Bim Skala Bim is a

ska Ska (; , ) is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1950s and was the precursor to rocksteady and reggae. It combined elements of Caribbean mento and calypso with American jazz and rhythm and blues. Ska is characterized by a w ...

band formed in

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

that was influenced by the bands in

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

's two-tone movement, as well as artists such as

the Clash The Clash were an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1976. Billed as "The Only Band That Matters", they are considered one of the most influential acts in the original wave of British punk rock, with their music fusing elements ...

UB40 UB40 are an English reggae band, formed in December 1978 in Birmingham, England. The band has had more than 50 singles in the UK Singles Chart and has also achieved considerable international success. They have been nominated for the Grammy ...

and

Bob Marley Robert Nesta Marley (6 February 1945 – 11 May 1981) was a Jamaican singer, songwriter, and guitarist. Considered one of the pioneers of reggae, he fused elements of reggae, ska and rocksteady and was renowned for his distinctive voca ...

. Their "Boston Blue Beat" sound, a mix of upbeat two-tone ska,

rock 'n' roll Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock-n-roll, and rock 'n' roll) is a Genre (music), genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It Origins of rock and roll, originated from African ...

, and calypso, made them, along with

The Toasters The Toasters are one of the original American Third wave ska, third wave of ska bands. Founded in New York City in 1981, the band has released nine studio albums, primarily through Moon Ska Records. History Englishman Robert Hingley relocated ...

, some of the first bands in the third wave of ska in the 1980s.

History

In 1986, the band's self-titled debut album was featured on the cover of

CMJ CMJ Holdings Corp. is a music events, online media company and a distributor of up and coming music CDs, originally founded in 1978, which ran a website, hosted an annual festival in New York City, and published two magazines, ''CMJ New Music ...

. In 1997, Bim Skala Bim, the

Dropkick Murphys Dropkick Murphys are an American Celtic punk band formed in Quincy, Massachusetts in 1996. The current lineup consists of co-lead vocalist and bassist Ken Casey, drummer Matt Kelly, co-lead vocalist Al Barr (on hiatus from the band since 202 ...

, and the Mighty Bosstones embarked on a 50-date nationwide "Boston on the Road" tour. Since their formation in 1983, Bim Skala Bim has released twelve LPs, won ten Boston Music Awards, eight ''Boston Phoenix'' Reader's Poll awards, and ''Boston'' magazine's "Best of Boston" twice. In March 2013, ''Boston Business Journal'' rated Bim Skala Bim's album ''Bones'' #19 in their "Boston Top 40 Albums of All Time" list. Bim Skala Bim went on hiatus in 2002, but they reformed to record a new album titled ''Chet's Last Call'', released in late 2013. The song "Paraguayan Sun" is the outro music for the tabletop gaming podcast ''Cast Dice''.

Band members

Current

* Dan Vitale (vocals) * Mark Ferranti (bass) * Jim Jones (guitar, vocals, 1985–present) * Jim Arhelger (drums, 1985–present) * Vinny Nobile (trombone, keyboards, 1986–96, 2000–present) * Rick Barry (percussion, 1986–1995, 2010–present))

Former

* John Ferry (trombone, vocals, 1983–86, 1998–99) * Chris Kramtch (drums, 1983) * Ephraim Lessell (guitar, 1983) * Robin Ducot (keyboards, 1983–84) * John Sullivan (drums, 1983–84) * Will Cluster (guitar, 1983–84) * Lauren Flesher (vocals, 1984–85) * John Cameron (keyboard, saxophone, 1985–99) * Jackie Starr (vocals, keyboards, 1985–89) * Rick Barry (percussion, 1986–96) * Mark Paquin (trombone, 1996–98) * Chris Rhodes (trombone, 2000) * Dave Butts (horns, keyboards)

Discography

Studio albums

* ''Bim Skala Bim'' (1986) * ''Tuba City'' (1989) * ''How's It Goin'?'' (1990) * ''Bones'' (1991) * ''Eyes & Ears'' (1995) * ''American Playhouse'' (1995) * ''Universal'' (1997) * ''The One That Got Away'' (1998) * ''Krinkle'' (2000) * ''Chet's Last Call'' (2013) * ''Musical Biscuits'' (2013; digital release only) * ''Sonic Tonic'' (2021)

Singles and EPs

* ''Fat Head'' (1987) * ''Bim Skala Bim / Stabilizer (3)'' (1991) * ''Concert-Freebie: Marquee; Friday 14th July 1995'' (1995) * ''Skeleton'' (1995) * ''Capone and the Bullets / Bim Skala Bim - Godfather/Sunshine'' (1996) * ''Test Patterns'' (1999) * ''King Hammond, Bim Skala Bim - Mad Not Cancer'' (2014)

Live albums

* ''Live at the Paradise'' (1993)

Compilation appearances

* ''Boston Does the Beatles'' (1988) * ''Mashin' Up the Nation: Best of U.S. Ska Vol. 1'' (1988) * ''Skankin' Round the World, Vol. 1'' (1989) * ''Place of General Happiness'' (1993) * ''The Shack'' (1994) * ''We Don't Skare'' (1994) * ''Mashin' Up the Nation: The Best of American Ska, Vols. 1&2'' (1991) * ''Ska: Cover to Cover'' (1996) * ''Joint Ventures in Ska'' (1996) * ''Mash It Up, Vol. 3'' (1996) * ''SKAndalous: I've Gotcha Covered'' (1996) * ''Mash It Up, Vol. 4'' (1997) * ''Ska Down Her Way'' (1997) * ''The Ska Parade: Runnin' Naked Thru the Cornfield'' (1998) * ''Big Indie Beats'' (1998) * ''Love and Affection: Ska in the Key of Love'' (1998) * ''Mashin' Up the Nation: The Best of American Ska Vols. 3 & 4'' (1998) * ''Steady Sounds from the Underground'' (1998) * ''Boston, Vol. 2'' (1999) * ''Ska Party '99'' (1999) * ''Club Ska '99: The Shack Vol. 2'' (1999) * ''Welcome to Beatville'' (1999) * ''Mash It Up 2000: It's Alive Boston: Ska Vol. 5'' (2000) * ''Still Standing – A North American Ska Uprising'' (2003)

Awards

* 10 Boston Music Awards * 8 Boston Phoenix Reader's Poll Awards * Boston Magazine's ''Best of Boston'' twice * Boston Business Journal - Bim Skala Bim ''Bones'' Album, #19 of Boston Top 40 Albums of All Time * Top Ten Local Shows for 2014 - Bim Skala Bim at ''The Middle East'' Cambridge MA (August 2014) * Reggae Steady Ska - Best of 2014 - Best Live Band #2 Bim Skala Bim * Reggae Steady Ska - Best of 2014 - 7" Vinyl of the Year #1 Various: Bim Skala Bim, King Hammond (taken from Specialized 3 - ''Mad Not Cancer'') * Bim Skala Bim ''Chet's Last Call'' debuted on National Jamband.com radio chart at No. 25 (Marcy 2014)

References

External links

* {{Authority control American ska musical groups Musical groups from Boston Third-wave ska groups