Asian Man Records band Classics of Love have released a new single “Castle In The Sky” from their upcoming debut full-length album.  The band features members of punk band Hard Girls and Jesse Michaels (Operation Ivy, Common Rider).  The video is directed by Bob Vielma.  You can expect the new album to drop on February 14th, 2012.

You can watch this video on YouTube HERE

Welcome to a very special episode of the Flyover Ska Show that finds Courtney venturing outside of Flyover Country to cover the Asian Man Records 15th Anniversary Fest in San Francisco, CA. The week-long celebration hosted tons of ska and punk-rock bands from past and present from the label’s storied catalog.  Special guests on this episode include Dan Potthast (MU330), Curtis Meachem (Monkey), Jeff Rosenstock (Bomb The Music Industry!), Gabe Pressure (Pressure Drop Soundcast), and Mike Park himself!  You can check out tons of videos from Courtney’s trip to the Bay Area, featuring ska bands new and old, over at the MNSKA YouTube page. Strap in for a special extended episode that feels so real, it will seem like you actually went to the Asian Man Records Fest.

The Flyover Ska Show is now available on Stitcher, the free podcast radio app for all your better smartphones. Stream more than just the latest Midwestern Ska.

This show is brought to you in part by MNSKA.com, Minnesota’s Ska Community. You can contact Courtney at FOSS@fancypantsgangsters.com or find him on Twitter or on Facebook and Google+. If you’d like to discuss this week’s show, be sure to check out the forums.

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You can download this episode HERE or subscribe to the show on iTunes.

Hey everybody!  It’s Courtney from MNSKA.com informing you all that I will be out in San Francisco this week for the Asian Man Records 15 Year Anniversary.  Owner Mike Park has put together 10 shows in 5 days featuring old and new bands from the Asian Man Records roster.  Some of the very first (and best) ska and punk I ever listened to will be reuniting and playing, including Slapstick, MU330, The Chinkees, Slow Gherkin, Buck-O-Nine, The Queers, Classics Of Love, and The Lawrence Arms.  My goal is to blog from San Fran, giving you all some video and first-hand accounts from the week-long fest.

I will also be trying to score interviews with bands and fans from the shows for The Flyover Ska Show podcast.  So please stay tuned to MNSKA.com for more details!

It’s another Fallen Hero Friday on MSM!  Today’s band, Slapstick from Chicago, IL,  existed in the mid-1990′s which happened to be my formative years.  They were only around for limited time, like the McRib, but went on to form about a dozen other bands.

Track of the day: “There’s A Metalhead In The Parking Lot” by Slapstick from the collection Slapstick on Asian Man Records

This episode is brought to you by the Fancy Pants Gangsters, a Twin Cities netcast network and MNSKA, Minnesota’s Ska Community.  If you are in a ska or reggae influenced band and would like to be featured on the show, email Courtney at MSM@fancypantsgangsters.com

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If you would like to download this episode or subscribe to this podcast via iTunes, please CLICK HERE

It’s been a long time since Five Iron Frenzy has had any recent news since they called it quits in 2003.  According to a recent newsletter from Asian Man Records, Christian ska-punk staples Five Iron Frenzy will be releasing a full-length documentary called “The Rise and Fall of Five Iron Frenzy,” which lead singer Reese Roper has been working on for the past 6 years.  No release date or pre-order date has been set for the DVD, but it will be available on the Asian Man Records site in the near future.

To satisfy your curiosity and to follow FIF on the “FaceTwitterTube,” you can check out the DVD’s official site HERE.

In other news, Mike Park is turning 40 on November 11th!  He’s as old as Brett Favre!

Asian Man Records impressario Mike Park (The Chinkees, Bruce Lee Band, Skankin Pickle) took a few minutes to talk to the guys from Vinyl Vlog.  He discusses repressing mid-90′s albums on vinyl, the frustrations of shipping vinyl records, and some information about the Asian Man calendar….all from the Asian Man HQ (aka his mom’s garage!).

Vinyl Vlog is a video blog series based out of Boston.  You can check them out HERE.  Be sure to check out Mike Park at the Triple Rock with Classics of Love on Friday April 24th.