed through a 45 minute “power” set. English Beat kept everyone dancing all night long with a marathon 2.5 hour set. Thanks to all who saw us play, we made many new hometown friends as well as big love & respect to all of The English Beat players, we hope to link up with you guys again soon — what a great fit for a fantastic night of music.

Jordan Clifford of WERS in a wide-ranging interview with Pressure Cooker at Local Music Week on August 6, 2007. “Most people don’t draw many connections between New England, an area full of rich white people, and Jamaica or its culture…Anyone who knows anything about New England ska should be more than familiar with scene mainstays Pressure Cooker. The problem is that in 2007, most people don’t know anything about New England ska, and there is barely a scene left to mainstay on. Read the entire article here.

Greetings Pressure Cooker fans…we’ve had a fantastic summertime ‘07 schedule. The Burning Fence instrumentals rocked Johnny D’s in mid-July featuring special guests including Dave Szebeda, trumpet (Babaloo), as well as Kal Traver, saxophone from John Brown’s Body plus Eric Bridson (Allstonians, others) on the trombone. Pressure Cooker rocked the Beachcomber in Wellfleet, Mass in July and we hope to return next summer as well.

WERS Local Music Week welcomed us for a three-song radio performance in early August, and then we geared up for three more nights on lovely Nantucket at the height of the season and three slammin’ nights of reggae music at the one and only Chicken Box.

Be sure to check us out sometime in the fall we will be playing a venue near U!

Ska fans…Boston meets New York at the Middle East Upstairs on Sunday night June 24th as Pressure Cooker joins the NY Ska Jazz Ensemble (an all star lineup featuring former members of the Toasters, Bim Skala Bim, Burning Spear, and the Scofflaws). A classic ska show that makes it feel like 1997 all over again. Don’t miss it!

Last Saturday night, Pressure Cooker opened for legendary singer-guitarist Dave Wakeling and his 2007 English Beat outfit, as their US tour made a stop in New Hampshire at the lovely Lebanon Opera House theatre. The local crowd was there early and ready to dance in the aisles and Pressure Cooker rocked the house with a strong one hour “power” set. Sitting in with Pressure Cooker were fellow Boston musicians David Roy on drums (Allstonians) and Kurt Wahlstrom on bass (Rikki Rocksteady, Allstonians). The English Beat did not disappoint , playing a packed 90 minute set of the hits that make them one of the strongest and enduring ska/pop bands of all time. A great way to start the summer and we look forward to returning to Lebanon New Hampshire in the future! Plus a big thank you to Buzz & the staff for the great hospitality.

We are bringing the best original old-school reggae & rock-steady music to top destinations in New England in Spring and Summer 2007. Next Saturday, we are pleased to support 2-Tone legends The English Beat in Lebanon, NH. Cape Cod and the Islands will get the full Pressure Cooker experience in Martha’s Vineyard, Nantucket, and Wellfleet. We have two great upcoming shows in greater Boston including a double-bill with NY Ska Jazz Ensemble. Also on the horizon is new Pressure Cooker music as the chefs are busy in the kitchen cooking up new music for album #6. This will be a great summer with Pressure Cooker, tell your friends, and don’t miss it!

This Thursday May 10th, 2007, Pressure Cooker presents a very special night of late 60’s & 70’s reggae, rocksteady and ska covers for a new series at Johnny D’s called Flashback Thursdays. We will perform classic selections from legends of the music, including Bob Marley & The Wailers, Toots & the Maytals, Dennis Brown, Gregory Isaacs, The Ethiopians, The Skatalites, John Holt, Lee Perry, Studio One/Coxsone Dodd, Jacob Miller, Desmond Dekker, The Gladiators, Prince Buster, Alton Ellis and many others. Don’t miss it

Pressure Cooker was proud to perform at a special fundraiser for the Boston Healthcare for the Homeless Program. The dinner, held Monday night April 30th at the Boston Harbor Hotel, helped raise money for the program’s future facility in Boston’s South End. Pressure Cooker was honored to play for the program’s leadership & staff, as well as notable community dignitaries including hosts Suzy and Jack Welch (former General Electric CEO), former Red Sox pitcher Dennis Eckersley, Boston Mayor Tom Menino, New England Patriots owner Bob Kraft, comedian Lenny Clarke, and many others. Special thanks to our own Michael O’Connor who has worked in this great organization for many years.

