Regular readers of Rootfire content over the years may recall our coverage of Crazy Baldhead, the solo project of producer Jayson “Agent Jay” Nugent, perhaps more widely known as the guitarist of The Slackers. Thanks to these roles as well as his production work for other artists, Agent Jay has held down a strong presence in the NYC reggae scene for decades. One of the more noteworthy artists he has worked with along the way, The Frightnrs, created quite a stir with their original take on rocksteady and early reggae music. At the forefront of their unique sound was singer Dan “Brukky” Klein, whose striking falsetto instantly drew listeners in.

Sadly, the exciting rise of The Frightnrs would be nipped in the bud due to the untimely 2016 death of Brukky a few months prior to the release of the band’s first LP, Nothing More to Say, produced by Victor “Ticklah” Axelrod for Daptone Records. (The band would go on to fulfill a promise to Brukky to keep making music together by releasing another LP in 2022, titled Always, which The Frightnrs and Ticklah crafted using the singer’s vocal stems.)

Dan “Brukky” Klein

On the fifth anniversary of Brukky’s passing, for charity (Brooklyn Community Bail Fund), Nugent issued a low-key digital release of a song that he had recorded with the singer, titled “Guns & Cocaine.”

Nugent shared more details about the back story of the song: “Sometime around 2012 or 2013, Brukky was recording vocals at my place over random rhythms I had laying around. One was a modern steppers dancehall rhythm with an Indian tabla sample in the loop. Brukky was inspired and laid down ‘Guns & Cocaine’, a rejection of gunman lyrics in dancehall. Although it was an infectious hook, I shelved the tune and encouraged Dan to move away from the Jamaican patois vocal style and sing with his own natural voice. This he did brilliantly on Crazy Baldhead’s next LP, Boots Embraces. Within a year or so, Brukky’s band, The Frightnrs, got a lot busier and a lot of doors started opening for them.”

Continuing, he recalled, “In mid-2015, I suffered a bad cycling accident that left my right arm paralyzed for a few months, while Dan began feeling weakness in his limbs and shortness of breath. This illness would later be diagnosed as ALS. We lost Brukky June 9th of 2016.”

A year or two later, after having recovered from his injuries and having released a follow-up Crazy Baldhead LP, The Stereo Prophecy & Electric Hymns, Nugent began going through old sessions looking for incomplete recordings with potential. “I stumbled on the old ‘tabla’ dancehall rhythm and began soloing tracks to see what was on it,” he said. “Suddenly, out of nowhere, Brukky’s voice jumped out. I had forgotten all about this track. When the hook hit, I knew I had to complete and release this tune.”

According to Nugent, the first step was to recut the rhythm underneath the vocals track in a more 70’s rub-a-dub style. “This we did at my Jamaican neighbor Curly’s studio down the block,” he shared. “Drummer Eddie Ocampo and bassist Dan Jeselsohn kept great time under Brukky’s vocals. Victor Axelrod added some piano and organ alongside my guitar and percussion, and some horns completed the sound. It took a few mixes before I was happy enough with it to get a dub plate cut in the UK around 2021.”

This past June marked 10 years since Brukky’s passing, so Nugent is re-releasing the song, this time on limited edition vinyl. The B-side features another song with Brukky’s amazing vocals originally on Crazy Baldhead’s The Stereo Prophecy & Electric Hymns LP, “Shirin,” remixed with a new rub-a-dub rhythm track.

Vinyls are due in stock any day now, but pre-orders can be placed at oldneighborhood.net and oldneighborhood.bandcamp.com. The digital download available on BandCamp includes dub remix versions of both songs.