Preview
THE TOASTERS
Saturday, September 25
Night Gallery
What's left for a New York City ska boy to do after releasing countless albums with a legendary band and establishing the largest independent ska label in North America? Why open another label and keep releasing CDs of course. I'm surprised you asked.
At least that's what The Toasters frontman and the brain behind Moon Ska Records Rob (Bucket) Hingley has done. Back when the closest thing to ska in North American culture was The Clash or The Police, Hingley scratched his head wondering why the two-tone music he grew to love was nowhere to be found in the Desmond Decker-less New York landscape. Soon the scratching stopped as he rounded up the employees of the comic book store that he owned at the time and The Toasters were born.
Spanning three decades and still going strong, The Toasters have survived longer than most indie bands' members have been alive. But how? Surely there has been some disagreement among band members, conflict of interest and so forth, during the changes from their raw stripped-down beginnings in ’82 to the polished reincarnation that is The Toasters of today? Well, going through almost 35 members since The Toasters began may have something to do with their longevity.
"It's impossible to keep the same lineup, especially in a place like New York City where people are short-termers anyway, given the amount of shows we play," says Hingley. "We're lucky to have a really deep bench of veteran players."
The frequency with which The Toasters play is truly staggering, but that's the way of the indie band. Touring until their horn reeds give out, and then touring some more, they have the road life down to an art.
"We work hard and don't complain," he says. "Everybody gets their own bed on the road."
Working hard could be an understatement, as Hingley has been promoting ska non-stop since the early ’80s. His Moon Ska Records, which was considered the biggest and best ska record label in North America, was credited with bringing the third wave of ska bands to the mainstream circa '96.
But that label is no more. Hingley says Moon Ska's time was up. After financial loss and lack of consumer support, opening another label has become necessary. Megalith Records, the newborn son of Moon Ska, has just been established and features several up-and-coming ska acts, including Vancouver's Los Furios. But just because you had one successful label doesn't mean the new one is going to blossom as fast.
"The new label is chugging along quite nicely," says Hingley. "Sales are a bit on the slow side, but I'm not worried about that, as most people still are not aware that the label exists. We have about 20 releases coming up of some great bands."
So for Hingley, there is nothing to worry about. He has been in the game for over 20 years and has seen the changes, both good and bad. Perhaps the biggest key to his success is not signing to a major label. After all, says Hingley, "that would have been death." |
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