The latest rising star in the reggae-jam scene is Huntington Beach, CA’s The Dirty Heads who are bringing their sound to Minneapolis tonight at The Cabooze. This band was deemed one of the best bands in 2010 according to Rolling Stone magazine. I will be at the show tonight which features Minnesota reggae bands like New Rebelution and GOULASH. The show starts at 8pm and is 18+. Buy your ticket at the door and avoid all the Ticketmaster charges!
Dear friend of MNSKA, Chuck Wren of Jump Up Records, has combined all of the ska/reggae of Riot Fest into one night! Behold Club Moonstomp featuring the one and only Roy Ellis of Symarip and Italian import Mr. T-Bone! Rounding out the bill is DC ska collective Eastern Standard Time and Indiana’s own Green Room Rockers. Triton Soundsystem from Mexico City will be spinning the reggae as well as Chuck himself. It’s all happening on Sunday, October 10th at the Subterranean in Chicago. The party starts at 8pm and is an 18+ event. I know of several of the MNSKA faithful who are gassing up the van and road-tripping to Riot Fest so head to the FORUMand see if you can hitch a ride!
Another big ALL AGES MNSKA show is happening this Saturday, July 17th at The Red Sea in Minneapolis, MN! Kansas City band The Ruckus is sharing the stage with MNSKA veterans Umbrella Bed. Other MNSKA bands on the bill include the politically-conscious 2 Tone Runts and the incredibly talented Secondhand Ska Kings. The show will get started around 5pm and all you need is a $5 cover. Since the cats at the Red Sea are such nice guys, they’ve extended their usual weekday happy hour specials (4pm – 9pm) for the show, so if you’re 21+, you’ll be able to wet your whistle AND save some money!
Be sure to pick up the latest CD releases and merchandise from all of the groups. If you’re into the whole social media thing, let people know if you’ll be at the show by heading over to our Facebook event page HERE
The Michigan ska-punk veterans Mustard Plug are making their way back to the Twin Cities this Friday! Head down to the Triple Rock Social Club in Minneapolis, MN to see them headline with special MNSKA guests Rocksteady Breakfast and Zero’s Heroes. The 18+ show starts at 9pm with tickets running $10 in advance and $12 at the door.
You can get tickets in advance at the Triple Rock, Red’s Savoy Pizza in Uptown Minneapolis, and Eclipse Records in St. Paul, MN. They are also available online HERE.
Also, if you head 2 blocks down to The Nomad in-between sets, The Prizefighters and The Dropsteppers are playing a FREE 21+ show while Miss Upsetter spins some reggae vinyl. MNSKA is taking over Cedar-Riverside!
A band that has been generating a lot of buzz in the Midwest lately is La Crosse, WI reggae-ska band T.U.G.G. They have been hard at work for the better part of a year working on their new full-length titled Come Sunrise... due out on Last Call Records.
In support of their new album, T.U.G.G are hitting the road on the No Sleep Till Sunrise Summer Tour, their largest tour to date. They are also playing with MNSKA band GOULASH at Santorini’s in Eden Prairie, MN on Saturday, June 12th. Be sure to check out that show because it’s your last chance until August to catch these guys in the Twin Cities Metro area.
You can find out more about T.U.G.G.’s music HERE. Check out all the tour dates for the No Sleep Till Sunrise Summer Tour after the jump.
Belgium’s top ska/reggae bands are currently in the U.S. for an extra special tour! Chuck from Jump Up Records flew in THE MOON INVADERS and THE CAROLOREGIANS all the way from Belgium, who will be promoting their new split release entitled “Hot Blood, Cold Weather”. If you haven’t heard these two bands, check out the links above. They are truly the cream of the crop when it comes to European ska and reggae.
While there is no MN date, the next best thing is a good ol’ Summer road trip to Chicago to see The Moon Invaders, The Caroloregians, The Green Room Rockers, and MN Ska’s own The Prizefighters at the Beat Kitchen! More info – http://www.beatkitchen.com/calendar.htm#0611
If you are somewhere on the further East, you may be able to catch another date of this truly amazing tour. See full tour dates after the jump!
I received an email recently from Mike Park (ex-Deal’s Gone Bad, Lord Mike’s Dirty Calypsonians) to announce the creation of a new musical project he’s involved with. The Crombies are an All-Star, 2 Tone styled side project of Deal’s Gone Bad guitarist Dave Simon. The band will be making their big debut on July 10th at The Beat Kitchen in Chicago with MI ska-punk vets Mustard Plug.
The all-star lineup includes:
Dave Simon (Deal’s Gone Bad)
Mike Park (Lord Mike’s Dirty Calypsonians / Deal’s Gone Bad)
Karl Gustafson (Deal’s Gone Bad / Lord Mike’s Dirty Calypsonians)
Vee Sonnets (Lord Mike’s Dirty Calypsonians / The Sonnets)
Jason Berry (The Civilized Age)
Alex Gourse (The Stranger)
Stay tuned to MNSKA.com for more updates for this new band!
Louisiana reggae-rock band Outlaw Nation is returning to the Twin Cities for the Out On Bail 2010 Tour! A couple months ago, this band came to town on tour with Fishbone and The English Beat at The Cabooze in Minneapolis, MN. This time, they are headlining an 18+ show at the 400 Bar in Minneapolis TOMORROW NIGHT! Doors open at 8 pm for this Tuesday night show.
You can get your Outlaw Nation tickets ahead of time HERE
You can get their latest album New Day out on Stoopid RecordsHERE. It features appearances by Miles Doughty (Slightly Stoopid), Angelo Moore (Fishbone) and Dave Wakeling (The English Beat), so go get it!
MNSKA rudeboys Rocksteady Breakfast are putting on their 2nd Annual Cinco de Mayo Pachanga show on Saturday, May 8th. This year’s show is FREE of charge courtesy of Shuga Records in Minneapolis which will be the show’s venue. The lineup is HUGE and includes Two Tone veterans Umbrella Bed who are fresh off their European tour, reggae-soul group The Prizefighters and ska-core locals Diskast. There will be $1 jarritos for the kids first 10 people through the door will get a FREE ROCKSTEADY BREAKFAST PATCH! See you at La Pachanga!
There are TONS of shows coming up this summer! Go check them out at the MNSKA SHOWS page!
The weather is warming up here in Minnesota meaning that Summer is right around the corner. It also means that the Music In The Zoo summer concert series put on by our friends at Sue McLean & Associates and Subway is ready to kick off. This concert series takes place at the Minnesota Zoo Ampitheater in Apple Valley, MN from June 6th to August 20th and features numerous national bands from various musical styles and genres (including a Hanson reunion!)
There are typically a ska band or two thrown in the mix, but this Summer there seems to be a bunch of different ska and reggae groups playing:
Friday, June 25th — The Wailers, The Aggrolites
Wednesday, June 30th — Buckwheat Zydeco, Cherry Poppin’ Daddies
Thursday, July 22nd — Squeeze, The English Beat
Saturday, August 7th — Jimmy Cliff
Tickets for these shows and any other Music In The Zoo concerts can be purchased HERE. Stay tuned to MNSKA for chances to win tickets to these one-of-a-kind shows!
