Big things are going on down in Des Moines, IA!  The town has always had a very dedicated scooter and skin scene that has gravitated toward ska, reggae and Oi punk music.  Over the past few years, members of that scene have formed 3 Bridges Promotion which books shows and events for the underground music scene.  Not only do they promote these shows, they often provide touring bands with a place to sleep and all-night parties where the bands and fans share stories over pints of brew.  Last winter, the group hosted the first Fistful Of Ska! show that showcased 5 midwestern ska bands (New Riddim (Kansas City), The Bishops (Omaha), The Prizefighters, The Dropsteppers, Rocksteady Breakfast)  Before the show was over, plans were being made for the next installment.

Fistful Of Ska! is back and bigger than ever with 11 bands from all over the country and 5 DJs over 3 nights at The Gas Lamp (1501 Grand Ave., Des Moines, IA).  MNSKA bands Secondhand Ska Kings, The Prizefighters, and The Dropsteppers will be there to represent our scene.  If you are a Twin Cities ska fan and are looking for Memorial Day weekend plans, head down to Des Moines (only a 4 hour drive).  Tickets are available here: https://tikly.co/-/1352

Here is a break down of the weekend festivities:

FRIDAY, MAY 24, 2013 7PM GAS LAMP
ARM THE POOR (Kansas City, MO)
SECONDHAND SKA KINGS (Minneapolis, MN)
LERADEE & THE POSITIVES (Des Moines, IA)
RUDE KING (Dallas, TX)

SATURDAY, MAY 25, 2013 7PM GAS LAMP
INSPECTER 7 (New Jersey)
DEAL’S GONE BAD (Chicago, IL)
THE BISHOPS (Omaha, NE)
THE PRIZEFIGHTERS (Minneapolis, MN)
THE DROPSTEPPERS (Minneapolis, MN)
SOUL RADICS (Nashville, TN)
SAMMY KAY & THE EAST LOS THREE (Los Angeles, CA)
DJ CHUCK WREN
DJ RIC VESPA
DJ COSMO

SUNDAY, MAY 26, 2013 7PM BEECHWOOD LOUNGE
DJ COSMO
RIVER CITY ROCKSTEADY

Sponsored by JUMP UP RECORDS!

Rocksteady Breakfast are holding their annual Pachanga show on Saturday, May 11th at Acadia Cafe in Mpls.  The FREE, ALL AGES show is commemorating their 5th anniversary as a band.  Special musical guests include MNSKA bands Umbrella Bed and Drunk History as well as punk bands Pervert Preachers and Tone Deaf Annies.  It’s an early 5pm show, so head out to the West Bank for a night of ska-punk insanity!

Related show

• Band: Rocksteady Breakfast / Umbrella Bed / Drunk History
• Date: Saturday, May 11th 2013
• Time: 8:00pm
• City: Rocksteady Breakfast / Umbrella Bed / Drunk History in Minneapolis
• Venue: Acadia Cafe
• Country: US
• Admission: FREE
• Age restrictions: All Ages
• More information
• Notes: 5th Annual PACHANGA SHOW
  more bands to be announced!
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Prizefighter Sound System presents…
The official pre-release listening party for “A Musical Knockout In 3 Rounds!”, the new 7-inch vinyl series by The Prizefighters.

featuring…

The Prizefighters
Black Diet
Topper Norris

also featuring DJs spinning ska and reggae, plus a first listen to the brand-new Prizefighters recordings in their full vinyl glory before they are released.

You can pre-order the vinyl series at IndieGoGo HERE

For more info, you can check out the event on FACEBOOK or head to The Prizefighters website.

Related show

• Band: The Prizefighters / Topper Norris / Black Diet
• Date: Saturday, May 4th 2013
• Time: 9:00pm
• City: The Prizefighters / Topper Norris / Black Diet in Minneapolis, MN
• Venue: Hell’s Kitchen
• Address: 80 S 9th St
• Venue phone: (612) 332-4700
• Country: US
• Admission: $5
• Age restrictions: 21+
• More information
• Notes: Official Pre-Release Listening Party for “A Musical Knockout In 3 Rounds!”
  7-inch series from The Prizefighters!
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MNSKA band The Prizefighters have unveiled their new music video for their haunting reggae instrumental “Sukeban.”  The song is on the upcoming 7-inch vinyl series A Musical Knockout In 3 Rounds! which will be released in June.

You can check out the video on YouTube HERE

Veteran punk band The Casualties are returning to the Triple Rock THIS SATURDAY with MNSKA band Rocksteady Breakfast.  Special guest The Devil Blues Band.  This show is going to be an absolute riot!

