[ old news ]

Scassa are selected for BYT 2005!
4-1-05
Bright Young Things, the annual Leeds showcase for new musical talent is underway, and we're pleased to announce that SMSQ have been selected as one of the 15 bands to benefit from this City Council backed initiative. This will really help Scassa find a footing in Leeds, so we'll stick our necks out and make a promise that 2005 WILL be the year that the band goes back into the studio!

See some of you this coming Sunday at the New Roscoe (9th January), and if not then, at a gig very soon. The next KITCHEN in London is on February 24th, and there are more live dates soon to be announced.

Live @ HiFi, Leeds
20-12-04
Quite fittingly, Scassa's last gig of 2004 was also their first in Leeds. (Despite having more than half the band living in Leeds for more than a year!) Unwittingly Scassa appear to have entered and got through the first round of this new monthly Leeds night, an urban music talent competition! With shades of Kitchen in London, except with Northern accents, Scassa played a short set of their own and then freestyled with some of the other acts that were performing. Thanks to everyone that came down to check it out and sorry we couldn't play for longer.

Merry Christmas and New Year, and we'll see you in 2005!

Scassa back Roots Manuva and Rodney P
29-11-04
Scassa made the journey back down to London for the second KITCHEN on Thursday 25th Nov, and the night again turned out to be massive one. Roots Manuva came down again, and stormed through Dreamy Days, Bashment Boogie and Witness The Fitness with Scassa, plus a first-time live performance of Swords in the Dirt with most of the original MCs who guested on that track, including Rodney P and Skeme who were in the building.

Rodney P also performed his own set featuring Murderer Style, The Nice Up and Temper Temper, Scassa backing as a live band. Other artists up with Scassa included Karl Hinds, the Extremists, Pesci (who was being filmed on the night for a Channel 4 documentary - we'll let you know if/when footage of this makes the TV) plus a massive jam session at the end of the night with more MCs than Ned could count (about 9 of them). If you were there, thanks for coming and if you weren't, the next one will be in February 2005.

Improvising a set @ Mantra, York !
12-11-04
Scassa were trying something a bit different at this, the second of two recent gigs at York University on Saturday 6th November. Bringing along a couple of deps in the form of Jon Scott on drums and Kate Mellors on vocals, Scassa raced through an hour of COMPLETELY IMPROVISED Drum 'n Bass, Hip Hop and Breaks. It's something the band have been playing around with recently, but this is the first time they've gone for a full 100% improvised format. We'll let the audience be the final judge on how it went, but the group certainly enjoyed themselves!

Scassa @ York University
19-10-04
It's always good to go back to the roots, and Scassa were back at York University on Saturday 16th October to play at the closing night of Freshers Week along with several other bands including campus swingers Bugalee and Cornish Indie group 13 Senses (Vertigo). Proving that they can still cut it along side other bands as well as DJs, Scassa built up the set gently before dropping some heavy beats on Langwith College. And stand-in drummer Phil Arnold showed us all the meaning of groove. See you soon!

Scassa jam with Roots Manuva
25-09-04
Scassa were back in London to play the opening night of KITCHEN last Thursday, and the night turned out to be a classic moment for the band and punters alike. The night brought together everything from hot scratch DJs, The Relicks, to the sounds of Titan rappers Skeme and Big P. Scassa happily provided live backing for them all, and also threw in a set of their own.

Headliner Estelle unfortunately couldn't make it due to other commitments, but the impromptu appearance of Roots Manuva gave the night a surprise unscheduled headline act. Scassa managed to learn a quick rendition of 'Witness' just before getting on stage and jammed through three tunes with the UK Hip Hop legend, much to everyone's delight.

KITCHEN will back in November. Watch this space.

Scassa are next playing in the more humble, but nevertheless wild York University on October 16th. And just to spice things up a little bit, the band will be appearing with a different drummer! It's a one-off and will be seriously heavy.

Scassa @ The Rhythm Factory, 16th Sep
13-09-04
Scassa are heading to London for another gig this Thursday, this time at a new night being promoted at The Rhythm Factory, 'KITCHEN.' It's going to be a massive night, and also features a host of other special guests, with scheduled appearances from UK Hip Hop artists, Bip P, Skeme and Estelle (born in 1980, apparently). Scassa will also be providing live backing for the other acts!

Full Lineup:
Skeme
Estelle
Big P
Titan Sounds
Scassa Monakee
The Relicks
Fusion
DJ X-Ray

So all of you in London or thereabouts, come out Thursday - who cares about Friday morning...?

