about

MNSKA was created to help breathe back life into the Minnesota ska scene, and to be a force for supporting ska and reggae music in the Twin Cities by booking and promoting shows, supporting local and touring bands and spreading awareness of the best music in the world; from Jamaica to England, to America and the rest of the World.

In the summer of 2003, a group of friends were reminiscing about the Minneapolis ska scene that had been thriving in the late 1990’s. There were many great local ska bands then, most notably the Siren Six, Animal Chin, the Jinkies, Umbrella Bed, 3 Minute Hero, Suspect Bill and others. The Foxfire Coffee Lounge played host to numerous ska shows. But in 2003, things were looking sparse. Umbrella Bed was the only surviving band from the 1990’s, playing mainly 21+ shows. National ska and reggae bands were no longer touring regularly through the Twin Cities. Something had to be done.

Abe, Ben, Aaron and Mark were friends that met each other through their affinity for music, namely ska and reggae. They did some research and found that there were still area bands playing ska, including Aaron’s band GYLBOTS. The first step was to build a website that would serve as the cornerstone for the newly reinvigorated ska scene. MNSKA.COM was registered on July 13th, 2003. The next step was to bring these bands together and start booking shows. The first official MNSKA show took place that August at a restaurant called Taco Toro’s in Inver Grove Heights. While the show drew a decent sized crowd, it was a less-than-ideal location, so the MNSKA crew began looking for more venues.

That same summer, an all-volunteer run youth-focused venue called the TC Underground opened on West Lake Street in Minneapolis. They were looking for young bands to play, and MNSKA was looking for a venue. They both teamed up and began putting on regular ska shows. These were the first all-ska shows in Minneapolis for years. The two organizations became close friends, and have put on many great ska shows since. The TC Underground and MNSKA still do shows together often. The venue, the bands, and MNSKA started to get regular followings.

MNSKA was created with the idea of being Minnesota’s Ska Community. Sure enough, a community of ska fans arose from the message board on http://mnska.com, and also through bands and concerts. As momentum began to build, more bands and venues came into the picture. The Triple Rock Social Club, The Red Sea, and even Colleges like Hamline University, the University of Minnesota and UW River Falls have all hosted ska shows. New bands were forming and old ska fans began to come out of the woodwork. Umbrella Bed was playing more all ages shows, and larger bands from all over began to ask MNSKA for shows. Some notable ska and reggae acts to come through Minnesota with the help of MNSKA (some multiple times) include Westbound Train, The Slackers, Eastern Standard Time, King Django, Dr. Ring Ding, Go Jimmy Go, Deals Gone Bad, Chris Murray, The Drastics, The Afterbeat, The Debonaires, and many others. Every single show that MNSKA presents is all ages to accommodate the younger crowd, a core fan base of ska. It’s only fair to share the sweet sounds of SKA with everyone!

MNSKA has taken on the role of a full-fledged show promotion group, handling all of the booking, merchandising and advertising themselves. The whole operation is a strictly not-for-profit endeavor, putting every cent that’s generated back into the scene. MNSKA obtains funds by selling CDs, pins, and t-shirts (which they print themselves) at shows, which is used to pay bands and venues if an occasional show comes up unprofitable. This volunteer approach makes it apparent that MNSKA is a labor of love. Motivation for MNSKA comes from a love for the music and the culture, not for profits.

Although it may seem to some that MNSKA IS the Minnesota ska scene, it is simply just the heart. To use another medical analogy, the central nervous system of the ska scene is all the fans, bands and venues that support ska. A major factor in the Minnesota ska scene hanging on through the sparse years has been Rude Radio (Saturdays from 10am-12pm), an all-ska and reggae radio show on 770 Radio K. The hosts of the show and Radio K have been very supportive of everything that MNSKA has done. Rocket Ship Ska Trip on KFAI (Thursdays from 2am-5am) has also kept the flames of ska burning.

As MNSKA is the most visible part of the much-larger Minnesota ska scene, their goal from the start was to build a movement; to recreate the ska scene that was very strong and full of energy only several years ago. The ultimate goal that MNSKA works towards is to see other kids out there booking ska shows, starting ska bands, and spreading the word of SKA all across the land. Ska does not belong to any one entity, it belongs to the people.

Rudies Café on St. Paul has started welcoming bands in again to perform in their space. The Triple Rock and the Red Sea have seen the potential for great crowds at ska and reggae shows at their venues. Schools and Colleges are welcoming ska. The sound is once again taking the Minnesota by storm; SKA IS HERE TO STAY!!!