ReadJunk.com

Mrs. Skannotto

• Interviews

Mrs. Skannotto is a ska band out of Rochester, New York who has been together for 15 years. 2012 was a huge year for the band and 2013 has seen them gaining even more steam as major players in the US Ska Scene. I had the chance to ask the band a few questions and got some really great insights into the band and their philosophy. Enjoy! Read More

King Django

• Interviews

Jeff “King Django” Baker has been one of the most prolific musicians of our generation. Whether he is playing ska, reggae, dancehall, punk, hardcore, or some conglomeration of any/all of those, he has put out quality release after quality release. Musically, he has been the ringmaster of Skinnerbox, the Stubborn All Stars, his Roots & Culture band, and recording under his own name. He has also worked with a who’s who of bands such a Rancid, Murphy’s Law, the Slackers, Civ, and the Toasters. Not just a musician, Django also runs long running label Stubborn Records and the Version City studio.
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The Generators (Doug Dagger)

• Interviews

The Generators are playing the West Coast in October in support of their latest album Last of the Pariahs. It’s a great album if you haven’t heard it yet! Steven Bauer sent over some questions to lead singer Doug Dagger to answer and this is what we got back. Read the interview below and be sure to visit www.the-generators.com to find out when the band will be playing in your city!
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Matt Flood (Asbestos Records)

• Interviews

The early 2000s were a dark period for ska music. It seemed that the bubble had burst on the 3rd Wave of ska. Many of the record labels, who released the ska music that we loved, went out of business or stopped pressing our favorite releases. It was a dark time indeed.

Asbestos Records is a label out of Connecticut who has been around since 1996. In the last number of years, Asbestos has been super involved in spreading the gospel of ska. In a joint effort with Underground Communique and Ska Is Dead, they worked on the Ska Is Dead 7” Series. In 2011, they teamed up with Underground Communique once again to launch the 3rd Wave Ska Preservation Project. Run through Kickstarter, this project takes classic ska records from the 3rd Wave and presses them to vinyl for all fans to enjoy.

We had a chance to chat with Matt Flood from Asbestos Records about Asbestos, ska, and so much more.
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Video: Tom Waits – Interview & “Raised Right Men” (Late Night with Jimmy Fallon)

• Media

Tom Waits was back on the TV circuit last night and was on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. He talked with Jimmy for 5 minutes and then played “Raised Right Men.” At some point, it looked like Jimmy was about to hump Tom Waits’ leg because he was so excited to be interviewing him haha.
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Less Than Jake (JR)

• Interviews

Less Than Jake are currently celebrating their 20th anniversary with having nightly parties with clowns, ponies, and snorting pez off midget stripper’s bodies. No, honestly….They have just released an EP in February called “Seasons Greetings From Less Than Jake” and just finished up a US tour. They have some sporadic dates this Spring and will head to Jolly Ole England in June. In the meantime, you can check out a quick interview with JR:
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Taj Motel Trio

• Interviews

1) The Taj Motel Trio formed around the height of the ska craze in the late 90’s. What was it that made you want to start your own ska punk band?
I’m not really sure what made us want to do this, we just like making music I guess. We didn’t intentionally start a ska punk band, it was an accident. When we started, the plan was just to be a band with horns. We didn’t even know what ska was. We wanted to be like Cake w/ more horns. Eventually we became a ska band.
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Pepper

• Interviews

Having formed in 1997, Pepper has since become one of the premier rock/reggae bands the lands have seen. Their fusion of punk, rock, reggae and dub has helped them sell more than half a million records worldwide independently on their own record label LAW Records. The band is a touring machine and they have been so kind as to take a few minutes out of their busy schedule and constant rocking to answer a few questions for ReadJunk.
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Mike Park

• Interviews

2011 marks the 15th Anniversary of Asian Man Records, an independent record label based in Northern California, that is the epitome of DIY. Asian Man Records has released albums by Less Than Jake, Five Iron Frenzy and Alkaline Trio to name a few and genres that you will find on their roster range from ska punk to psychobilly and just about everything in between.
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Screaming Females

• Interviews

There is a video floating around on YouTube of a young lady on stage with Ted Leo and The Pharmacists performing a cover of “Since You’ve Been Gone.”  Ted Leo’s personal rendition of the song had already been widely popular but in this version he left all the vocals to their female guest, Marissa Paternoster.  She is the singer and guitarist for Screaming Females.  While on tour with Ted Leo & The RX, someone heard Paternoster singing the tune backstage and insisted she perform the song that night.  “They didn’t even rehearse or anything.  It all happened during the show,” said Screaming Females drummer Jarrett Dougherty.
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Carbon Leaf (Barry Privett)

• Interviews

It’s no secret that Carbon Leaf is one of my favorite bands. They are a hard-working, independent folk/rock band that never stop touring, and just make incredible music! Their last full-length album “Nothing Rhymes with Woman” has been played on my iPod at least once a day and now they just released a digital EP on their own called “How the West Was One,” which you can order here. The ReadJunk staff (Bryan, Kristen and Matt) decided to send some questions over to frontman Barry Privett to answer, here’s how it went down:
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Video: Band of Horses – “Compliments” and “Factory” (Grand Central Terminal)

• Media

For the ones who weren’t lucky enough to see Band of Horses last night at Grand Central Terminal for that “secret” free show, well you’re in luck! You can see 2 videos from the show thanks to AOL, who put on the show. AOL has posted the songs “Compliments” and “Factory” off the new album “Infinite Arms.” Check it out plus an interview as well!
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