KITCHEN
The Rhythm Factory, Whitechapel Road E1
9pm to 2am
£6 / £5 NUS

Scassa @ The Spitz, London
16-08-04
Scassa made their London debut last Saturday (Aug 14th) with a storming headline set at prestigious Shoreditch venue, The Spitz. Solid support was provided by London hip hop band The Future Shape of Sound.

As usual, the band blasted through their wide range of material, from chilled breakbeats to dirty Drum and Bass and attracted a good crowd.

The band are scheduled to be back in London in September for an exclusive gig at The Rhythm Factory, along with some very special guests.

Scassa @ The Basement Bar
04-07-04
A big thank you to Dylan for putting on Scassa at the Basement Bar, York on July 30th and to Dean at The Talk listings magazine for the gig preview. And also to Alex at the Yorkshire Evening Press for their feature. The night went very well, and as promised, the last track of the night was made up on the spot... is SMSQ becoming a jazz band? You can find out at the next gig, which is in London at The Spitz, on August 14th.

Scassa @ Barnfest 2004
21-06-04
Hardened fans and a good bunch of newcomers were treated to a very special Scassa set at Barnfest 2004 this year, held at an undisclosed location in the Yorkshire Dales. The lineup missed vocalist Lucy Taylor-Gee, but it gave frontman MC Gusto a chance to shine. Mixing up a varied set, including a special reappearance of old Newshan classic, Night Vision II, the crowd were able to enjoy to a full-on DnB set. As a finale, the band launched into a completely improvised final tune, much to their, and the audiences amusement! It went so well, the band are considering making improvisation a fundamental part of their sets in the future...

Next up, Scassa are back in York at The Basement bar.

SCASSA CRASH AND BURN AT FIBBERS!
30-06-04
The hopes of a nation were dashed at Fibbers BoB Grand Final, as Scassa went the way of the England football team and Tim Henman - losing when it really mattered. In a real turn up for the books, the winners were Sixty-6! Who knew. But judged on catagories like originality, who can argue with that? Support for Scassa was, though, amazing, despite the loss of many fans to the heady attractions of the Gradball. So thank you to all of you who came down, we really couldn’t have come second without you.

The Scassa record is now forever ruined - 8 fights, 7 wins, 6 knockouts, and 1 ugly defeat. Scassa hereby announce their retirement from competition, unless something good comes along, in which case we'll probably enter that. Thank you all so much for all your support throughout the competition - it's been a blast. We really, really appreciate it.

And the Silver medal isn’t too bad, is it?

SMSQ in Fibbers BoB Final!
24-06-04
Scassa scraped through Wednesdays semi-final, thanks to amazing support from amazing fans. What the set lacked in sound quality (a mysterious buzzing noise persisted throughout - we can’t prove it was John's fault but, lets face it, it was bound to be him wasn't it) and punctuality (Ned somehow got the time completely wrong, and sauntered in half an hour late to find that not only did his bandmates think he'd been in a car crash, but then that they actually wished he had been) it made up for in energy and crowd support.

21-06-04
Woodstock 2004
The band were very stoked to get back on an outdoor stage for York University's huge Woodstock event where they played a set to a cold but enthusiastic audience. With a large PA, lighting rig and stage, plus camera crews and big screens following the onstage-action, it couldn't have been anything other than a massive set. Thanks to the organisers, York RAG, and crew that put the whole thing together.

25-05-04
Cardiff goes off!
Saturday 22nd May saw SMSQ take to the road and head to Cardiff to play at the excellent independent music venue, The Toucan Club. Scassa's Keys/Electronics man, Balf, seemed to manage to persuade most of Cardiff to come and check the band out, and the night went off! Despite a necessary walk with the equipment from the cars to the venue due to the centre of the city being closed off for the FA Cup Final, Scassa took to the stage with plenty of energy and earned the respect of the Cardiff massive and the Toucan Club. We're sure Scassa will be back there soon!

16-05-04
Scassa Remain Undefeated In Competition!
Cheers to all of you who came down to York University to witness the SMSQ-organised charity event, RAG Battle of the Bands: Ultimate Champion. Part of literally the best line up of bands seen on campus since Hendrix played, Scassa shared a stage with University Battle of the Bands winners past (Dromedary, Pillow Talk) and present (Bugalee), playing new material and raising loads of money for RAG. SMSQ were crowned Battle of the Bands: Ultimate Champion after a controversial audience vote, based on how loud the whole crowd could scream - just like back in the day... The Scassa record in competition now reads - 5 fights, 5 wins, 5 knockouts and 2 championship belts.

01-04-04
BoB Round 2 and More Live Dates
Round Two of York Fibbers Battle of the Bands has been announced as Tuesday 18th May. Yorkies, get this date in your diary!

