Today, Jamaica celebrates 50 years of independence, sparking celebrations that reach all the way to the Twin Cities!  This week, there are several musical events taking place in Minneapolis that commemorate Jamaican music and the world-wide impact it has made.

TONIGHT (Monday, Aug. 6th)
BA BA BOOM — featuring DJs Paul Harding and Aaron Porter 
King & I Thai  (1346 La Salle Ave S, Mpls)
9pm, 21+, No Cover
DJs will be spinning sets of all-Jamaican vinyl, including rocksteady, reggae, ska, dancehall, and dub

Wednesday, August 8th
Mighty Heptones and Ken Boothe
Epic (110 5th St N, Mpls)
8pm, 21+, $25
Authentic Jamaican food and drink will be served!
The Mighty Heptones are a reggae and rocksteady vocal group prevalent in Jamaica in the late 60′s and early 70′s
Ken Boothe is an accomplished Jamaican Studio One artist, coming to prominence in the early days of reggae and rocksteady.  His song “Artibella” was recently generously sampled by Snoop Lion (formerly known as Snoop Dogg) on his latest single “La La La”

Saturday, August 11th
Mighty Mighty Bosstones
First Ave Mainroom
6pm, 18+, $25
Long-running Boston skacore band The Mighty Mighty Bosstones are returning to First Ave after a decade-long absence.  The band draws heavily from Jamaican ska music and blends it with gritty Boston punk rock, but the band hasn’t forgotten their roots.  Their song “Don’t Worry Desmond Dekker” is an ode to the ska pioneers of Jamaica.

Hope to see you at one of these events, you just might come away with a greater appreciation for Jamaica and its greatest cultural contribution…the music!

Boston ska-core vets The Mighty Mighty Bosstones released their latest full-length album The Magic Of Youth last week.  To promote the album, longtime friend and Bosstones fan Adam Carolla invited lead singer Dicky Barrett as a guest on his wildly successful podcast The Adam Carolla Show.  The two discuss the new album and share a funny story about a delayed text message.  If you are not a fan of Carolla’s rants and nasally drone, it may be hard to sit through, but I definitely recommend checking out this episode if you are a fan of Dicky and the Bosstones.

You can check out the podcast episode HERE

Skacore veterans The Mighty Mighty Bosstones have a new holiday song “2000 Miles” that will be released for digital download as well as on pink vinyl (with artwork by Jimmy Kimmel).  To go along with that song, AltPress.com has posted the video for the song, which includes lots of old Bosstones footage from previous Hometown Throwdown shows, as well as pictures from their childhood. (They even have some footage of First Ave for you Minnesotans!)

It’s that time of year again!  Boston’s long-running skacore group The Mighty Mighty Bosstones are announcing the 13th Hometown Throwdown!  They will be playing 3 nights at the House of Blues in Boston, MA on December 26th, 27th, and 28th.  Tickets for these shows go on sale this Saturday, October 23rd.  One of these years I’ll actually get to go this…

Tickets for the Hometown Throwdown are available HERE

Dicky Barrett, longtime frontman for ska-punk vets The Mighty Mighty Bosstones and announcer for the Jimmy Kimmel Live! show, has taken over the Adam Carolla Podcast for a special Boston Edition in time for St. Patrick’s Day.  While Adam is out filming a pilot for NBC, Dicky chats it up with with fellow Boston native Eli Roth.

The Adam Carolla Podcast airs daily over at AdamCarolla.com.  You can listen to this episode HERE

A word from your host: Hey rude boys and rude girls!  I’ve been sitting in my lair, regrouping, retooling and refining the Midwest Ska Moment podcast to make it bigger and better than before.  I have decided to widen the scope of the podcast past the Midwest and feature bands and artists nationwide.  What I’d like to do is feature bands that are both largely known and rare gems in the ska, reggae, rocksteady or otherwise Jamaican-influenced community.  With this, the show will be renamed as well.

Along with the scope change, there will also be a format change.  I will now be mainly doing interviews with bands and prominent figures in the ska world.  I’ve already lined up some really great people, including interviews with bands like The Toasters, Westbound Train, The Slackers, Less Than Jake, The Mighty Mighty Bosstones and much more.  As of now, this podcast will be a weekly show and you will be able to subscribe to it via iTunes and I will still be partnering with the Fancy Pants Gangsters Network.

So there will be some changes in the show, but I hope all you listeners out there will enjoy the show more and see this as a change for the better.  If you are in a ska, reggae or rocksteady band, please email me at MSM@fancypantsgangsters.com so we can book you on the show.  No band too big or too small.  Skank On!

“SPRING HEELED JACK IS BACK.”  These words were posted by Pete “JR” Wasilewski (Less Than Jake) on his blog (JR’S BLAHG).  After posting a brief history of the third-wave ska band from New Haven, CT, JR goes on to say that Spring Heeled Jack has a reunion show (or two) in the works for this year and they are currently beginning the booking process.  To celebrate this occasion, the band is re-releasing both of their albums, Static World View and Songs From Suburbia, on vinyl via Asbestos Records.

Spring Heeled Jack features members that have played in The Mighty Mighty  Bosstones, Reel Big Fish, Less Than Jake, and the Pilfers.  The band broke up in 2000 and played a benefit reunion show in 2002 to raise money for a scholarship fund in the name of their late drummer Dave Karcich.

“Graffiti Worth Reading”

“Dont’ Worry Desmond Dekker”

The Mighty Mighty Bosstones performed last night on Jimmy Kimmel LIVE! Despite it being quite rainy in Hollywood, many fans showed up for the free mini-concert.  Clad in black suits and skinny ties, they played the song “Graffiti Worth Reading” from their brand new album Pin Points and Gin Joints.  The band then changed into plaid tuxedos to play the show off the air with the song “Don’t Worry Desmond Dekker” from their rarities collection Medium Rare.  The Bosstones haven’t played on Jimmy Kimmel LIVE! in a long time despite their frontman working each night as the announcer for the show.

The Mighty Mighty Bosstones are going to be playing on December 26th, 27th, and 28th at the House of Blues in Boston, MA and on December 29th at the Middle East nightclub in Boston, MA for their 12th annual Hometown Throwdown concert series.

Dicky Barrett, frontman of the legendary ska band Mighty Mighty Bosstones, is today’s guest on the Adam Carolla Podcast to promote the new album Pin Points and Gin Joints.  Dicky and Adam sit down for a good 45 minute podcast and discuss Dicky’s day job (announcer on Jimmy Kimmel Live!), how he comes up with his song titles, and the confusion that comes with Led Zepplin lyrics.  You can check out the episode HERE.

The Adam Carolla Podcast is a free daily podcast put on by Adam Carolla (The Man Show, Loveline, Crank Yankers, The Hammer).  I listen to it everyday and I highly recommend it.  Be sure to watch Jimmy Kimmel Live! tonight to see the Bosstones play on late night TV.  I’m not alone when I say it’s about damn time.

Today is Bosstones day!  The Mighty Mighty Bosstones release their long-awaited full-length album Pin Points and Gin Joints today.  To commemorate this occasion, I decided to post this video of the band in Kamloops, BC playing at the Snowjob festival on March 26th, 1998, right on the ski hill.  The video features the band playing the songs “1-2-8″, “The Rascal King”, “Do Something Crazy”, and “Royal Oil.”  It’s great to see people in snowsuits and ski gear creating a large moshpit!