Image from Go Steady Entertainment.
Get ready for the sounds of tooting trumpets, saxophones and guitar chords because ska bands from across California are coming together to perform at Big 8 Ska Bonanza in Long Beach on Saturday, November 11.
Bands all the way from Bakersfield to Riverside, from Simi Valley to San Diego will be playing at the show. OC Ska Kids, The Cap Souls, Despicable Good Guys, Hooray for Our Side, the b Sharps, Unsteady and Matamoska will be covering the many ska sub-genres including roots, third-wave, punk and Latino ska.
They’ll be playing at The Packard, a repurposed building originally constructed as a showroom for Packard automobiles which stopped producing vehicles in 1958. Its warehouse now serves mostly as a music venue and the courtyard covered in street art murals make it a unique location to experience live music.
Big Ska 8 will be presented by Go Steady Entertainment whose goal is to support and foster California’s subcultural music scenes and bands.
“Think globally, skank locally,” producer Mike Steady said in a statement..
Tazy Phyllipz from dirtyradio.fm’s Ska Parade—which helped launch the career of Long Beach’s Sublime and put third wave ska on the mainstream map— will MC the event and Ska DJs will play their sets between bands. DJs include Tommy Gunn and Nelson Rome of the Sunday Social, Christian Lopez of Roots Rocksteady Rebellion, Soulful Selector of Reg-A-Matic Sound System and Lindsay Mendoza.
It is an all ages event but those 21 and over can enjoy a full bar featuring craft beer from Ska Brewing Company. SoCal Caribbean Halal will have their food trucks serving West Indian fusion tacos, quesadillas, burritos and curries. Vegan options will also be available.
Tickets are available for $16 here or $20 at the door. Parking at the Packard is $5 and is free for scooters. The show will run from 2:00PM to midnight. For more information, check out the Facebook event page here.
The Packard is located at 205 East Anaheim Street.
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