Our friends from Indiana, reggae-soul group Green Room Rockers, need your help!  As you may know, Super Bowl XLVI will be played in Indianapolis, IN on Sunday, February 5th and Rolling Stone magazine is putting on a contest to help a local band open up the Volkswagen Rock N’ Roll Tailgate Party for headliners Jane’s Addiction and The Roots.  As with most online contests, you have a limited time to vote.  Voting begins today and ends on Sunday, January 29th.  You can vote once per day.  To vote for GRR, click on the link below and click the vote button.  When it asks you to login, just connect with Facebook.

As a bonus, you can stream the band’s latest recording, a reggae version of Bob Dylan’s “Wagon Wheel.”  Also, if the band wins, frontman Mark Cooper promised to talk trash about the Patriots during the entire set!

To vote for Green Room Rockers, click HERE

Brooklyn rocksteady outfit The Forthrights are coming to Minneapolis!  That’s right, on Thursday, May 26th, along with New Orleans’ own Maddie Ruthless and MNSKA band The Prizefighters, The Forthrights will be playing the Terminal Bar.  If that’s not enough for ska fans to come out to the show, we are giving away 2 copies of their new 7-inch EP Camp Birdman!

To enter our contest, just email mnskanews@gmail.com with “The Forthrights” in the subject line.  It’s really that easy!  Winners will be drawn the day of the show.  The only catch is you have to be at the show to claim your prize.  You only have 1 week left to enter!

MNSKA is proud to announce the big show happening at The Cabooze in Minneapolis on Sunday, April 3rd.  Legendary band The English Beat are making their return to the Twin Cities for a big 21+ event, brought to you by Sue McLean & Associates!  In honor of the show, we here at MNSKA are giving away a pair of tickets!

All you have to do is email mnskanews@gmail.com with ‘The English Beat’ in the subject line and I will draw a random winner on Friday, April 1st!  Make sure you include your full name in the email.  Stay tuned to MNSKA.com for details about this show!

You can purchase tickets for this show HERE (oh, too cool to enter our contest?)

MNSKA and The Flyover Ska Show are proud to bring you the first BIG show of the New Year: Green Room Rockers (Indiana) and The Pinstripes (Cincinnati) on Saturday, January 22nd at The Red Sea in Minneapolis.  You can win a pair of tickets to the All Ages show by emailing mnskanews@gmail.com with “GRR and Pinstripes” in the subject line.  I will randomly select a winner on Thursday, January 20th.

Doors open for the show at 5pm and will feature special guest performances by MNSKA bands The Dropsteppers and Secondhand Ska Kings.  Just by coming to the show, you will be eligible for door prizes including music and merchandise from Green Room Rockers, The Pinstripes and MNSKA.

Tune in to the Flyover Ska Show every Monday on FancyPantsGangsters.com for additional information on this upcoming show!

Exciting news, MNSKA fans!  The Dropsteppers and Chester Bay have both been added to the bill of the November 23rd Bedouin Soundclash show at the Varsity Theater in Minneapolis, MN.  The show is 18+ with doors at 7 pm.  If you want to win a pair of tickets to this show, email mnskanews@gmail.com with ‘Bedouin Soundclash’ and include your full name!  Winner will be announced on Monday, November 22nd.

If you are interested in tickets WITHOUT the Ticketmaster charges, contact Tom from The Dropsteppers at tommcdowall@hotmail.com.  Let’s show these local bands some support and make a statement on behalf of Minnesota Ska to the local music scene that ska and reggae music is here to stay!

It’s contest time again!  Canadian reggae-rock band Bedouin Soundclash are coming to Minneapolis on Tuesday, November 23rd to play an 18+ show at the Varsity Theater and you can win a pair of tickets.  All you have to do is send an email to mnskanews@gmail.com with “Bedouin Soundclash” in the subject line and your full name in the email.  A winner will be picked at random on Monday, November 22nd.  Good luck and remember, you can’t win if you don’t play!

Tickets for the show can be purchased via Ticketmaster HERE

ATTENTION GREEN ROOM ROCKERS FANS! I’m pleased to announce another contest brought to you by MNSKA!  The red-hot Indiana soul-reggae band the Green Room Rockers are coming back to Minneapolis, MN to play an ALL AGES show at The Red Sea (320 Cedar Ave) on Saturday, April 17th.  Special guests include 3 MNSKA bands: The Prizefighters, 2 Tone Runts, and Midriff.  The doors are at 5 pm and show is at 6pm.

You can enter to win tickets by emailing me at mnskanews@gmail.com.  Be sure to include ‘Green Room Rockers’ in the subject line.  I will randomly draw a winner on Thursday, April 15th.  Good luck, everyone and remember…it’s just like the lotto: you gotta be in it, to win it!

Attention all Aquabats fans in the Twin Cities metro area!  The Saturday, March 13th Triple Rock show is NOT CANCELED!

The Aquabats are touring with Yo Gabba Gabba Live!, a concert series based on the popular children’s TV show.  Yo Gabba Gabba Live! now has two showtimes for Saturday, March 13th at the Target Center in Minneapolis due to overwhelming demand; one at 3pm and one at 6pm.  The Aquabats also have a show scheduled that evening at 6pm over at the Triple Rock Social Club in Minneapolis.  Confusion ran rampant amongst the throng of Aquabats fans as to whether the Triple Rock show was in jeopardy of being cancelled or postponed, but do not fear: All 3 Aquabats performances are still on as scheduled!

If you would like to win tickets for the show at the Triple Rock, email mnskanews@gmail.com and put “The Aquabats” in the subject line.  I will be selecting a random winner on Thursday, March 11th.  Best of luck and I’ll see you at the show!

Big Contest Announcement! California ska superheroes The Aquabats are currently touring with Yo Gabba Gabba Live! and are coming through the Twin Cities on Saturday, March 13th.  After their matinee appearance at the Target Center, our group of heroes will be playing a show at the Triple Rock Social Club that evening with MNSKA band The Prizefighters and zany local hip-hop act Koo Koo Kangaroo.

Now’s your chance to win a pair of tickets to this show!  All you need to do is email me at mnskanews@gmail.com and include ‘The Aquabats’ in the subject line to be entered in the contest.  But you better hurry, because I will select a winner on Thursday, March 11th!  What are you waiting around for?  Enter already!

MNSKA.com is proud to present our latest contest courtesy of Rock Ridge Music.  The Cherry Poppin’ Daddies have released a brand new full length album Susquehanna and a compilation of all of their ska tunes called Skaboy-JFK.  In honor of this occasion, MNSKA.com and Rock Ridge Music are giving away both albums, along with an out-of-print signed 7″ vinyl split with Reel Big Fish entitled Vacationing In Palm Springs!

To enter the contest, simply email us at mnskanews@gmail.com and include Cherry Poppin’ Daddies Contest in the subject line.  When you enter the contest, you will also be added to the Cherry Poppin’ Daddies mailing list to keep you up to date on upcoming tour dates and events!

Grand Prize: A signed 7″ vinyl split with Reel Big Fish Vacationing In Palm Springs, Skaboy-JFK CD, and Susquehanna CD

Second Prize: Skaboy-JFK CD, signed Cherry Poppin’ Daddies poster, Cherry Poppin’ Daddies T-Shirt

Third Prize: Susquehanna CD, assorted Cherry Poppin’ Daddies pins and stickers

On February 1st, I will randomly select the winners.  What are you waiting for?  You gotta play to win!  Best of luck!