Big things are going on down in Des Moines, IA!  The town has always had a very dedicated scooter and skin scene that has gravitated toward ska, reggae and Oi punk music.  Over the past few years, members of that scene have formed 3 Bridges Promotion which books shows and events for the underground music scene.  Not only do they promote these shows, they often provide touring bands with a place to sleep and all-night parties where the bands and fans share stories over pints of brew.  Last winter, the group hosted the first Fistful Of Ska! show that showcased 5 midwestern ska bands (New Riddim (Kansas City), The Bishops (Omaha), The Prizefighters, The Dropsteppers, Rocksteady Breakfast)  Before the show was over, plans were being made for the next installment.

Fistful Of Ska! is back and bigger than ever with 11 bands from all over the country and 5 DJs over 3 nights at The Gas Lamp (1501 Grand Ave., Des Moines, IA).  MNSKA bands Secondhand Ska Kings, The Prizefighters, and The Dropsteppers will be there to represent our scene.  If you are a Twin Cities ska fan and are looking for Memorial Day weekend plans, head down to Des Moines (only a 4 hour drive).  Tickets are available here: https://tikly.co/-/1352

Here is a break down of the weekend festivities:

FRIDAY, MAY 24, 2013 7PM GAS LAMP
ARM THE POOR (Kansas City, MO)
SECONDHAND SKA KINGS (Minneapolis, MN)
LERADEE & THE POSITIVES (Des Moines, IA)
RUDE KING (Dallas, TX)

SATURDAY, MAY 25, 2013 7PM GAS LAMP
INSPECTER 7 (New Jersey)
DEAL’S GONE BAD (Chicago, IL)
THE BISHOPS (Omaha, NE)
THE PRIZEFIGHTERS (Minneapolis, MN)
THE DROPSTEPPERS (Minneapolis, MN)
SOUL RADICS (Nashville, TN)
SAMMY KAY & THE EAST LOS THREE (Los Angeles, CA)
DJ CHUCK WREN
DJ RIC VESPA
DJ COSMO

SUNDAY, MAY 26, 2013 7PM BEECHWOOD LOUNGE
DJ COSMO
RIVER CITY ROCKSTEADY

Sponsored by JUMP UP RECORDS!

JUMP UP RECORDS is celebrating the beginning of it’s 20th Anniversary by creating JAMAICAN OLDIES PRODUCTIONS, a partnership with MAYNE STAGE to bring vintage Jamaican vocalists to Chicago every 3 months!  The first event of this series was November 16th and November 17th for JAMAICAN OLDIES WEEKEND!  We at MNSKA have an exclusive stream and free download of each of the headlining sets from that weekend.  If you missed out, now’s your chance to feel like you were there!  If you did go, relive the magic!

Day 1 (Nov. 16) featured sets by Chicago band Drop Steady, Indiana soul-reggae group Green Room Rockers, and combination of the two bands (and Anthony Abbinanti from The Drastics on bari sax) to back the legendary Pat Kelly.
Check out the stream below or download the entire Pat Kelly set HERE

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Day 2 (Nov. 17) featured sets by Nashville, TN band Soul Radics, MNSKA band The Prizefighters, and headlining the night, legendary ska vocalist Stranger Cole backed by The Prizefighters and harmonica player Charlie Organaire (who was featured on the original recording of “Ruff & Tuff”), Jimmy Becker (Blue Riddim Band) on harmonica and percussion, CHema Skandal (event organizer and poster artist) on trumpet, and former Prizefighter Matt Morse on guitar and piano.
Check out the stream below or download the entire Stranger Cole set HERE

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Jump Up Records, Chicago based independent record label and mail order distribution company specialized in modern bands who play original Jamaican ska, reggae, rock steady, and calypso, has announced a new concert series to celebrate its 20th Anniversary.  Partnering with Chicago club venue Mayne Stage, the JAMAICAN OLDIES series brings vintage Jamaican vocalists to Chicago every 3 months, starting with a 2-night weekend November 16-17 2012.

The first night (Friday, November 16) features Pat Kelly backed by the Green Room Rockers (Indiana’s premiere soul-reggae band), performing a fantastic set of classic 60s rocksteady from The Techniques as well as soulful solo material from the 70s and 80s.  Opening the first night will be an original set of modern soulful ska and reggae from Green Room Rockers.  The second night (Saturday, November 17) features ska legend Stranger Cole backed by MNSKA band The Prizefighters, performing a spirited set of classic 60s ska and rocksteady.  Starting off the second night will be the Soul Radics from Nashville, who will be releasing their debut full-length that night on Jump Up Records.  MNSKA’s own The Prizefighters will be playing a set of original smooth, harmonizing Jamaican ska and early reggae.  Both nights will also be featuring DJ Chuck Wren, Chema Skandal!, Darren Reggae, and Edith Vel spinning your favorite Jamaican oldies – stricty on vinyl.

Tickets will go on sale the week of September 10th at the Mayne Stage website.  Tickets for each night are $25.  There will be a limited amount of two-day passes available for $40, so if you are coming to Chicago for the weekend, better pick these up quick!

Calling out to ska fans in the Twin Cities Metro Area!  This weekend has not 1, but 2 gigantic shows for you to get down to!

On Saturday, April 14th, Chicago soul-reggae group Deal’s Gone Bad are back at the Triple Rock Social Club for an 18+ show that is perfect for those in the mood to dance.  Last year, the band packed the club and showed Minneapolis some of that Windy City soul.  MNSKA band The Prizefighters will be bringing their authentic Jamaican ska tunes along with MNSKA band The Dropsteppers, with some dynamite early-reggae.  Doors are at 9pm for this night of Megalith Records and Jump Up Records artists!

