Doors 7:00pm / Show 8:00pm
$16 Advance* / $20 Day of Show
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IVY ROOM
860 San Pablo Ave, Albany • 21+
THE TOASTERS
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THE TOASTERS: 43 Years of Ska
“In my opinion, The Toasters are to ska in America the 1980s and beyond what The Specials were to ska in the U.K. in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s, and what the Skatalites were to ska in Jamaica in the 1960s. The Toasters were innovators, creators, shapers of the music, evolving it in a fresh direction, blending it with the cultural influences in a very American manner, and I mean that in a completely complimentary way. Just as Byron Lee & the Dragonaires brought professionalism and polish to ska, allowing others to benefit from the fruits of their labor, so too did the Toasters’ music allow numerous other bands to share in the spotlight of skill and success, many of whom have gone on to great heights. Upon the shoulders of giants. Oh, yeah, and they kick ass!”
-Heather Augustyn,
Author of SKA , An Oral History
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After 43 years, The Toasters are hitting the gas, not the brakes. With an international all-star line-up their whirlwind global tour continues unabated across the continents. Performances are scheduled in South America, Asia and Russia on top of regular touring in the USA, Europe and Canada.
Formed on the Lower East Side of NYC the band is the longest running US SKA formation. They bridge the gap between England’s 2-Tone movement and the American Ska explosion of the 90’s which they are rightfully credited with starting. During the 3rd Wave Ska revival The Toasters formed the famous Moon Records label and kick-started the careers of dozens of bands.
THE BRACERS
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THE BRACERS - Rocksteady and Reggae dripping with soul! They know what you like and they always deliver!
JOKES FOR FEELINGS
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Spirited, crowd-pleasing Ska-Punk rockers with roots in Oakland’s famous punk club 924 Gilman St. have been longtime fixtures of thriving SF Bay Area scene
The San Francisco Bay Area Punk and Ska scenes are now the things of legend and modern music history. And, it’s a phenomenon that Ska-Punk standouts Jokes For Feelings have long been heavily involved in – and helped form. The movement – particularly the latest “4th Wave” Ska scene – is one that has experienced a notable resurgence in recent years and continues to evolve and grow as veterans increasingly interact and meld with new generations of ever-pogoing, maniacally-moshing music enthusiasts. Jokes For Feelings have continually strived to find great local bands to play with to fully-entertain their enthusiastic, dedicated (and growing) fan base.
The band formed in 2006 when a number of childhood and college friends – mixed with the talent bounty from a couple of Craigslist ads – got together in the Bay Area and began crafting and perfecting what is now the band’s unique signature sound. While there have been various musician additions and changes throughout the years, the core band currently consists of:
The energetic and colorful powerhouse have an extraordinarily contagious sound that has been compared to NOFX, The Specials, Rancid and Gogol Bordello. Throughout their career, Jokes for Feelings have played live with a number of world-famous Punk and Rock bands/musicians including CJ Ramone (The Ramones), Agent Orange, Mike Watt, Aggrolites, Voodoo Glow Skulls, The Specials (Roddy and Neville) and Guttermouth. The band has toured extensively throughout California and, to date, have released three EP’s and one full-length album, “The Island of Pissed Off Toyz”. Jokes for Feelings have been featured on numerous Ska-Punk compilations including two “Gilman Ska Night” compilations and on “Dale La Bota 2013” – which features all Latino Ska-Punk bands – on Hellcat Records and Smelvis Records. In January 2018 they released their EP “Too Much Too Hipster” on vinyl and digital format.