What started in Boston, Massachusetts in 1983 and lasted almost 40 years has come to an end for the pioneering Third-Wave Ska ensemble.
Lead vocalist Dicky Barrett, bassist Joe Gittleman, tenor saxophonist Tim “Johnny Vegas” Burton and dancer Ben Carr have remained constant members as several others have come and gone through the years.
1997’s ‘Let’s Face It’ album opened up the genre to a whole new audience on Modern Rock Radio with the hits
“The Impression That I Get”
“Royal Oil”
and “The Rascal King”
By the early 2000’s, mainstream success for the genre was waning and the song “So Sad to Say” from the record ‘Pay Attention’ was strangely prophetic. Still, it was one of the band’s best.
Anyone lucky enough to see the band live has fond memories of a fun, energetic and action-packed performance. One such performance was part of Syracuse University’s Block Party on May 6th, 1993.
