Baltimore’s Ska Ambassadors, The Players Band celebrates 20 years with a new album SKAMÖRGÅSBORD!
On the heels of the mid-90’s ska revival, The Players Band (TPB) was founded in 1999, drawn in by the infectious rhythms and horn-heavy ska sounds originating in Jamaica in the late 1950s. Over 20 years and 500+ shows later, Baltimore’s ska ambassadors continue blending the best of Jamaican ska and reggae with American rock and roll. With 9 to 11 members, depending on the night, TPB is an amalgam of accomplished musicians, including current members of DC Ska legends The Pietasters, Baltimore’s Jah Works, Bumpin Uglies, Unity Reggae, Scotch Bonnets, Kill Lincoln, and even California’s punk rockers Left Alone. TPB has had the privilege of opening for true legends; from the originators of ska-Grammy Winning Toots & the Maytals and The Skatalites to Rock & Roll Hall of Fame’s Joe Strummer, to the B-52s, The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, English Beat, Fishbone, to the Isley Brothers. TPB has headlined Baltimore’s New Year’s Eve Spectacular, First Night Annapolis, and the Michael Phelps Olympic Tribute Celebration at Fort McHenry. Venues played include 9:30 Club, The Fillmore, Capital One Arena, Pier 6, Knitting Factory, Trocadero Theatre, Chance Theater, Bottle & Cork, Rams Head Live, 8×10, Ottobar, and many others.
The band’s fifth album, SKAMÖRGÅSBORD drops in June 2020 and is a buffet spread of many ska-sub genres from traditional ska, instrumental ska, ska-dub, ska-funk, reggae, to ska-punk. The recording was captured at Gavin Pearce’s Catahoula Recordings in Burtonsville, MD (Pearce toured extensively as FOH for James Brown) and mixed by Latin Grammy award winning engineer Victor Rice at Studio COPAN in São Paulo, Brazil. The group’s versatility is featured with 8 different lead vocalists, including guest spots from ska royalty Stephen Jackson of The Pietasters and Natty Roc of Jah Works. The album spans a mix of original music and new takes on covers from classics like Peter Gabriel’s Sledgehammer and the Rolling Stone’s Loving Cup, to reggae classics Hot Milk and Liquidator, to the jazz classic Work Song. TPB has previously self-released four albums; Instrumental (2001), Hate the Game (2003), Half-Time (2005), and Live & Direct (2008).
Notable quotes
- “Your band fn’ rocks!” – Joe Strummer, The Clash
- “Fantastic! You guys are tough.” – Buckwheat Zydeco
- “Those guys are nice, really nice!” – Angelo Moore, Fishbone
- “[The Players Band] exhibit a near-encyclopedic knowledge of classic soul that mixes nicely with a rocking take on reggae and ska. They do the ska thing, and do it well, with horn-heavy choruses and chicken-scratch guitar on exuberant tunes – Ain’t no hatin’ these Players.” – Baltimore Magazine.
- “A rocking big band out of Baltimore/DC who can hit all the styles and are a must-see live.” – Alternative Press Magazine
- “Go out and check TPB live, for such bands do not come into being very often and what they can do with music is phenomenal.” – Music Monthly
- “The Players Band just locks into grooves and rock them for all their worth, an unstoppable live experience!” – Washington City Paper
- “This could be the hottest act in the area. I knew from the first notes I heard that these guys are the real deal. This is the stuff that good times are made of!” – 103.1 WRNR
- “TPB ooze class and the horns are just damn big. The living vibe of their fun music is what really helps you hear why you need to go see them. A must listen, clearly an accomplished organization with a tight sense of groove that makes such music so damn good!” – Music Monthly
For Immediate Release
Andy Schneider
The Players Band
410-446-7344
theplayersband@gmail.com
www.theplayersband.com
https://www.facebook.com/PlayersBandSka/
Introducing our brand new release SKAMÖRGÅSBORD, available June 2020.
