Ska Brawl 2006

A A A Comments By Benjamin Leatherman Thursday, Mar 9 2006

Hot stuff: The Toasters headline this year's Ska Brawl.

The Dietrichs

Details

Ska Brawl is Thursday, March 9

Marquee Theatre in Tempe

More About

Like this Story?

Sign up for the Music Newsletter: Keep your thumb on the local music scene with music features, additional online music listings and show picks. We'll also send special ticket offers and music promotions available only to our Music Newsletter subscribers.

Despite its combative-sounding moniker, the Ska Brawl tour won't consist of skank-happy rude boys battling in a clash of brass knuckles and brass instruments. Nor will it feature local upstart ska bands like The Dietrichs or the eight-member ensemble Captain Squeegee & The Soap Suds taking out veteran Third Wave superstars The Toasters or Boston's Westbound Train. Truth is, these four bands are pretty happy sharing the same bill. "This is our fourth time playing with The Toasters, and it's still cool 'cause they're legends and have such a tight, brassy sound," explains Austen Mack, vocalist/guitarist for Captain Squeegee. "Plus you're guaranteed a good turnout since the older crowd always shows up." Mack says each band offers its own distinctive take on the jumpy, Jamaican-born genre, such as his group's "mixed meter calculated dissonance," which has recently been influenced by everything from Igor Stravinsky to jazz. "We were influenced big time in the beginning by The Toasters and the Third Wave sound, but we were a bunch of goofy high school kids back then," Mack admits. "I think it's just a maturing of tastes, and now we're trying our own thing." Skanks for the memories.

Check out this week's featured ad for Music

The Compound

View Ad View Website

More Ads >>

Get the Music Newsletter

Keep your thumb on the local music scene with music features, additional online music listings and show picks. We'll also send special ticket offers and music promotions available only to our Music Newsletter subscribers.