Bands

Boston, Cambridge, and Allston are home to some of the greatest ska bands in the states, to include those who helped pioneer the American ska sound, and those up-and-comers who continue to make this scene what it is.

A Guy Named Guy and Poor Jeremy Embark on the “Mega Miniest” of Tours

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Poor Jeremy | A Guy Named Guy | Boston Ska Bands | Tour

Poor Jeremy | A Guy Named Guy | Boston Ska Bands | TourLet’s get one thing out of the way: It is really hard to tour as a band playing any flavor of ska. The national hype has died down, the economy sucks, and all of this is exacerbated by having more than 5 people in a band. The more people, the more complicated it becomes to take time off from work or school, fit people into vehicles, fit instruments into trunks, and generally trek from point A to point B.

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Bim Skala Bim Releases Back Catalog Direct to Fans Digitally

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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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Have Nots Release Single in Tribute to Band Member’s Father

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Heartland | Have Nots | Boston Ska

Heartland | Have Nots | Boston Ska

The relatively dormant punk/ska band Have Nots released a single at the end of 2013 entitled “Heartland” on their bandcamp page. The announcement was made on their Facebook page noting a birthday dedication to lead singer Jon Cazutik’s father who would have been celebrating his 100th birthday. This heartfelt punk jam grabbed me immediately and fans of the band will appreciate it.

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Stray Bullets and The Pomps Play Matinee Show in JP

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Moonstomping Matinee | Facebook Event

Moonstomping Matinee | Facebook Event

Cold got you down? Feeling overall frozen? Come by Midway Cafe in JP for a hot toddy (note: I have no idea if they make hot toddies).

Stray Bullets will be headlining a Moonstomping Snowstomping Matinee Saturday, January 18 starting at 4pm. The show is all ages and $10 also gets you well-rounded punk and ska bill with Jason Bennett and the Resistance, The Pomps, and The Warning Shots.

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Mighty Mighty Meet and Greet at McGreevy’s

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Mighty Mighty Bosstones Meet and Greet at McGreevy's Back BayFor the 5th year running, McGreevy’s bar in Back Bay will host the Mighty Mighty Bosstones and their fans for a meet and greet prior to night 2 of their 16th annual Hometown Throwdown, Saturday, December 28th.

McGreevy’s takes the title of “America’s First Sports Bar,” opening as the Third Base Saloon in 1894 by Michael T. “Nuf Ced” McGreevy. Located a mere 1,200 steps from Fenway Park, the bar was re-opened in 2008 by Ken Casey, bassist for Dropkick Murphys. It’s only fitting that Dropkick incorporated McGreevy into their cover of Tessie. It’s worth reading the history over at McGreevy’s website.

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Celebrate Skanukkah at the Middle East with Local Bands

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20131201 skanukkahIt’s a little known fact that the fifth night of Hanukkah is the most important of all the nights, particularly among ska fans. Since medieval times, the festival of lights has been a time to gather, dance, and drink.

Actually that first part is made up and the second part could be true of any holiday. What’s absolutely true is that this year on that fifth night, the Middle East in Cambridge is host to 5 local ska and punk bands: The Takeaways, A Guy Named Guy, and Poor Jeremy from Boston, OFC666  from Turners Falls, MA and RF30 from Concord, NH. (The Stupid Stupid Henchmen were originally on this bill but had to drop off.) Will this evolve into an annual event akin to New Jersey’s Skanksgiving? We’re certainly not opposed to the idea!

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