I wanted to point fans of this site to a brand new blog written by Miss Upsetter.  The blog is called Retro Ska and I’ll let Miss Upsetter explain it in her own words:

I decided to start a new ska blog focusing on ska & the ska subcultures from the mid-70’s-early 00’s.  In this blog, I will feature pictures, videos, scans of my old ska zines, and live show pictures from that era. It won’t be a raging Streetlight Manifesto boner like a lot of other ska blogs are on tumblr.

I am excited to see all the ska goodies she has in her giant steamer trunk of ska relics.  You can check out Retro Ska HERE

Tonight at Grumpy’s in Downtown Minneapolis!  DJ Aaron Porter and Miss Upsetter join forces to become the Prizefighter Sound System and will be spinning ska, reggae, rocksteady and soul from their vast vinyl collection.  There is absolutely no cover and the needle drops on the first record at 10pm.  Strap on your best dancing shoes and get down to Grumpy’s to groove along to some of the best vintage Jamaican 45′s.

This is the last night for you to get down to the Prizefighter Sound System!  See you there!

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!

Welcome to another edition of Miss Upsetter’s Retro Vinyl Review!  Miss Upsetter is originally from Arizona where she was very involved with the ska scene and used to run the now-defunct ska site Get Up Edina! Being the vinyl junkie that she is, she posted many quick-hit reviews of some classic ska and reggae albums on that site.  We have unearthed these reviews and will share as many as we can for a somewhat daily review segment.

Today’s review is of the album The Best Of Jackie Opel by Jackie Opel (Studio One):

Now that companies are repressing older albums, certain artists are easier to find now, Jackie Opel being one of them!  This album has all of the normal songs associated with Jackie Opel, and would be a great album to have if you DJ (you know, playing only the songs people know).  Nontheless, this is a great album.

Welcome to another edition of Miss Upsetter’s Retro Vinyl Review!  Miss Upsetter is originally from Arizona where she was very involved with the ska scene and used to run the now-defunct ska site Get Up Edina! Being the vinyl junkie that she is, she posted many quick-hit reviews of some classic ska and reggae albums on that site.  We have unearthed these reviews and will share as many as we can for a somewhat daily review segment.

Today’s review is of the album More Specials by The Specials (2-Tone Records):

This album definitely shows The Specials transition to maturity and heading toward the “muzak” sound that Terry Hall wanted.  I actually like this album the more out of their two full-lenghs.  Songs like “Sock it to em J.B” and “Man at C&A” constantly get stuck in my head.  I’ve heard people argue that this album was “a terrible attempt” at a musical transition for the band, but I beg to differ.  I think in comparison to their self-titled album, this one shows a lot more creativity and breaks away from the same old songs that they covered.

Welcome to another edition of Miss Upsetter’s Retro Vinyl Review!  Miss Upsetter is originally from Arizona where she was very involved with the ska scene and used to run the now-defunct ska site Get Up Edina! Being the vinyl junkie that she is, she posted many quick-hit reviews of some classic ska and reggae albums on that site.  We have unearthed these reviews and will share as many as we can for a somewhat daily review segment.

Today’s review is of the album Fly Flying Ska by Prince Buster:

I’m not a huge huge fan of this album, I think if I had to pin a phrase on this album, it’d be “clap ska”.  You know what I’m talking about?  Where the rhythm features some clapping?  Yeah, you know what I’m talking about.  I don’t think a lot of the tracks on this album are classic or necessary for any collection, however, it is considered “classic”, so I guess it depends on how you feel about having an “extensive” collection.  Personally, I think the Prince Buster tunes are really lacking, as well as a lot of the other tracks.  However, I will say, a few tracks on this album are great examples of early ska, such as Millie & Roy’s “I Go”, Gaynor & Errol’s “My Queen, and Don Drummond’s “The Burial”.  This album is really half good, half bad in my book.  The cover art is great, I must say though!

