MNSKA band The Prizefighters are about to head into the studio to record some brand new songs.  The band had this to say about the upcoming recording sessions:

After writing a number of new songs, we will be entering the studio in early July for a vintage recording session at Shock and Audio (Lyndale and Lake in Uptown Minneapolis).  To achieve a truly vintage sound, we will be doing live recording to tape…a definite first for all of us!  The goal of these recordings is to put out a 7-inch vinyl as part of the Moondust Records series.  Moondust is a label in Los Angeles that produces vinyl releases that honor the golden age of Jamaican reggae.  They’ve put out releases by classic groups like The Soulsteppers and Laurel Aitken.  We also hope to put out our own self-released 7-inch as a result of these recordings.

We can expect a Fall release of at least one of these 7-inches.  The band also mentioned that they will be taking a break for a couple months after recording, but will be back in August/September in support of the new release.  You can read the rest of their post at the band’s website HERE

Be sure to catch the last Prizefighters show of the summer when they open for Rocksteady Breakfast and Curious Volume at the Triple Rock on June 27th!

MNSKA band The Dropsteppers have been hard at work these cold winter months to bring forth their debut full-length album.  The album is being recorded over the month of February at Shock & Audio Studios off Lyndale and Lake in Uptown Minneapolis with Andrew Zoellner engineering the project and The Dropsteppers and Aaron Porter producing the project.  Mixing will happen in March with the release happening some time in May of this year.   Interestingly, they will be mixing the entire album down to tape instead of digitally to achieve a more vintage sound. The album will also be Monophonic instead of Stereophonic which is another vintage recording technique. The album will feature 9-10 songs.  So far, 9 songs are completed as of now with some minimal overdubs and vocals left to finish.  Lead singer Tom McDowall has told me how amazing the album is coming along and I am quite excited to hear how it turns out.

MNSKA band The Prizefighters recently posted online that they are heading into the studio to record a grip of songs for a much anticipated release.  The reggae-soul band have booked time over at local recording studio Shock and Audio for this weekend.  Frontman (and MNSKA cofounder) Aaron Porter posted the following on the FORUM:

This weekend, the Prizefighters are going to begin recording their first official release at Shock and Audio Studio with Andrew Zoellner and General Moses (former host of Rude Radio). We plan on tracking 10 songs or so, with the eventual release of a CD and possibly a 7″.

This has been a long time coming for us, so we’re all very excited to get the best of our work over the past several years onto tape. We will try to provide updates as we wrap up the recording/mixing and get closer to releasing the new material.

Thanks to everyone for their support over the years that helped us get to this point!

You can check out The Prizefighters on Saturday, February 20th at Eclipse Records in St. Paul for the big Birthday Show for Adam Degross of Degross Punk Photography.

Local sound engineer Andrew Zoellner is no stranger to the Minnesota ska scene.  He spent several years playing guitar and singing in the MNSka band The Supersmashers as well as assembling/mastering the recent MNSKA Mixtape Vol. 1 compilation.  He even co-produced, recorded and mixed the album On The Front Line by MNSka band 2 Tone Runts.

Now Zoellner has finally found a recording studio to call home.   The studio (called Shock And Audio) is located in Uptown in Minneapolis (near the intersection of Lake St. and Lyndale Ave).  You can check them out at their website  HERE (currently under construction).

So if you are in a ska band (or any band) and you find yourself in the Twin Cities, you’ll want to check out Shock And Audio for your recording needs.  Whether you want to record a few songs, an EP, or even a full-length album, Andrew would love to help you out.  You can contact Andrew for info or for a tour by emailing him at andrew@shockandaudio.com.