Formed in 1991, Mustard Plug established itself as a hard-working independent band. The Grand Rapids, MI-based group, with the help of its label, the California indie ska-punk outfit Hopeless Records, repeatedly toured the United States, Europe, Japan, and South America. It made the rounds of two Warped Tours and participated in the Ska Against Racism tour. Mustard Plug began its career meagerly, releasing the cassette Skapocalypse Now! on its own Dashiki Clout label in 1992. (It would be re-released on CD by Dashiki Clout and Hopeless in 1998.) But the band's proper debut, 1993's Big Daddy Multitude, was backed by the seminal ska label Moon Records, which eventually went bankrupt. (The album was re-released by Hopeless after it signed Mustard Plug in the mid-'90s.) The CD pushed Mustard Plug into touring orbit, as they began playing a multitude of gigs. Just as ska-punk was moving into the mainstream, Mustard Plug sent Evil Doers Beware to stores in 1997. Selling more than 90,000 copies, Evil Doers was a collaboration between the band and punk legends Bill Stevenson (formerly of Black Flag) and Stephen Egerton, both of whom play in All and the Descendents. The same year, Mustard Plug quietly offered its skanking, rollicking take on the Verve Pipe's maudlin alt-rock hit "The Freshmen" for a charity CD. The song generated such a buzz that it was met with radio play on major stations throughout the Midwest. Stevenson and Egerton returned to the boards for the Simpsons-referencing Pray for Mojo, which hit stores in 1999. Yellow #5 followed three years later, and Mustard Plug issued the hits set Masterpieces: 1991-2002 in 2005. "A punk band releasing a best-of album?" the band asked on its website. "Hey NOFX did it, so it must be OK!" In 2007, still showing no signs of selling out to the majors, the group released its seventh album, In Black and White, with the assistance of Hopeless Records. ~ Christina Fuoco, Rovi

FLASHBACK!: The year was 1994 and the world was a very different place….A happy-go-lucky Bill Clinton presided over the free world; Ace of Base topped the music charts with their insipid reggae-inspired hit The Sign; cats had yet to take over the internet, men and women wore acidwashed overalls slung from one shoulder à la Joey from Friends; and a young band of ragtag miscreants released their first full-length to an unsuspecting public. In case you haven’t been paying attention, that band was (and still is) The Planet Smashers. Fast forward two decades, seven albums, one million records sold worldwide, six gazillion beers consumed, countless tours and one extremely blurry never-ending party to this futuristic and confusing present day. Who will save us from this current clusterfuck filled with beliebers, honey-booboos and bathroom selfies? Who will stand boldly in the face of the autotuned, deep-vee wearing douche chills crapping in the earholes of the world? Who will dare to play their own instruments while blasting out ska hooks so catchy you wish you could scoop them up and eat them like ice-cream?....You’re goddamned right it’s The Planet Smashers.

The Kilograms are a new project formed by Joe Gittleman(The Mighty Mighty Bosstones , Avoid One Thing), Sammy Kay , Michael Mcdermott (formerly of The Bouncing Souls , Joan Jett & the Blackhearts ) and J Duckworth (Newport Secret Six ). After meeting at a festival and keeping in touch, trading song ideas and mixes, Gittleman and Kay decided to collaborate on a new studio project, tracking their first song to benefit a friend who lost their home in the hawaii fires. The ease and excitement of the collaboration brought in Mcdermott to play drums, and Duckworth into the fold on guitar, as well as producing and mixing the first batch of songs. Their debut self titled EP is 5 tunes dripping in the old and new. With three generations of musicians creating together, the Kilograms are pulling a sound that pays respect to where they all laid their roots, while establishing a tone that is truly their own.

A politically-driven, dirty ska band out of Flint, MI. Some people around Flint decided to start a ska band as part of their midlife crisis. Songs were written to be danceable and get your ass shaking, while simultaneously singing about dark themes including police brutality, Rick Snyder poisoning children, overdose, death, and mental illness. What happened to my hairline? Get off my lawn!

DJ Chuck Wren has hosted the ska radio show “Everything Off-Beat” across the Chicago dial since 1989, currently airing Wednesdays at 9 PM on WNUR-FM 89.3. Since 1993, his label JUMP UP RECORDS (www.jumpuprecords.com ) has released 200+ albums including local faves The Operators, The Crombies, Deal’s Gone Bad, The Drastics, and Green Room Rockers plus legacy US acts The Toasters, The Pietasters, Chris Murray, Mephiskapheles, New York Ska Jazz Ensemble, and top international bands Lollypop Lorry, Dr Ring Ding, The Magnetics, Out of Control Army and Los Fastidios.  "Ska night with DJ Chuck Wren" (last Thursday of the month) has been a institution at Delilah's for 31 years. It is Chicago's longest running ska/reggae night and has been all-vinyl since day one.