Interrobang!? to Release New Album May 1st

interrobang new record

Boston ska-core band Interrobang!? has announced the upcoming release of a new full length album entitled

It is with great great pleasure and anticipation that we give a long awaited announcement. After years of toiling, and hours of laboriously redefining what this band stands for, and what it means to us, we present our first full length effort Forge On. The culmination of of a seven year effort as a band, that reads as a reflection of those times, good and bad.

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Spend 420 with Sammy Kay & the Fast Four and Brunt of It in Jamaica Plain

sammy kay 2013 spring tour

sammy kay 2013 spring tourImagine my surprise when I found out my old pal Sammy Kay was passing through Boston. I met Sammy Kay in New York City when he was playing with The Forthrights and I was playing with The Hard Times and we were playing gigs together every two minutes. Well around the time I was getting ready to move to Boston, he had put a new band together, called Sammy Kay and the Fast Four. They played a few gigs before Sammy took off for the west coast where he plays with the East Los 3.

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Big D and The Kids Table Release Video for “Best of Them All”

big d damned dumb and deliriousWe’re a bit late to the party here, but we’d be remissed not to mention the latest Big D and The Kids Table video for “Best of Them All.” The song is off their summer 2011 release For the Damned, the Dumb & The Delirious on SideOnedummy Records. I generally dug the record. It was very much in the vein of “How It Goes” or “Strictly Rude.” Dying Scene has a pretty thorough review. Midway into raising money for their new record on Kickstarter (much more on that later), Big D released this video as a reward/incentive to backers. Similarly, they released a pretty cool video for “Rotten” from the same record exclusively to backers and then made that public (though I couldn’t find it on YouTube or Vimeo).

Check the video below. Take a drink every time you recognize someone from the Have Nots. Cheers!

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[Show Recap] The Toasters Bring the Party!

Here at Boston Ska (dot) net, we go to shows so you don’t have to! Kidding. You should totally go to shows. Because sometimes they’re totally awesome like last weekend’s show at TT The Bear’s with The Toasters, All Good Feel Good Collective, Mrs Skannotto, John DeCarlo & Company.

When we spoke to Bucket, the lead singer of The Toasters, prior to the show, he said that Boston was The Toaster’s new east coast home, and the east coast for home. Anyone at the show would have confirmed it was just that! I got there on the early side, ran into old friends, and made some new friends before the music had even started.

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The Toasters Call Boston Home, Perform at TT The Bear’s March 1

20120301 toasters tt the bearsThey bill themselves these days as “The Longest Running U.S. Ska Band,” but I always think of them as “The Hardest Working Band in Ska.” The Toasters have been doing what they’ve been doing for 33 year years, touring nationally and internationally, and few others in this world can say that.

This Friday, they play at TT The Bear’s in Cambridge. I was able to have a few words with Rob “Bucket” Hingley, lead singer, guitarist, and songwriter for the band, and founder of Moon Ska Records (1983-200) and Megalith Records (est. 2002).

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Presidents’ Day News Round Up

Got yesterday off? Lucky bastard. Had to work? Hopefully this helps you ease into your week. (I meant to post this yesterday but I went to go see Django and that thing is like 7 hours long. My bad.)

  • Big D and the Kids Table ran a Kickstarter campaign to fund their new record(s). It got funded! But they’re going to fund it themselves anyways? I’m confused.
  • Record Store Day is April 20. Mark your calendars and find a record store or two to get to that day.
  • From the rumor mill: Westbound Train considers recording a cover record! Kidding…
  • Didn’t make it to Johnny D’s for The Pomps and Riki Rocksteady on 2/2? Mark Stern Photography took some great shots of the night.
  • I caught The Slackers in Northampton at Pearl Street on 2/2. The were great and I found some video, posted below the jump.
  • I also had the chance to talk to Bucket from The Toasters about they’re upcoming show at TT The Bear’s. Watch for that post later this week!
  • Are you on Instagram? Tag your photos with #bostonska. Looks like folks have been doing it, but here’s a friendly reminder to keep it up!
  • As always, check out the show calendar! Riki Rocksteady, SuperSka, The Allstonians, Brunt of It, and A Guy Named Guy all have gigs.

The Slackers played one of my favorite songs, “Lazy Woman,” but rarely do they play it live, and that’s okay. BUT someone yelled it out and they played it!

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A Guy Named Guy Heads on Tour This May

a guy named guyBoston’s own A Guy Named Guy will be heading out on tour this May! They’ve got some dates filled in but looks like they could use a hand. Do you know a band or venue in one of the towns below? If so, get on the horn and get back at AGNG.

Don’t know anyone in those towns and want to be supportive? Follow them tumblr, twitter, bandcamp, youtube, or facebook, and like/retweet/reblog/etc when they post. 

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