It’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!