Related show

• Band: The Casualties / Rocksteady Breakfast / Devil Blues Band
• Date: Saturday, April 20th 2013
• Time: 9:00pm
• City: The Casualties / Rocksteady Breakfast / Devil Blues Band in Minneapolis, MN
• Venue: Triple Rock Social Club
• Address: 629 Cedar Ave S
• Venue phone: 612-333-7399
• Country: US
• Admission: $13 Adv / $15 Door
• Age restrictions: 18+
• Add to Google Calendar | Download iCal

MNSKA band The Prizefighters made an announcement this week that they will be releasing a 7-inch vinyl series called A Musical Knockout In 3 Rounds!  In preparation for the series, they have started a pre-order campaign on IndieGoGo, allowing fans to not only get all the 45rpm records before they are released, but other items like mp3s, an exclusive live DVD of their performance with Roy & Yvonne at Chicago’s Jamaican Oldies Weekend, signed test pressings, a brand-new T-shirt designed by CHema Skandal! and MORE.  With the different reward levels, you can support the band even if you don’t have a turntable.

As you can see from the ad above, the band has a boxing match theme for the series where each record is a fight round, pitting each side against the other and representing a different 60s Jamaican music genre;  Round 1 is ska, Round 2 is rocksteady, and Round 3 is reggae.  Each “round” also contains unique label art designed by the band that aims for a distinct 60s Jamaican aesthetic.  The ad gives a preview of each song in the series, all original and previously unreleased songs from the band.

The Prizefighters have set a goal of $3,000, but after only a couple of days of the pre-order they are nearly halfway!

You can check out the preview of A Musical Knockout In 3 Rounds! on YouTube HERE

You can pre-order the series at IndieGoGo HERE

Photo by Andrew Prudas

Toots & The Maytals
With The Prizefighters
Mill City Nights, Minneapolis
April 6th, 2013

Show Review by MNSKA show reporter Martha Rigby

Mill City Nights was teeming with Toots and the Maytals fans of all sorts on Saturday: you had your dreadlocks, Fred Perrys, tams, army boots, studded jackets, and the like. I had heard Mill City could get pretty clogged, but I felt like things were pretty well spaced out despite the large crowd. Downstairs there was a second bar and a comfy lounge area to relax between sets. There were also women dressed in crops and heels greeting adoring fans and enticing us with jerk chicken and fried plantains.

A loud cheer greeted Toots’ entrance in a bold jeans/jean jacket combo and launched into “Pressure Drop” which brought the energy right up. The two female backup singers were grooving in sync, reminiscent of the I Threes, Bob Marley’s backup singers. Overheard behind me when they started singing: “those women!!”

Some of Toots’ tours recently have been acoustic shows, which I’m sure are great in their own right, but I was really happy to get the total reggae experience with a full band and backup singers. Patchouli, B.O., and herb combined to transform the show into an atmospheric experience.

70-year-old Toots has still got it–he was having a blast sharing these oldie goodies with us. Toots and the Maytals have been around since 1963, and while they were as important to the Jamaican reggae/ska scene as the likes of Bob Marley and Peter Tosh, they didn’t get the same international recognition. The jeans getup with extra buckles and zippers was complemented with a black bandana and sunglasses that didn’t come off till the encore. It was quite charming how happy he seemed to be up there in front of a big crowd there to see him. The man has soul, loves to move. A nice moment during “Reggae Got Soul” was when he pointed out people in the audience, saying “he’s got soul, she’s got soul, everybody’s got soul!” The crowd was singing along and loved it when Toots danced during instrumental sections. Songs like “Funky Kingston” and “Monkey Man” even caused a small mosh pit to form close up to the stage. Those two tunes probably got the crowd moving and singing the most.

The encore was more of a short second set than an encore with at least four songs, including “54-46 Was My Number”, a personal favorite of mine. It was such a joy to see it brought to life. In total they played a two-ish hour set and it looked like Toots could have kept going for a few more!

Photo by Andrew Prudas

The sharp-dressed Minneapolis Prizefighters brought their early reggae influenced sound and their Fred Perry’s. Lead singer Aaron Porter commented that he was excited and honored to be sharing the stage with Toots. There was a rocking organ solo during instrumental “Sukeban” and on the whole they put on a really tight set.

Overall it was a great night for ska in the Cities, and I look forward to more this weekend at the Fancy Dress Party at the Nomad!

If you’d like to become a MNSKA show reporter, please contact us at mnskanews@gmail.com!

Dust off your best suits and dresses, it’s time to get dolled up for the Fancy Dress Party at the Nomad World Pub in Minneapolis!  Going on this Saturday, April 13th at 9 pm, the cover charge is only $5 if you come in your fanciest threads, but the cover goes up to $8 if you come in your normal duds.  Headlining this classy event are Rocksteady Breakfast bringing their usual, high-energy, Two Tone ska-meets-street punk sound.  Joining them are MNSKA band The Dropsteppers, who are celebrating the release of their new 7-inch, and band Black Diet.

