The Specials on Late Night - Videos
Last night the legendary 2 Tone act The Specials performed for the first time in the US in roughly 30 years. They were the musical guest on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, who seems to be fan. All but one of the original members have reunited. They played some UK reunion shows already and are now playing a few North American dates.
The Specials perform A Message To You Rudy on Late Night (April 13, 2010):
The Specials perform Little Bitch on Late Night (web exclusive) (April 13, 2010):
Ticket Giveaway! - Cherry Poppin' Daddies
Coming up on Friday, April 16th at the North Star Bar is the famous Cherry Poppin' Daddies, The Bullbuckers, and On Display. You can enter to win one of two pairs of tickets to the show courtesy of PhillySka.com and the North Star Bar!
So how do you enter? All that you have to do is post a reply on the wall of our Facebook event for the show. Do it by noon of this Monday, April 12th. Winners will be selected at random and notified via Facebook. Good luck!
Ticket Giveaway - The Wailers!
Courtesy of the Keswick Theatre, we have 2 pairs of tickets to the April 8th show featuring The Wailers! These reggae legends will be performing material spanning The Hippy Boys, The Upsetters, and Bob Marley & The Wailers. The tickets are valued at $25 each.
Want to win? Then act quickly. All that you have to do is post a reply to this thread on the PhillySka board, but the deadline is Monday, April 5th at noon EST. Good luck!
RX Bandits Ticket Giveaway - Act Quickly!
Courtesy of our friends at Live Nation, we have a last-minute ticket giveaway for you to this Sunday's (March 28) show at the TLA featuring the RX Bandits. Supporting them will be The Builders and the Butchers and Zechs Marquise. It's all ages.
Act fast though, because only the first 3 people who post a reply to this thread on the board will win!
Reunited Specials Hit The USA This Spring!
After playing a series of reunion gigs in the UK in 2009, the (nearly) reunited Specials are gearing up to hit the United States and Canada for a few dates. First, the band will be performing on NBC's Late Night with Jimmy Fallon on April 13th. This will be followed by 2 California dates, 1 date in Toronto, and finally a show at Terminal 5 in NYC on April 21st.
The Specials spearheaded the 2 Tone label and movement. They have remained a huge influence to the ska genre as well as music in general. Surely there are many fans dying to see them live. Rumor has it they they are in the process of planning a full-fledged US tour for later in the year. Hopefully this is true and comes to fruition!
UPDATE 2/12/2010: Due to their April 21st NYC show selling out, a second NYC date at Terminal 5 has been added on April 20th.
Long Shot Hero - Reunion Show
One of our past locals rises from the grave this June 5th, 2010. Long Shot Hero will reuniting at the Crocodile Rock Cafe in Allentown, PA. They will be supported by the Spacepimps.
For those curious, this lineup consists of Chris Irons, Eric Jaber,Doug Life, Kaity Jaber, Joel Frederick, Matt Diamond, Anthony Hurrell, and Bob Gordon.
The band has graciously made their entire catalog available for free at PureVolume.com.
Ticket Giveaway! - Bob Marley's Legend Live @ Keswick Theatre
The classic Legend compilation of Bob Marley's material was released in 1984 and remains the most well-known, despite there being a large number of others. It stands firmly as the best selling reggae album of all time.
On Saturday, February 6th, the Classic Albums Live group will be performing the album in its entirety at the Keswick Theatre. This group is not a run-of-the-mill cover band. They are obsessed with the details and strive to faithfully reproduce, note-for-note, the sound of their source material. This means finding performers perfectly suited for the job.
We have 3 pairs of tickets to give away to this event courtesy of the Keswick Theatre and AEG Live. All that you have to do to enter is reply to this thread on the board by noon on February 4th. Full details may be found within.
Ska Favorites of 2009 on University Goes Ska
Tonight (Tuesday 1/19) on University Goes Ska, Monika will be playing selections from my Ska Favorites of 2009 that I have chosen. Be sure to tune in to WKDU from 5-7pm to hear it. For those in Philly it's on 91.7FM. Otherwise, you can listen to the live stream off of wkdu.org.
Haiti Benefit with Bigger Thomas on 1/31
Coming up on Sunday, January 31st, is a benefit at the Sellersville Theatre to raise money to support relief efforts in Haiti. Bigger Thomas is headlining the affair. Their vocalist, Roger Apollon, will serve as the host. Since both of his parents are Haitian immigrants this is certainly close to home for him.
100% of the ticket price will be donated directly to the International Red Cross. For more information, see the Shows page.
$6 Megalith CDs Through January
In celebration of the new year, Megalith Records - presently America's most active ska label - is offering a big sale. All of the CDs in its catalog have been discounted to only $6 each!
You are strongly encouraged to take this wonderful opportunity to both stock up on a ton of great music for cheap, but also to show your support for this great source of new ska. Grab some new releases such as Royal City Riot, Freddy Loco & The Gordo's Ska Band, or Blaster Master. Catch up on some older releases that you may have missed too. Some of my top picks include: Channel One, The Bluebeats, any New York Ska-Jazz Ensemble, Deal's Gone Bad, Mr. T-Bone, The Pepper Pots,Eastern Standard Time, and Babylove & The Van Dangos.
Get on this! You have until the end of January to take advantage of the savings.