New York, NY – September 2023 – The Slackers premiere the track ‘Kill You’ the A-side to the band’s new 12” picture disc.

‘Kill You’ was still being worked on when Sunlight was released and that gave it a moment to stand on its own. It reflects our current contentious climate over gun rights, insurrection, theats of a new civil war, and the epidemic of gun violence. Frontman Vic Ruggiero’s lyrical insight for the song comes from his encounters with firearms in public over the last few years. Factor in a conversation with longtime friend and musical collaborator Rocksteypood, and ‘Kill You’ is a 7 minute track that cuts deep into divisive issues in America. Ruggiero‘s unease comes from a portion of America’s obsession with guns and what could come next. “I started thinking about a lot of things… how does a civil war start? How come it’s OK for people to shoot each other in certain situations and others it’s not? I even took a gun safety class in Phoenix that was less about gun safety and more about who you can shoot in what situation and get away with it.” It’s not only the gun safety class that brought up such unrest with Ruggiero, as vivid personal memories also brought about inspiration for the song. Ruggiero travels the country and world frequently (the life of a touring musician!) and he wrote about what he saw. “I had never had anyone show me their gun when I asked for directions or where to park but now it’s become a normal occurrence” he remarks. ‘Kill You’ was mixed by Victor Rice, an NYC ska luminary currently residing in Brazil, whose many accolades include two Latin Grammys and frequent collaborations with The Slackers throughout their career, including producing the band’s debut full length, 1996′s ‘Better Late Than Never’. Rice included some dub mixes for ‘Kill You’ when this song was recorded and it happened to line up perfectly with a dub mix of ‘Statehouse’ that was waiting for a release. The B Side is a commentary on the struggle for justice in South Carolina seen through the campaign to take down the Confederate flag that flew outside its Statehouse from 1961 – 2015. ‘Statehouse’ began as a reply to ‘Wrongful Suspicion’ which Ruggiero had written back in 1997 with Rancid’s Tim Armstrong. The Dub version of ‘Statehouse’ on this vinyl is a further reworking of the track by Emch, DJ at Subatomic Sound System, and long time collaborator with Lee Perry. Emch deconstructed the tune bringing forward the hand drumming of legendary percussionist Larry McDonald, a mutual friend and longtime collaborator of The Slackers, Emch and Lee Perry. Ruggiero noted, ”I had finished up ‘Kill You’ with Victor Rice and then I heard Emch‘s dub mix of ‘Statehouse’ and I thought “Wow! It would be cool to put them on a 7” together conceptually”. To say that the tension in America was NOT one-sided, (pun intended?), all kinda seemed to make sense.” With that, Ruggiero re-recorded some of his vocals for ‘Statehouse’ in order to fit the dub version better and everything fell perfectly in place.

Tracklisting:

Side A:

1. Kill You

Side B:

1. Statehouse (Dub Version)

THE SLACKERS TOUR DATES:

10/21/2023 – Hamden, CT – Space Ballroom

10/27-28-29/2023 – Austin, TX – Flamingo Cantina

w/ THE INTERRUPTERS

11/02/2023 – Nashville, TN – Marathon Music Works

11/03/2023 – Atlanta, GA – Masquerade

11/04/2023 – St Petersburg, FL – Jannus Live

11/05/2023 – Orlando, FL – House of Blues

11/07/2023 – Fort Lauderdale, FL – Revolution Live

11/08/2023 – Miami, FL – Flogging Molly’s Salty Dog Cruise 2023

11/14/2023 – West Palm Beach, FL – Respectable Street

11/17/2023 – Chicago, IL – Reggie’s

11/18/2023 – Chicago, IL – Reggie’s

11/29/2023 – Vancouver – Rickshaw

w/ VOODOO GLOW SKULLS, BUSTER SHUFFLE, LOS MAL HABLADOS

11/30/2023 – Seattle – Crocodile

12/01/2023 – Portland – Dantes

12/02/2023 – Berkeley – Cornerstone

12/03/2023 – Santa Cruz – Moe’s Alley

12/05/2023 – Salt Lake City – Metro Music

12/06/2023 – Denver – Oriental Theater

12/08/2023 – Los Angeles – 1720

12/09/2023 – Garden Grove – Garden Grove amp

12/10/2023 – San Diego – House of Blues

w/ MUSTARD PLUG, STOP THE PRESSES, THE FREECOASTERS

12/14/2023 Bensalem, PA – Broken Goblet

12/15/2023 Washington DC – Black Cat

12/16/2023 Brooklyn – Brooklyn Bowl

12/17/2023 Cambridge – The Sinclair