But wait, there’s more!  There will be special performances by Black Hearts Burlesque!  The night is sponsored by Tatters Vintage Clothing, who will be giving away prizes to the best dressed attendees!  Other sponsors include Pabst Blue Ribbon, Sik Pin, The Nomad, and MNSKA of course!

Related show

• Band: Rocksteady Breakfast / The Dropsteppers / Black Diet
• Date: Saturday, April 13th 2013
• Time: 9:00pm
• City: Rocksteady Breakfast / The Dropsteppers / Black Diet in Minneapolis, MN
• Venue: The Nomad World Pub
• Address: 501 Cedar Ave S
• Venue phone: 612-338-6424
• Country: US
• Admission: $5 fancy / $8 not fancy
• Age restrictions: 21+
• Notes: FANCY DRESS PARTY!
  presented by Tatters
  sponsored by Pabst Blue Ribbon, MNSKA, and Sik Pin
  Special performance by Black Hearts Burlesque
  Dress up fancy, get in for $5, otherwise $8
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MNSKA band Drunk History is taking their energetic ska-rock on the road this summer!  The band has just posted their Midwest tour dates for their Slackers Tour: We Play When We Want on their Facebook page.

Saturday, June 1st – St. Joseph, MN @ The Local Blend
Saturday, June 8th – Fargo, ND @ Pickled Parrot
Friday, June 14th – Aberdeen, SD @ Red Rooster
Saturday, June 15th – Aberdeen, SD @ Slackers
Saturday, June 22nd – Ames, IA @ DG’s Taphouse
Friday, July 19th – Lacrosse, WI @ The Root Note Café
Saturday, July 20th – Lacrosse, WI @ JB’s Speakeasy

The band will also be performing locally at this year’s PACHANGA show at Acadia Cafe(May 11) and with Green Room Rockers at Whiskey Junction (May 25)

The English Beat
With Umbrella Bed
Triple Rock Social Club, Minneapolis
March 21, 2013

Show Review by MNSKA show reporter Martha Rigby

Heading over to the Triple Rock last Thursday night (March 21), I highly anticipated a chance to hear the English Beat’s studio recorded songs brought to life, this being the first time I saw them live. In the week preceding the English Beat show, I watched one YouTube video of lead singer Dave Wakeling and his backing band, just to see what to expect. It was pretty horrible–Wakeling’s voice sounded unstable while the sound was just too echo-y–I’ll chalk it up to bad acoustics, after having witnessed a stellar performance from the English Beat at the Triple Rock. Wakeling was on point, his voice strong as ever. A pleasant surprise was Antonee First Class (vocals/toaster), just about the flyest dude I’ve seen in a long time. In addition to singing backup vocals he freestyled between songs about 80’s pop culture, for those who were around in that decade. He’s got some flow for sure.

Overall the band was just as sharp as on the studio recorded songs, just as tight, but most importantly, bursting with energy and passion that it was almost surprising this band is past its prime. The instrumental jamming on “Hands Off She’s Mine” was especially delightful. One thing the English Beat did well in the 80′s was writing songs with great opening riffs. “Save It For Later” comes to mind–that first bass note got an immediate cheer of recognition. The highlights for me were mostly the typical hits: “Save it for Later”, “Mirror in the Bathroom,” “Hands Off She’s Mine,” “Tears of A Clown,” and “I’ll Take You There.” I should have realized earlier that they would save Mirror in the Bathroom for the encore. It was worth it; as Wakeling said when they came back on stage, “here’s the moment you’ve all been waiting for.” It was fast and large and people went nuts.

It was great to see such a diverse crowd getting down. To me it looked it looked like a slightly older crowd than your typical Triple Rock show, but Wakeling at one point commented that we looked young! In between sets, I was chatting with a woman by the bar and she asked how old I was. “22?! When I was 22 I was going to English Beat shows! And I’m 57 now, I can’t wait to dance!” 2tone, a record label and genre emphasizing racial unity, brought us all together on Thursday night for a skanking good time!

Local 2-tone ska band (and Ska-POW! champions) Umbrella Bed opened for the show, and the crowd was pretty lukewarm towards them. That changed of course if you went up close to the stage and skanked with the UB fans. Right as I walked in, I overheard someone behind me say, “are they from Minneapolis? How long are they playing?” which is just a testament to the draw that the English Beat has outside of the explicitly ska scene in the Cities. Personally I thought Umbrella Bed was great, though they lacked some of their bouncy energy they had at Ska-POW! I suppose the crowd and the band mutually influence the energy they exude, so I can’t give them too hard of a time.

If you’d like to become a MNSKA show reporter, please contact us at mnskanews@gmail.com!