Scassa Monakee are also confirmed to play at the excellent independent music venue, The Toucan Club, Cardiff, Wales on May 22nd. Rumour has it that SMSQ are also returning to the Band Battle Ground of York University for an 'ultimate champions' decider between past winners of York Uni BoB... watch this space, you wouldn't want to miss it.

1-03-04
SMSQ are through in BoB2004
Thanks to everyone who came down to support Scassa Monakee at Fibbers for the first round of Battle of the Bands. As a result, SMSQ are through to the next round!

BoB round one was MC Newshan's last gig before going off to 'break' China, and MC Gusto's first gig. Farwell Dan, hello Gus.

8-10-03
What is happening?
SMSQ are currently writing some new material to be unveiled at a gig in the near future. It is promised to be raw, fresh and off-the-bone. Fonetix will soon be available for purchase online through a management contract currently being considered. Watch this space for details on that. There is also a video of 'Breathe Sleep' live at the Barbicube event in circulation. We hope to bring that to you very soon, along with some other live tracks and unreleased material. And if that wasn't enough, the web site will be undergoing a revamp very soon too. Stay patient!

26-7-03
York GradBall!
The York GradBall was well received by reportedly one of the best crowds of the night and was a lively performance. Also playing were DJ Yoda, the E-Z Rollers, The Vengaboys and The Bluetones. CD sales are going well and a second print-run was required to meet demand in time for the GradBall. The band is currently making plans for the near future, as there is a break in gigs for the next few months. Watch this space.

22-06-03
Woodstock 2003
Woodstock 2003 is now done and dusted - a highly successful and well-attended event thanks to the organisers, York Rag. SMSQ played at around 11:30pm and despite some severe technical problems at the start (Balfour's sampler's Zip disk died), the band managed to pull a set together regardless, much to their relief.

Woodstock also saw the lauch of CD sales for the new EP, Fonetix, which is now available to purchase at the bargain price of £4.00.

16-06-03
SMSQ on URY
Hear SMSQ on URY this Wednesday 8pm-9pm. You can listen online or on 1350am.

15-06-03
Fontetix is finished!
The band have been very busy over the last couple of weeks and are pleased to announce that the new EP has been completed and is awating it's launch. Fonetix is a four track CD, recorded and mixed over three days at Pig Hut Studios, York, and will be available for order online and at gigs. Watch the website for news on how to purchase the CD.

Thanks to the fans who came to support SMSQ at the recent Barbicube and Fusion events - it's not where you play, it's who you play to that makes the gig.

31-05-03
How many?
SMSQ have learned that the coveted York University Athletic Union quiz held last night featured a question which required contestants to state how many band members feature in the Scassa Monakee Synth Quartet. The band are said to be very amused with the attention given to their confusing name, although they would have considered a better and more humour-worthy question to be writing down the translation of 'scassa monakee.'

28-05-03
Scassa at The Barbican Centre
News in about the Barbicube event on 7th June: SMSQ are being multitrack taped and professionally filmed. So expect some fresh live material and video to accompany the forthcoming studio release!

21-05-03
Recording Underway
The first stage of recording the new CD is complete and mix down is due to take place on June 5th. In keeping with the band's ethos, the rhythm quartet laid down their tracks live with minimal overdubs - no fancy sequencer parts that will distract from the SMSQ live experience. Further details will follow in due course.

SMSQ will be playing at Breakz vs DJ Soc this Friday in Vanburgh College, University of York, which promises to be a great night of drum 'n bass, hip hop, house and trance.

15-05-03
Samba DnB
A quick congratulations for Balfour who successfully managed to fuse the sounds of SMSQ with a samba band in yesterdays concert at the Sir Jack Lyons concert hall, York. The legend that is SJL hall lived up to its name for truly awful acoustics, but Ned managed to compensate for the odd reverberations by playing extra LOUD.

11-05-03
Roses and recording
SMSQ will be in the studio 17th -19th May recording their first official CD. Expect a Mid June launch party. Watch this space for further information.

Roses Ball 2003 was a success, although an early kick off meant the audience numbers were down. The band were stoked to get on a big stage and are looking forward to getting back to the Barbican for the York Music Live Barbicue event on 7th June. Thanks to the die-hards who came to support SMSQ despite the high drinks prices. And thanks to whoever selected the bands dressing room: the four toilets, two showers and wide selection of childrens toys kept everyone amused.



10-02-03
SMSQ win York Uni Battle of the Bands 2003!
A great kick-off for the band. Thanks to everyone who showed support through the three rounds. And a word on getting the last spot on all three nights: that's a 5 x 5 x 5 = 125:1 chance. The prize studio time is being booked for sometime in May.