Chicago dub-specialists The Drastics have launched a new website!  Lots of new happenings from the band, including this video, which is a snippet of a brand new Drastics track  recorded this fall given the ol’ live dub treatment. “Dumb Hole (A Sonic Black Hole)” features Chris (bass), Anthony (drums, keys) & Luke (guitar) on a hard mixdown mixed with sweet 80s reggae fashion.  The site also has a brand-new mixtape for free download and a listing of  their upcoming live shows and DJ nights.

You can check out the video on YouTube HERE

You can check out The Drastics new website HERE

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.

As Mother Nature blows a nightmarish blizzard across the Midwest, we at the Flyover Ska Show recommend putting on wool socks, throw another log on the fire, and curl up with our latest episode.  This week, Anthony Abbinanti of Chicago bands The Drastics and Deal’s Gone Bad calls in to give us an update on his latest reggae-dub creations.  Anthony also shares stories of how The Drastics first gathered, his theories on the recent resurgence of instrumental music, and the apparent voodoo-gypsy like curse he and his bandmates seem to be under.  There is a lot of great music to look forward to in the coming year, courtesy of Anthony and The Drastics.

The fine folks at Copycats Media have a deal for you, the loyal listener.  Mention the Flyover Ska Show and they’ll add 100 FREE 11X17 full color posters to your order.

The Flyover Ska Show is now available on Stitcher, the free podcast radio app for all your better smartphones. This is not a deal gone bad. God I love puns.

This show is brought to you in part by MNSKA.com, Minnesota’s Ska Community and the Fancy Pants Gangsters podcast network.  Become a fan of the show on Facebook, follow Courtney on Twitter, or email him at FOSS@fancypantsgangsters.com.

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Another great video from the Minnesota date of the Vans Warped Tour 2010!  This one is of great Chicago soul-reggae band Deal’s Gone Bad playing their song “Movin’ On” from the album The Ramblers.  They even have Anthony from The Drastics playing keys for their tour dates!  This video was shot by MNSKA’s own Patrick Larson.

You can check out the video on YouTube HERE

There have been lots of quality reggae mashups floating around on the Internet.  We’ve seen Chicago reggae/dub group The Drastics mashing reggae with the late King of Pop with MJ A Rocker.  We’ve seen Michigan mashup artist Babylon Party Machine release several albums pairing known reggae riddims with pop music.  Now, we’ve got Max Tannone, famous for his Jaydiohead (Jay-Z vs. Radiohead) release, mashing up hip-hop great Mos Def with reggae dub to create MOS DUB.  You get points if you can name the reggae backbeats on all the songs!

It’s available for streaming and download HERE.

Chicago is home to many a good thing: Chicago-style hotdogs, Wrigley Field, the Sears Tower…and some of the hottest reggae-dub in the country.  Today we feature The Drastics and how they have changed the landscape of dub improvisation over the last 5 years.  Look forward to new innovative releases from this band in the coming year.

Track of the Day: “Love Is War” by The Drastics

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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Chicago’s roots dub-reggae group The Drastics have been feverishly working on their tribute to the late great King of Pop, Michael Jackson.  The band had this to say about their tribute album MJ A ROCKER:

In honor of his birthday next weekend! Some of you thought it was a joke … but it’s very very real … and finally here … ! Our tribute to Michael Joseph Jackson .. imagine Sir Coxsone in the production seat instead of Quincy and you’re about half-way there … Included are I Want You Back, Rock With You, Don’t Stop ’til You Get Enough, Billie Jean, Smooth Criminal, and The Way You Make Me Feel … These aren’t instrumentals or covers-per-se … you just gotta hear it to believe it …

You can download the album for FREE right HERE or you can stream it below:

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