MNSKA third wave band Secondhand Ska Kings played a very energetic set last Saturday at The Red Sea.  Scattered throughout their set were some great Two Tone covers, like “Too Much Too Young” by The Specials which is featured in this video.

Be sure to check out the Secondhand Ska Kings on Wednesday, February 9th at Cause Spirits and Soundbar (Lyndale and Lake, Minneapolis) where they will be playing with Umbrella Bed and The Prizefighters!

You can check out the video on YouTube HERE

Keep your reading glasses handy as this week, Courtney interviews author Heather Augustyn to discuss her brand new book Ska: An Oral History.  Her book contains numerous first-hand accounts from notable ska legends from every era of the genre.  Heather has been gathering interviews for the past 14 years and tells of the inspiration behind the book as well as the struggles of putting them all into a wonderfully written narrative for new found and long-time fans of music.  From the tales of the eccentric yet genius Don Drummond to the reason why Elvis Costello and The Specials parted ways, take a listen to this, the latest episode of the Flyover Ska Show!

Be sure to pick up a copy of Ska: An Oral History by going to Heather’s website.

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. Podcasts are better than books anyway, right?

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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You can download this episode HERE or subscribe to the show on iTunes.

Hip-hop artist M.I.A. performed a cover of Spectral Display‘s song “It Takes A Muscle” with members of ‘The Specials on ‘Later Live with Jools Holland.’ Enjoy!

You can check out the video on YouTube HERE

The latest Two Tone band out of Chicago, IL is The Crombies, led by former and current members of Deal’s Gone Bad and Lord Mike’s Dirty Calypsonians.  This is a video of them playing the classic song “Gangsters” by The Specials.

You can check out the video on YouTube HERE

UK Two Tone pioneers The Specials played last night on The Late Show with David Letterman.  They are promoting their 30th Anniversary Tour CD and DVD.  Check out the lads playing their hit “Nite Klub” and notice how the FCC edits the word “piss” from the lyrics.

You can check out the video on YouTube HERE

Sublime wasn’t the only ska-influenced group to play Jimmy Kimmel LIVE! last month.  Legendary two-tone ska band The Specials performed their classic song “Gangsters.”

You can watch this video on Hulu HERE

Seems like a lot of Specials stuff in the past 2 days!  But that’s because they haven’t played in the U.S. in 30 years!  Here’s another video from Late Night with Jimmy Fallon where the band plays their hit “A Message To You, Rudy.”  Enjoy!

You can check it out on YouTube

A historic night for American television and for ska music as The Specials performed for the first time in decades on late night TV in the U.S.  This video is of their web-exclusive performance of their hit “Little Bitch” which aired on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon on NBC last night.  I’ve already received emails from friends and fans that were in attendance at the show.

Yes, people; The Specials are officially back in America!  If you didn’t buy a plane ticket to NYC or Cali, your next best option for seeing the Specials playing live is by tuning in to The Late Show with Jimmy Fallon tonight (Tuesday, April 13th, 11:35 PM CST).  The big question is, what are they going to play?  Their first appearance in NYC on SNL in 1980, they gave a cracking performance of “Gangsters”; will they repeat it?  Will it be everybody’s favorite “A Message To You, Rudy”?  “Too Much Too Young”?  Maybe even pull a Special AKA card and do a 17-minute rendition of “Free Nelson Mandela”?  You’ll just have to tune in and watch for yourself!

Check out some recent live videos from the Jools Holland show after the jump.

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Ska news is Fit to Print!  The New York Times has recently published an article detailing the long-anticipated reunion of one of ska’s most legendary groups – The Specials.  Read the full article HERE.