Welcome to another edition of Miss Upsetter’s Retro Vinyl Review!  Miss Upsetter is originally from Arizona where she was very involved with the ska scene and used to run the now-defunct ska site Get Up Edina! Being the vinyl junkie that she is, she posted many quick-hit reviews of some classic ska and reggae albums on that site.  We have unearthed these reviews and will share as many as we can for a somewhat daily review segment.

Today’s review is of the album Do The Rocksteady by The Termites (Studio One):

This album only ranks as “meh” in my book. I’d like to consider rocksteady my favorite genre of Jamaican music, and I just don’t think this is extraordinary rocksteady.  Sorry, I know a lot of people think otherwise, but this album just doesn’t get me going. This album gets repeatative and seems to be lacking originality.  However, I love the cover art, if that’s any consolation.  This would be great for someone who isn’t just a “just the classics” collector, but I don’t think this album is great for more than a few spins and an occasional selection on the tables.

Welcome to another edition of Miss Upsetter’s Retro Vinyl Review!  Miss Upsetter is originally from Arizona where she was very involved with the ska scene and used to run the now-defunct ska site Get Up Edina! Being the vinyl junkie that she is, she posted many quick-hit reviews of some classic ska and reggae albums on that site.  We have unearthed these reviews and will share as many as we can for a somewhat daily review segment.

Today’s review is of the album Doing Fine by The Inciters (Elmo):

I think out of all of the Inciters’ work I’ve heard, some of the best of it is on here.  My opinion of this band is summed up in three words, “Hit or Miss”.  Some songs are absolutely fantastic on this album, others seem like they’re just singing what they’re randomly thinking, like in a bad musical.  However, my personal favorites are “Gonna watch my step” as well as “Lay this Burden Down” which are VERY catchy.  I’m not too hot on the male singer, he seems to try way too hard.  If you’re going to buy any of The Inciters’ stuff, go for this one.

Welcome to another edition of Miss Upsetter’s Retro Vinyl Review!  Miss Upsetter is originally from Arizona where she was very involved with the ska scene and used to run the now-defunct ska site Get Up Edina! Being the vinyl junkie that she is, she posted many quick-hit reviews of some classic ska and reggae albums on that site.  We have unearthed these reviews and will share as many as we can for a somewhat daily review segment.

Today’s review is of the album My Best Girl Wears My Crown by The Paragons (Trojan):

I lucked out on this album and found it for a buck.  Most definitely worth it!  A compilation of supposedly The Paragons‘ greatest hits of the rocksteady era.  I can’t argue though, they do have some of their best songs on here!  I wish they put a few extras though…They do have their best known hits like “Wear you to the Ball” (one of my favorites of theirs), “Island in the Sun”, “Riding on a high and windy day” (another favorite of mine), and “My Best Girl”.  It is pretty much all their hit songs, but if you’re not familiar with the Paragons, it’s a good starter album to form an opinion of them.

Welcome to another edition of Miss Upsetter’s Retro Vinyl Review!  Miss Upsetter is originally from Arizona where she was very involved with the ska scene and used to run the now-defunct ska site Get Up Edina! Being the vinyl junkie that she is, she posted many quick-hit reviews of some classic ska and reggae albums on that site.  We have unearthed these reviews and will share as many as we can for a somewhat daily review segment.

Today’s review is of the album Better Late Than Never by The Slackers (Moon Ska NYC, Special Potato Records):

First release by the NYC legends, later repressed by their own label, Special Potato with unreleased tracks.  For some reason, this and Wasted Days are probably my favorite Slackers albums.   I think I love this album so much because it definitely is a portrait of the ska scene in NYC and along the east coast in the 1990′s.  Jazzy, well-written, young, and definitely shows that The Slackers have always “had it”.  Songs that get stuck in your head for days on end, but you don’t mind, cause they’re that good.  I think the best track is definitely their cover of “Our Day Will Come” featuring Doreen Shaffer.  I have heard from many people that they don’t like this album, and I can see where they can say that, but, I love it.  A must for any Slackers fan.