The weekend isn’t over yet, because legendary Two-Tone all-stars The English Beat will be making a tour stop at The Cabooze on Sunday, April 15th.  Opening the 18+ show are our own local legends, MNSKA Umbrella Bed, who are ready to rock with new songs that will command you to dance.

Congratulations to our lucky winners Lori Cherne, Adam Vermillion, and Amanda Riley who will each be taking a friend along to the show on Sunday!

Hope to see you at the shows this weekend!

MNSKA band and Jump Up Records artists The Prizefighters will be playing this Friday night in Minneapolis at Nick & Eddie (1612 Harmon Place).  The band will be playing first at 9:30 pm, followed by Kill Me Kare-Bare, Badgermen, and Beyond The Element (featuring former Prizefighter member Josh Thomas).  This 21+ show has a $5 cover.

You can RSVP this show on Facebook 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 Dub

LIMITED 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

MNSKA band The Prizfighters have unveiled the covert art for their upcoming vinyl release Follow My Sound Special Edition LP, available on Friday, October 21st on Jump Up Records.  You can get your own copy at the MNSKA Double Release Party at Nomad World Pub in Minneapolis on October 21st, also featuring The Dropsteppers and Umbrella Bed.

Tracklisting:

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 Dub

If you follow this site, you know by now that we are sponsoring a big ol’ release party featuring 2 brand new releases from MNSKA bands The Dropsteppers and The Prizefighters on Friday, October 21st at The Nomad World Pub.  To get you geared up for their special edition vinyl LP, The Prizefighters are streaming 3 brand new songs on their website, each of which can be found on the upcoming release.

Here’s what the band had to say:

We are proud to announce our release of the Follow My Sound special edition vinyl LP on Jump Up Records!  Almost a year ago, we put 5 years of writing, rehearsing, performing and overall hard work into our debut album Follow My Sound.  To commemorate that effort and to show our lovely fans a hint of things to come, we have recorded new bonus tracks and reworked old favorites with our new band members to put forth a special vinyl edition of our debut album.

As a treat for you all, you can check out our music player and stream 3 new songs from the special edition LP!  “Moonlight” is a previously unreleased rocksteady tune we wrote a long time ago that we dusted off and improved with our new members.  “Take More Time” is an instrumental horn version of our song “Take Some Time” written by our horn players Courtney Klos and Ryan Peterson.  “Fibber’s Dub” is dub version of our song “Truth And Lies” created by our friend Anthony Abbinanti (The Drastics, Deal’s Gone Bad).

You can check out the hot new tracks as well as videos of their recent performances HERE

The month of  October is a gigantic one for MNSKA.  Just look at the show calendar below…it’s crazy!  Let me highlight some of the shows that you, the MNSKA faithful, should be at.  This Sunday, the infamous crusty ska-punk heroes Leftover Crack will be playing at the Triple Rock Social Club with MNSKA band Rocksteady Breakfast.  A couple days later at the First Ave Mainroom is legendary Ziggy Marley.  Arizona surf/ska/punk band Authority Zero is bringing it to the 7th Street Entry on Sunday October 16th.  Looking ahead to that weekend, check out Thursday October 20th where the mighty Aggrolites are bringing their dirty reggae to the 7th Street Entry!  The next night is an all-out MNSKA Double Release Party at the Nomad World Pub.  On Friday, October 21st you can dance to the boss tunes from MNSKA’s The Dropsteppers, who are releasing Get Up In It! on Megalith Records, and The Prizefighters, who are releasing their special-edition vinyl of Follow My Sound on Jump Up Records.  The show opens up with the epic return of long-running two-tone massive known as Umbrella Bed!  But the month is not over yet, because the superhuman ska force known as 3 Minute Hero is playing a release show at the Fine Line Music Cafe on Friday, October 28th.  The band is only releasing a limited number of their new music collection, so you should make it your bee’s wax to be at that one!

Whew!  Tons of ska shows to attend.  Which shows will we see you at?  Be sure to continue to check our SHOWS page for updates.

Fall 2011 is looking to be a solid season for MNSKA!  There are going to be a whole truckload of new releases from bands in the MNSKA community.  Let me give you a run down of what you can look forward to:

Rocksteady Breakfast will be releasing their new CD on Saturday, September 3rd at The Rat Hole in South Minneapolis.  The band has spent the past year and a half working on this album.  It is a must-have for fans of raw energetic underground punk-ska!  Details for the release show can be found HERE

The Prizefighters have been busy this past year putting together a special-edition vinyl LP of their recent release Follow My Sound via Jump Up Records.  Along with songs from the album, side B of the vinyl will include new unreleased songs, instrumental versions, and even a dub from Anthony Abbinanti (The Drastics).  The band will be releasing the album at special double release show with MNSKA band The Dropsteppers on Friday, October 21st at The Nomad World Pub in Minneapolis.  The Dropsteppers spent the early part of 2011 in the studio to create their debut full-length CD Get Up In It via Megalith Records.

Veteran third-wave ska band 3 Minute Hero recently announced their triumphant return to the Twin Cities music scene.  To commemorate being back in the saddle, they are hard at work on a new release that should be out this Fall.  Stay tuned to MNSKA.com for more details!

Long-time Twin Cities reggae band Dred I Dread will be releasing their much anticipated follow-up to 2009′s Tribulation sometime in early 2012.  The band previewed some of their new songs at the recent Jamaican Independence Day party at The Red Sea.