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!
Hey there, Courtney from MNSKA here.
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
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.
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
Chicago dub-specialists The Drastics have launched a new website! Lots of new happenings from the band, including this video, which is a snippet of a brand new Drastics track recorded this fall given the ol’ live dub treatment. “Dumb Hole (A Sonic Black Hole)” features Chris (bass), Anthony (drums, keys) & Luke (guitar) on a hard mixdown mixed with sweet 80s reggae fashion. The site also has a brand-new mixtape for free download and a listing of their upcoming live shows and DJ nights.
You can check out the video on YouTube HERE
You can check out The Drastics new website HERE
MNSKA band The Dropsteppers have had a busy year. They signed with Megalith Records, put out their debut album Get Up In It!, and are have quite a few shows lined up before the year is out. As a treat to fans, the band has posted a video of them playing a new song called “Looters On Broadway.”
Check out the band at the 331 Club in Nordeast Minneapolis this Wednesday! They are playing with Brilliant Beast (featuring Jordan and Eric from The Prizefighters)
Check out the video on YouTube HERE
Popular Christian ska band Five Iron Frenzy made a large announcement last week…they are coming back! The Denver-based band had broken up back in 2003 but have let fans know that the past year they have been working on new material for a new album. Like many bands these days, the band started a Kickstarter campaign to raise money to record and produce a new album. The campaign had a seemingly ambitious goal of raising $30,000, a goal that was met/exceeded within 55 minutes of its announcement!! Currently, there are 54 days left for the campaign and it has raised over $114,000! Looks like there are lots of FIF fans out there!
You can go to their site to hear their new song “It Was A Dark And Stormy Night” HERE
MNSKA band The Prizefighters just released a special edition LP of their debut album Follow My Sound on Jump Up Records! The vinyl is available at the Jump Up Records site, including DARK BLUE colored vinyl!
Label owner Chuck Wren shares the good news:
The long wait is over! Minneapolis ska, rock steady, early reggae band (with SOUL!) finally gets their vinyl debut from JUMP UP! This SPECIAL EDITION has some different tracks than the CD, including alternative mixes and versions, instrumentals, and a dub from Anthony of THE DRASTICS.
Side A: Brujeria, Follow My Sound, Karma, Before Tonight, Hypocrite, There’ll Be A Day
Side B: Moonlight, Take More Time, Ghost In The Night, Truth And Lies, Fibbers DubLIMITED EDITION of 500 copies, pressed on thick BLACK WAX and the just arrived DARK BLUE WAX (witch black specs). CD is still available too!
You can order the vinyl LP or CD at the label’s website HERE
Great news coming out of Santa Cruz, CA today! The new album from Dan P. and the Bricks Watch Where You Walk is streaming over at Punknews.org. For those who don’t know, the band features Dan Potthast from MU330 and members of the band Slow Gherkin.
You can stream the album HERE
MNSKA band The Dropsteppers are now streaming their debut CD Get Up In It! on their Facebook page. The album is being put out Megalith Records and can be ordered on their site. The band will be headlining a huge release show this Friday at The Nomad World Pub in Minneapolis along with MNSKA bands The Prizefighters and Umbrella Bed. The show is 21+ with doors at 9 pm and only a $5 cover. Of course, you are going to want to bring extra cash to pick up the new releases from The Dropsteppers and The Prizefighters!
You can stream Get Up In It! HERE
