MySpace a place for friends

5/31/09 - First and foremost, let's bow our heads in a moment of silence in memory of yet another ska club biting the dust. On Friday May 28th we got to see the very last 3 Floors of Ska show at the Knitting Factory. Those shows were some of the best ones I've ever been to and even though the "new" KF is only going to Williamsburg, i'd like to take a moment here and quote was what scrawled on the girls bathroom wall on Friday "FUCK WILLIAMSBURG!" It's just not the same. Whew! Time to do some spring cleaning around here! I'm making more room around here so I can start cramming in all the good stuff thats coming up, like Warped tour with our friends Less Than Jake and Westbound Train. This summer is also bringing up (my personal fave) the annual NYC booze cruises with the Slackers, Fishbone and the Pietasters. I'm pretty bitter about the Fishbone and the Pietasters ending up on the same exact day, the same exact time, but on different boats. It kills me when i got to miss a show, but I guess I'll live. We also have RBF touring with The English Beat spoiling up with a summer tour. On the down side, The Mighty Mighty Bosstones are touring for the summer again, but only in the West coast. ok, fine, i'm pissy about this too, but at least the Hometown Throwdowns are always east coast. Again, I can live with that. I have more contests that will be coming up. Stay tuned and stay rude.

Finally, I'd also like to throw the following message out there on behalf of our friends, Across the Aisle. Contact them directly if you are interested. Thanks!: Hey! We're Across The Aisle, a NYC-based ska/punk/reggae band. You can check us out at: myspace.com/acrosstheaisle, atamusic.com, and we're also on Facebook & Twitter. Long story short...we’re looking for a new guitarist. The split with our current guy is completely amicable, and he's actually gonna stick around and help with the transition. Studio musicians looking to make an extra buck and persons under 21 need NOT apply (though ideally, we're looking for mid/late-20's). We need someone who wants to be IN a band, not play WITH a band and who can make it a priority/goal, fully committed. This hasn't been the case with members in the past, and they've all fallen by the wayside. We're a really fun time, and we put on a great show (full set's about an hour.) We looking into recording more this year, and we’re also playing a summer festival in July. If you're diggin' this, email Jay at the address shown. Also, if you'd got music files of you playing or anything up on a site, please include. Peace and madd love, -ATA jpintar.ata@gmail.com

6/25/08 - FIRST, it feels good that there are plenty of ska shows to choose from this summer. Ahh. It's like running through the sprinklers for your ears. The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Less Than Jake, Goldfinger, and The Slackers are a few who are touring through our area soon. SECOND, Warped tour kicked off in CA and will be going all over the damn place for the next 2 months. On a sad note, the singer of Reel Big Fish, Aaron, had his brand new $1100 white Les Paul guitar STOLEN just a few days into the tour. *sniff sniff* It was a gift that was given to him about a month ago from a close friend of the band just to say "thank you for being cool." How sad. Go to Reel Big Fish's myspace page and take a look at the newly posted Warped Tour pics to see the few days Aaron had the chance to play it. THIRD, I'm PSYCHED to announce our friends at RocksOff has given NYC yet another great summer lineup for ska booze cruises!!! We can look forward to Deal's Gone Bad (7/5), The Pietasters (8/22), the Slackers (8/28), and Fishbone (8/29). These are by far my most favorite time of the year. FOURTH, I'd like to bitch about the cost of TicketMaster (whom I lovingly call TicketBastard). Less Than Jake and Goldfinger are hooking up with The Dropkick Murphys for a big show at Penn's Landing near Philly. In search of tickets, TicketMaster has them for sale at nearly 40 bucks!!! ouch. When did ska get so expensive??? Not only that, but the extra charges on top of that (convenience my ass!) were over 10 bucks...making it over 50 bucks for that show!?!?!?! My lord. I actually am not going now b/c of that. I hope TicketBastard rots in hell someday. FINALLY, I recently fell in love with a new NYC ska band: The Forthrights. I saw them play with Dub Is a Weapon at Sullivan Hall 2 weeks ago, loved them, then went to go see them play at a rooftop party in Brooklyn last wknd. Welllllllllllll, the night was clear UNTIL I got out of the subway with a flash downpour. OH SHIT! By the time I got upstairs the Forthrights were 1 1/2 into their set when the rain came....yup, thousands of dollars of equipment RUINED. One of the guys even got electricuted by his own instrument! Sadly too, after I got there and all the equipment was dragged inside, the rain let up, and the skies cleared. I don't know when the next time we are going to be able to see them again, but I wish them a quick recovery and hope they play again soon.

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SKA SHOW SLIDESHOWS:

BOSSTONES 10TH HOMETOWN THROWDOWN PICS ARE FINALLY HERE!!! December 26-30, 2007 at the Middle East in Cambridge, MA is now ranked as the second best day of my life (and yes, I'm aware it was a week, not a day). I couldn't thank Joe Gittleman enough. Here are my faves:

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IN GENERAL:

Hello Rudeboys and Rudegirls! On Christmas day 2006, this page was turned over to a new moderator, so someone could continue promoting and supporting NYC ska music...that person was me, Michelle. I moved to NYC 12+ years ago solely for the ska scene and have been to nearly every show since. You may know me as "the girl with the ska tattoos," so I believed there was no one else more fitting to take on the responsibility of this page.

With nearly a year under my checkered belt, I think I got this page under control: I have one of the best ska calendars around; I have musicians who are letting me in on the “know” as to what’s going on; I have fans who are extremely thankful as well as helpful; I have been blogging some informative in addition to entertaining stories; I like changing the things on the page to keep it fresh and interesting; and I’m notorious about keeping it up to date and accurate. Thank you for everyone’s continued support.

My Top Friends include individuals who have substantially contributed to the NYC SKA scene. It’s important to recognize them as well as the bands that make the ska scene what it is. They are DJs, producers, promoters, music teachers, and more.

NYC ska bands and promoters...let me know about what is going on around town, so I can spread the good word of ska to the masses. Fans of ska music...keep up the good work by going to shows and buying merchandise. And to all other bands and fans outside of NYC...you will not be forgotten. This is YOUR page, not mine. Also, a note to non-ska bands...I'm here to promote SKA and ska-influenced music. I love punk, swing, rockabilliy, and other genres as much as the next, but it will not be represented here. Sorry!

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FINDING NYC SKA INFORMATION:

RUDIES: If you are visiting NYC and need to know how to get to a show, where to find ska stuff, info about a ska band or person, or anything else, let me know! I know plenty of things to direct you to depending on what you are looking for.

BANDS: I have been asked plenty of times who to contact for gigs in the NYC area. Please go to the LAST THREE TOP FRIENDS listed on this page. They are the ones who can help you the most with booking a show.

At one time I was able to post the YouTube video of "The History of Ska," but recently the embedded link has been disabled by request. In the meantime here is the ULR directly to the site to watch the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AesId12OKsY

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