The Toasters

Road Trip: The Apple Stomp II Ska Festival in NYC Is Back with a New Batch

by

POSTPONED. Details within.

Photos and Video from Voodoo Glow Skulls Chaotic Middle East Performance

by
voodoo glow skulls at middle east jacobwakeup flickr

voodoo glow skulls at middle east jacobwakeup flickr

An intimate yet fierce crowd turned out Friday night for Voodoo Glow Skulls, The Toasters, Left Alone, and The Pomps. Singer Alex Stern of The Pomps opened began their set by thanking the crowd for not going to see Streetlight Manifesto at House of Blues. They played a very tight set of their new wave-inflected pop/ska. They were joined by Jr. Thomas from Minneapolis for two songs and noted they’d be backing him for a set at the Midway Cafe Saturday night (I was unable to make it to that show). Left Alone followed with a really tight set of their Rancid-inspired punk, ska, and rockabilly. The bassist alternated between an electric and upright bass which really made them stand out for the night.

Read more

[Show Recap] The Toasters Bring the Party!

by

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.

Read more

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

by

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).

Read more

Presidents’ Day News Round Up

by

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!

Read more

November/December Ska Shows and News

by

Welcome to first post on Boston Ska (dot) net. Let’s call this a soft launch. I’d been blogging at jacobwakeup.com and decided to start this sucker.

I missed the first couple weeks of November but there’s still a decent amount going on. I wasn’t able to make it to The Toasters on November 3rd at Johnny D’s. Did anyone catch any video from the show? I wasn’t able to find any on YouTube. It’s okay, The Toasters will be at TT’s in March.

Read more

Boston Ska News Roundup October 2012

by

Originally posted at jacobwakeup.com

So the Obi Fernandez CD release show was awesome. Soul Rebel Project was tight but didn’t quite move me, Riki Rocksteady was a blast, and of course Obi Fernandez KILLED it. They played mostly new stuff, as far as I could tell, some Westbound Train tunes, and some great covers. Specifically, they opened with a sick rocksteady version of “The KKK Took My Baby Away.” Obi was giving out download cards for his new record. Stream it on Spotify or buy it directly from Paper + Plastick (it’s worth it to buy it, and purchases are without a doubt, better for the artist). And of course now I’m all the more stoked for The Aggrolites on Tuesday.

Read more