Spring greetings from Pressure Cooker! We just added a bunch of shows for the upcoming season, check us out in Maine at the Sugarloaf Reggae Fest on April 13 & 14. The Burning Fence unit visits Matt Murphy’s Pub on April 27. Also, we are doing a very special old-school reggae cover night at Johnny D’s “Flashback Thursdays” on Thursday, May 10th, and returning for the full Pressure Cooker sounds on June 8th. Last but not least check us out in the heart of New Hampshire as we open up for The English Beat at the Lebanon Opera House on Sat. May 26.

Pressure Cooker performed live on the air on Thursday, March 15, 2007 at the studios of WERS 88.9 FM, Emerson College radio, during their annual Live Music Week fundraiser. Read the interview and view photos of the session here. Check back on pressurecooker.net soon for a live MP3 of the radio performance!

The Boston rocksteady faithful turned out in force at the Middle East Upstairs last night, March 14, 2007 to mash it up all night long. Respect to The Deadly Sins who opened the show. Pressure Cooker represented Boston and the East Coast with a 45-minute power set to warm it up for The Aggrolites. If you have not seen the Aggrolites do yourself a favor and check them out on their tour with Dropkick Murphys. They are tight and energetic to a scary degree!! The Aggrolites channel the Upsetters sound with a punk rock attitude. We hope to join them again in the future.

It was a packed Friday night at Johnny D’s in Somerville, Mass on March 2nd, Pressure Cooker was in full form, we paid tribute to the originators with a few great covers including Penny Reel, Arte Bella and Don’t Run it Down among two solid sets of original Pressure Cooker fare. Be sure to make it down to Johnny D’s for the next one! Also, we are anticipating the Aggrolites at the Middle East Upstairs on March 14th, should be a good one. All you 18+ fans don’t miss it!

Pressure Cooker embarked on a 4.5 hour journey up to the mountain of Sugarloaf USA in the pristine north woods of Carrabassett Valley, Maine last weekend 2/2 and 2/3. We rocked the Widowmaker lounge all weekend long with a 5-piece mountain version of Pressure Cooker, no horns but good times all around plus lots of old-school rocksteady cover tunes. Special thanks to Jay King and Steve at the Widowmaker, and Boss Hog at WSKI TV. Six inches of fresh snow on the mountain made for some sweet skiing as well. Hope to make it back for reggae fest.

We are pleased to roll out the newest version of Pressurecooker.net to celebrate our 10th anniversary! Please visit frequently for the latest info on shows, new music releases, video clips, photos, and rare stuff from the archive.

Didn’t make it to the Future’s History CD release party in Boston on April 1st? Watch this video clip of our new song “The List”!

On April 1, 2006, Pressure Cooker drops it’s fifth and most ambitious CD release entitled Future’s History, live at Harper’s Ferry in Allston, Massachusetts.

Future’s History contains twelve crucial & unique tracks of Pressure Cooker music. The band has established itself as a live musical force in Boston for nearly a decade. Hard hitting rhythm, horn melodies and lyrics on an old-school reggae rocksteady flavor reminiscent late 60’s early 70’s Jamaican sound. This is the new classic American reggae music, thoughtfully written and powerfully delivered through a horn-infused, nine piece supergroup.

Pressure Cooker is proud to be part of the new CD “Songs For Sibusiso: Children’s Music To Benefit Children in South Africa.” The 14-song disc was produced by Pressure Cooker’s own Michael O’Connor.

Available now on
CDBaby.com

A CD of songs that adults will enjoy and children will love! This disc includes a 20 page “storybook”" with lyrics and colorful drawings.

“Songs for Sibusiso” features the music of The Sinikithemba Choir, a South African choral group in the style of Ladysmith BLack Mambazo (who were featured on Paul Simon’s “Graceland” album). It includes guest appearances by members of local Boston bands Babaloo!, Lovewhip, The Cha Cha Cha All-Stars and, of course, Pressure Cooker. The 14-song disc combines traditional and popular kids’ favorites with original compositions all performed with an African flavor. Hear “Baa Baa Black Sheep” in an Afro-Cuban style, listen to and dance along with a New Orleans version of “The Hokey Pokey”, and never, ever again worry about reminding your children to “Wash Your Hands” when it’s time to eat, as they will be singing the catchy South African melody on the opening track!

All the musicians donated their time and efforts to raise money and awareness to help communities affected by HIV/AIDS in Durban and surrounding areas. Sibusiso (‘blessings’ in Zulu) provides resources for people affected by HIV/AIDS. All proceeds from Songs for Sibusiso will benefit a Durban, South African orphanage for children who have lost parents to HIV/AIDS. For more information on Sibusiso, go to www.sibusisopartners.org. Or, contact: Sibusiso, Inc., 10 Whitney Street, Chestnut Hill, MA 02467.