Introducing “Pick It Up” Ska Radio Show on WECB Emerson

Pick It Up Radio | Boston Ska Show | Emerson College

Pick It Up Radio | Boston Ska Show | Emerson CollegeOne might wonder why bother with radio or podcasts in the days of Spotify and Google. If I can search for the song I want to hear and listen to it on-demand, why would I need a DJ to play it for me?

I can think of three very crystal clear reasons:

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  1.  These services, while accessible to local musicians in some ways, certainly gives preference to established and mainstream acts.
  2. Sometimes you might just not know what you want to listen to
  3. (This is the big one) Sometimes you want need recommendations.

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DJs are a source for music. They’ve been charged with the sacred task of selecting  songs for the enjoyment of the crowd, big or small, live or recorded, in person or over the air. We haven’t stopped making mixes or suggesting music to each other, we’ve just changed how we do it. If you’re anything like me, you crave new music and new bands, be they new to the scene or just new to me. In short, tell me what to listen to.

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The Mighty Mighty Bosstones Premier “They Will Need Music” Video on Alternative Press

Mighty Mighty Bosstones, boston ska

The Mighty Mighty Bosstones They Will Need Music video pays homage to their HomeTown ThrowDown | Alternative Press

Boston ska stalwarts The Mighty Mighty Bosstones have made a music video for “They Will Need Music” and Alternative Press has the exclusive premier. The Bosstones announced the video’s release on Facebook yesterday, saying:

[quote]This video is our love letter to the HomeTown ThrowDown which is our yearly love letter to the City of Boston and the people that support our band, The Mighty Mighty BossToneS[/quote]

The video includes great footage from the 2013 Hometown Throwdown, the Meet and Greet at McGreevy’s, and the sledding event held at Frozen Fenway. Intentional or not, I love that the sledding scenes look like home video footage circa the 1970s. If you attended any of these events, look closely and you just might see yourself! Yours truly makes a cameo at about the 1:54 mark! No one could ever claim that the Bosstones didn’t care about their fans. The video itself was made local filmmaker Mark Higgins who is also responsible for the Music video for “The Daylights” (see below) and Dropkick Murphys’ “I’m Shipping Up to Boston” music video, among others.

UPDATE 2/17/14 8:45AM: The video is no longer exclusive to Alternative Press. Here it is on YouTube:

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The Skatalites Celebrate 50th Anniversary

the skatalites

The creators of the Ska kick off their 50th anniversary this year! The Skatalites were inventors and pioneers, crafting the original sound of ska music that would give birth to so many other styles and inspire so many musicians. Still touring, there are but two original band members, Lester Sterling on alto saxophone and vocalist Doreen Shaffer. Only musicians of the highest of caliber become members of this fine institution lest you think this is a tribute act or a spinoff.

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Less Than Jake Added to Warped Tour 2014

photo viaLess Than Jake Photo via Fat Wreck by Katie Hovland

Long-time running Gainesville, FL ska/punk band Less Than Jake announced earlier this week that they would be joining the 2014 Warped Tour. At this time they’re the only ska band on the tour but it’s early yet. Warped Tour visits Massachusetts on July 10th at the Xfinity Center (formerly the Comcast Center) in Mansfield. Tickets are on sale now and stay at about $30. Once again, there is bus transportation available leaving from a variety of cities in Massachusetts, costing you another $20 for the round trip. The Boston stop is South Station and sounds worth it to avoid traffic. To hype the announcement the band produced the video above.

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Pre-Order New Deal’s Gone Bad Record “Heartbreaks And Shadows”

Chicago’s Deal’s Gone Bad has completed the recording of their latest record, “Heartbreaks And Shadows,” a follow up to their 2007 record “The Ramblers.” This will be the second of their records featuring the distinctive voice of Todd Hembrook. The band’s next step is pressing and distribution of the record and they’re looking to their fans, friends, and the good people at Big Tunes to fund the record.

For those not familiar, Big Tunes is a crowdfunding platform akin to Kickstarter, but it’s geared specifically to music projects which means both the artist and the fans come out ahead. It’s also run by the same good people that run Whatevski Records, so you know they really get ska, rocksteady, and reggae music.

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Bim Skala Bim Releases Back Catalog Direct to Fans Digitally

Bim Skala Bim, Boston Ska Est. 1983

Bim Skala Bim, Boston Ska Est. 1983

Boston Ska Pioneers Bim Skala Bim have made a large chunk of their back catalog of LPs available to fans through their Nimbit Music digital store. Fans can rest assured they’re buying directly from the band, and Nimbit is based in Framingham, MA to boot. The band advertised that their full catalog was available. I’m no expert on the band and I picked up most of their LPs on eMusic way back, but a little research confirmed my hunch that there were still some singles and EP material not available through the store. Nonetheless, there are 11 albums available on sale for between $7 and $12 an album and you can buy the tracks individually if you prefer. You could just as easily get many of these tracks from iTunes but Nimbit gives you 256 kbps mp3s and no DRM. Just head to the store and click on the “shop” tab.

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