I was chatting with Sammy Kay (The Forthrights) last month and he told me that he was coming back to ska music and had a new band brewing.  The yet unnamed band, featuring  Sammy along with a couple of guys from Royal City Riot and The Fad, were going to musically take Brooklyn by storm.  I waited with anticipation.  A month later, he sent me a track that is now available for streaming by the public.  The band is called Sammy Kay and The Fast Four.  The song is called “Sweet Misery.”  A hot little tune showcasing a new bright star in the galaxy of ska music.  I’m looking forward to seeing what else they have in store!

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MNSKA band The Dropsteppers are looking for a new organ player.  According to their statement on their Facebook page:

Doug Otto, our keyboard player, has decided to leave the band. We are in the process of looking for a new permanent keys player. 1st gig will be Feb 11th at the Triple Rock with The Toasters and The Prizefighters.  We are now having auditions for a full time organ player. Please feel free hit us up on Facebook for details.

We at MNSKA wish Doug the best.  If you are interested in auditioning for playing organ with The Dropsteppers, you can post on their Facebook page HERE

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In case you missed it, on Jan 27th, The Pinstripes were invited to the studios at WNKU (89.7 FM), one of Cincinnati’s finest public radio outlets. A real gem of an opportunity. This was recorded direct from a radio receiver, so it has all the warmth and charm of Frequency Modulated audio coming into your antenna.

Their new album “The Pinstripes/I” drops this Friday, February 3rd.  Don’t miss The Pinstripes when they play Saturday, March 3rd at The Red Sea!

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You can check out the video at their website HERE

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A couple months back, ska-punk group Rocksteady Breakfast pumped up the crowd at the Triple Rock in Minneapolis, opening up for The Beatdown.  There is photographic evidence that this took place; we have proof!  Pictures from that show have surfaced and confirm that a good time was had by all.

If you wish to relive the magic of that night or just to witness what it’s like to rock out to Rocksteady Breakfast, click HERE

Be sure to catch RSB at the Ska-POW! Battle Of The Bands at the Triple Rock on February 2nd!

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“The Pinstripes/I” to be available on CD, Vinyl LP and high quality Digital Download formats on February 3rd
The street date for the brand new album from Cincinatti band The Pinstripes, “I” is a mere two weeks away! The album was recorded and mixed in Chicago, IL at Dirty North Studios with Anthony Abbinanti (the Drastics, Deal’s Gone Bad) and mastered in Cincinnati by the award winning Dave Davis of the All Night Party. “I” contains thirteen tracks, some longtime favorites of the Pinstripes live set, others that represent new steps in the Pinstripes’ evolving mix of styles. You can view the album artwork and tracklist at www.thepinstripes.net. After a successful Kickstarter campaign, “I” was officially sent into production. On Febraruy 3rd, “I” will officially be available worldwide at select record stores, all of the Pinstripes’ live shows and numerous online retailers, including  Whatevski Records.  You can preorder “I” now by visiting their brand new online store! If you order in the next two weeks, there’s a good chance you’ll even get a signed copy of the new album.

I’m personally very impressed with The Pinstripes and the work they put into this release.  All the CDs and Vinyl art is unique, original and handmade by the band themselves.  You can tell that this massively talented band wanted their debut full-length to be just right, making sure that an enormous amount of attention to detail was spent and that this labor of love was not rushed.  I’ve previewed the album and love where they are taking this genre.  True fans will not be disappointed as the release packaging is made for you!

BE SURE TO CHECK OUT THE PINSTRIPES ON THEIR RELEASE TOUR!  THEY ARE STOPPING IN MINNEAPOLIS ON MARCH 3RD AT THE RED SEA!

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MNSKA’s own The Dropsteppers released their smash-hit debut full-length Get Up In It! last November and it is currently in the running for Best Ska Album of 2011.  As a surging ska community, we should all show our support and vote for them over at joescholes.com.  It’s time to put MNSKA on the map!

You can cast your vote HERE.  You better hurry, the polls close January 22nd!

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2011 just wrapped up recently, so naturally I’ve taken a look back at all that has happened during the year.  MNSKA put on some really great shows, featuring touring bands like The Pinstripes, Green Room Rockers, The Toasters, The Forthrights, Maddie Ruthless, The English Beat, Streetlight Manifesto, Reel Big Fish, Deal’s Gone Bad, The Bishops, Mustard Plug, The Aggrolites, and The Beatdown.  We saw some new faces to the MNSKA scene (Blue Waffle) and the return of some old friends (3 Minute Hero).  We had a lot of new releases, even having a couple MNSKA bands signed to independent record labels (The Dropsteppers to Megalith Records, The Prizefighters to Jump Up Records).  As a music community, we accomplished quite a bit in 2011, giving us a lot to build off of in 2012!

To get the ball rolling, we are having a meeting THIS SATURDAY at 3 pm at my house (215 10th Ave S, Unit 108, Mpls, MN).  If you are in an MNSKA band or just go to the shows and want to help plan and volunteer for shows this upcoming year, you are encouraged to attend.  If you can’t make it, fear not.  I will be typing up minutes from the meeting and posting it for the MNSKA community to view.  For more info on the meeting, check out the event on Facebook.

If you have ideas, suggestions, complaints, comments about our shows and bands, you are always welcome to email them to me at mnskanews@gmail.com

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REGGAY LORDS – Come Back Strong by Crazy Baldhead on Mixcloud

Brooklyn rocksteady supergroup the Reggay Lords have been making a splash in the NY scene over the past year.  The band features members of The Forthrights, The Hard Times, Facts, and The Slackers and have a tendency to put on quite the live show, sporting powdered wigs at their high-powered gigs.  Here is the first release from the group called “Come Back Strong.” The bands lineup includes: Jah Point – vocals/percussion, Jack Wright – piano/organ/backing vocals, Phil Wartell – drums/backing vocals, Juan Cardenas – bass, Sean Donnelly – guitar, and Agent Jay – guitar/percussion.

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Boston ska-core vets The Mighty Mighty Bosstones released their latest full-length album The Magic Of Youth last week.  To promote the album, longtime friend and Bosstones fan Adam Carolla invited lead singer Dicky Barrett as a guest on his wildly successful podcast The Adam Carolla Show.  The two discuss the new album and share a funny story about a delayed text message.  If you are not a fan of Carolla’s rants and nasally drone, it may be hard to sit through, but I definitely recommend checking out this episode if you are a fan of Dicky and the Bosstones.

You can check out the podcast episode HERE

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