The Players Band celebrates 20 years with a new album SKAMÖRGÅSBORD

Music News | May 8th, 2020

The Players Band
Image used with permission for review purposes.

Baltimore ska band The Players Band are releasing their 5th album to celebrate 20 years as a band. The album is called SKAMÖRGÅSBORD and will be out June 1st. The band consist of current members of The Pietasters, Baltimore’s Jah Works, Bumpin Uglies, Unity Reggae, Scotch Bonnets, Kill Lincoln, and even California’s punk rockers Left Alone.

What’s cool is the band will have some guests on the album like Steve from the Pietasters and Natty Roc of Jah Works. Plus Victor Rice mixed the album! You can listen to their previous albums on Spotify now if you’ve never heard of the band before.

TPB’s fifth album, SKAMÖRGÅSBORD drops on June 1, 2020 and is a buffet spread of many ska-sub genres from traditional ska, instrumental ska, ska-dub, ska-funk, reggae, to ska-punk. The group’s versatility is featured with 8 different lead vocalists, including guest spots from ska royalty Stephen Jackson of The Pietasters and Natty Roc of Jah Works. The album spans a mix of original music and new takes on covers from classics like Peter Gabriel’s Sledgehammer and the Rolling Stone’s Loving Cup, to reggae classics Hot Milk and Liquidator, to the jazz classic Work Song.

The recording was captured at Gavin Pearce’s Catahoula Recordings in Burtonsville, MD (Pearce toured extensively as FOH for James Brown) and mixed by Latin Grammy award winning engineer Victor Rice at Studio COPAN in São Paulo, Brazil. The band is an amalgam of accomplished musicians, including current members of DC Ska legends The Pietasters, Baltimore’s Jah Works, Bumpin Uglies, Unity Reggae, Scotch Bonnets, Kill Lincoln, and even California’s punk rockers Left Alone. On the heels of the mid-90’s ska revival, TPB was founded in 1999, drawn in by the infectious rhythms and horn-heavy ska sounds originating in Jamaica in the late 1950s. Over 20 years and 500+ shows later, Baltimore’s ska ambassadors continue blending the best of Jamaican ska and reggae with American rock and roll.

If there are any shows this year, The Players Band still have a couple of shows in the queue if things are all clear:
Sat, Oct 10 Music City Maryland Festival – Catonsville, MD
TBD Bluebeat DC w/Stop the Presses! @ Wonderland Ballroom – Washington, DC 8:30PM
TBD Nick’s Fish House – Baltimore, MD 6-10PM

Follow the band on Facebook here.

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