Michigan ska fixture Matt Wixson has posted a new video that is either a roast or tribute to 311.  Regardless of which, this video is bound to put a smile on your face as Matt puts his own style on this pseudo-mashup of 311′s “All Mixed Up” and Sound Dimension‘s “Real Rock.”

You can check out the video on YouTube HERE

Friend of MNSKA and fixture in the Michigan ska scene, Matt Wixson, has posted a video featuring his latest musical project, Matt Wixson’s Flying Circus.  The video is from the show this past weekend at Mac’s Bar and feature’s the ska song “Double Agent.”  I hope to see more music from this band!

You can check out the video on YouTube HERE

Brooklyn reggae crew The Forthrights have a hot new 4-song 7-inch coming soon called Camp Birdman.  Like real soon.  But the good news is that sometime this week you can preorder it via Panic State Records for $5!  The band has 500 pressings (100 Black, 100 White, 300 White w/ Black Haze) and will include the digital download.  The first 50 copies of the presale will receive a 12″ limited screen printed jacket and 1 lucky winner will receive a test press.

The Forthrights are a four-piece group based out of Brooklyn, NY. Featuring former members of The Pinstripes and The Fad, they take a fresh take on the sound of traditional Rocksteady and Ska. In a few short years they have solidified their place in the New York Reggae Scene and have collaborated with such acts as Vic Ruggerio, Chris Murray, Mr. T-Bone, King Django, Jeremy Pena, Maddie Ruthless, and Matt Wixson.

Preorder the Camp Birdman 7-inch HERE

So this morning I was checking Facebook and my ska friends Matt Wixson and Joelle Andres shared this funny video from our friends over at College Humor satirizing the ska scene.  I’ve never seen a ska band with vuvuzelas and the Horn of Gondor before!

It’s finally here!  The brand new album from Michigan ska-mashup genius Babylon Party Machine (aka Matt Wixson) TRICKS is available for FREE download over at Open Hand Records.  Some of the bands featured on this one are: The Toasters, Ludacris, Sonic Boom Six, Green Day, Big D, and that girl from Hannah Montana, among a few others.

Here’s the tracklist:

Babylon Party Machine – Tricks (2010)
1. 2-Tone Freak (The Toasters vs. Rick James)
2. Highrise Robbery (Pama International vs. Chumbawamba)
3. How Low Can You Dance (Hepcat vs. Ludacris)
4. Rider Boy (The Slackers vs. Rihanna)
5. Supaman That Grandma (The Ratazanas vs. Soulja Boy)
6. Shining Little Skallywag (Sonic Boom Six vs. Big D and the Kids Table)
7. The United States Green Party (Green Day vs. Miley Cyrus)

Matt Wixson  will be playing a bunch of shows in New Orleans, New England, and Michigan in the coming month (some featuring a full band), so make sure to get out to a show and give him all your money!

head on over to:
http://www.myspace.com/babylonpartymachine
or
http://www.myspace.com/mattwixson
for more info!

I found this video when Matt Wixson posted it on his Facebook page.  The group Dan P and the Bricks are a 10-piece ska band from Santa Cruz, CA, featuring members of MU330 and Slow Gherkin.  Formed in February of 2009, the focus of the band is to play locally and raise money for local charities. Fund raisers so far have included a benefit concert for The Leukemia and Lymphoma society, Hospice of Santa Cruz County, and The Surf City AIDS Ride benefiting The Santa Cruz AIDS Project.

You can find out more about Dan P and the Bricks on FACEBOOK and MYSPACE.

You can catch this video on YouTube HERE.

Michigan’s own Babylon Party Machine is set to release a brand new mashup EP entitled TRICKS on April 1st, 2010.  Here’s what founder/creator Matt Wixson had to say:

This ain’t no April Fools joke! This is “Tricks”! Seven fresh new mashups coming your way! Some of the artists you can expect to hear include Green Day, the Toasters, Big D and the Kids Table, the Slackers, Rihanna, Sonic Boom Six, Miley Cyrus, Hepcat, Chumbawamba, and more! You can get this release for free from Open Hand Records on April 1st. And if you haven’t downloaded the previous two mashup collections, head over to the Open Hand Records site and get yourself “Rididm & Flow” and “Mash Up Bashment” immediately!

You can check out one of the tracks from this EP over at Musical Occupation.

Babylon Party Machine (aka Matt Wixson) recently joined NY band The Forthrights on stage in Chicago to perform their mashup song “Did It All For The Reggae.”  The mashup is off the Babylon Party Machine recent EP called Mash Up Bashment and mashes the song “Other People” by the Forthrights with the song “Nookie” by Limp Bizkit.  Doing his best Fred Durst impression, Matt Wixson hopped on stage for a rare live treat.   It’s amazing how late 90′s crappy rap-rock mixes so well with laid back reggae grooves. You can check out the video on the Forthrights’ FACEBOOK page.

Be sure to check out my interview with Matt Wixson on the Midwest Ska Moment podcast from last month HERE.

You can download Mash Up Bashment and other Babylon Party Machine albums for FREE (but donations are always accepted).

Michigan ska musician Matt Wixson posted this video from one of his recent performances.  The song, “Surely, You Can’t Be Serious” is a brand new song he wrote and it has nothing to do with the movie Airplane! Enjoy!

We’re halfway through the week and you just want to power through to the weekend?  How about an exclusive interview with Michigan songwriter and ska-enthusiast Matt Wixson to get you through?  Matt and I discuss his musical career, why hip-hop and reggae go together like chili and milk, and the future of ska music!

Track of the Day: “Falling In Trust” by Matt Wixson from the album Best Intentions (you can get it FREE from Open Hand 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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