Who: Kingpins, with General Rudie and Chris Murray
Where: Boot Pub
When: June 2
Its being billed as the All Skanadian III Tour.
Stomp Records, the Montreal-based ska label formed in 1995, and Asian Man Records are bringing Montreals Kingpins to town for all Skanadian Tour III, featuring a mix of ska styles.
Lorraine Muller of the Kingpins rang through from the plains of Calgary to give us the run down and the low down for the show.
"Once youre up with your concept, everything else seems to fall into place," says Muller, who says the band creates a "lively, nice atmosphere" with its uptempo combo of pop and ska.
"A lot of people dont really understand what the Jamaican sound is, and we bring a certain kind of atmosphere to the music," says Muller, who points to Winnipeg, a haven for ska music, to show that styles of music can develop anywhere.
Additional sounds of ska in the All Skanadian Tour range from ska punk to ska jazz.
Muller is specific about song design and tempo.
"For example, in that French song on the record the chord changes over and over. A bridge comes out of the song, and then back in again."
She says playing a reggae festival at New York Citys the Wetlands Club was a highlight and an honour for the band. They played before an audience of highly knowledgeable listeners and eight other bands.
"It was kindve intimidating, because these were people that are actually creating this type of music.
"Its always really important for us to keep our integrity (and stay true) to that style," adds Muller, who writes most songs with the band.
"Weve never been about following any one band, but theres always some new place to be looking for a little gem."