A Guy Named Guy Bids Boston Farewell After Strong Four-Year Run

A Guy Named Guy - Last Show - Photo by Freddie Ross

On May 25, 2014, Boston ska/punk band A Guy Named Guy played their last show. We talked with them about how they got their start, some highlights from their four-year run, and what’s next for the band members.

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

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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Celebrate Skanukkah at the Middle East with Local Bands

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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SHOP Releases 2nd Compilation Featuring Local Boston Ska Bands

shop comp 2Allston-based production company S.H.O.P. released their 2nd compilation of local bands on July 25th. The compilation features a whopping 21 tracks and the incredibly affordable “name your own price” rate. SHOP explains the comp on their bandcamp page:

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A Guy Named Guy Returns Home from Tour; Presents Local Showcase at Middle East

a guy named guy may 2013 tour

a guy named guy may 2013 tourEarlier this month, Boston’s own A Guy Named Guy set out on a three-week tour across the Northeast and Midwest USA. I can’t think of any other Boston ska bands that have done any serious touring recently (save for Big D heading out on Warped Tour this summer), so let’s give these guys some respect; touring isn’t easy in the slighted, especially for 7 or 8-piece ska/punk bands. Their first show kicked off in Allston so it’s only suitable that they circle back and close out the tour in Cambridge. Touring can be strenuous, so it’s nice to start and end with fans and friends.

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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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