Toasters New Yorker and WSJ Previews and 30th Anniversary Winter Tour Dates

Here's a nice preview in the New Yorker for The Toasters' upcoming 30th Anniversary Tour gig at The Knitting Factory this coming Sunday:

KNITTING FACTORY

361 Metropolitan Ave., Brooklyn (347-529-6696) — Jan. 16: The seminal Lower East Side ska act the Toasters. The British expat Rob (Bucket) Hingley has carried the torch of third-wave ska for thirty years now, both as the singer for this foundational band and as the originator of the now defunct Moon Records. His highly influential label ran for nearly twenty years before the bottom fell out, but Bucket continues to make ska his life’s work, and commands as much respect as his beloved genre has lost.

+ + + +

Stay tuned for info later this week regarding a pre-show party with Bucket in Manhattan!

+ + + +

Here are The Toasters' dates for their winter/30th Anniversary tour of the US:

January

Sat 15th Kingston, NY @ The Basement
Sun 16th Brooklyn, NY @ The Knitting Factory
Mon 17th Vienna, VA @ Jammin’ Java
Tue 18th Allentown, PA @ Crocodile Rock Café
Wed 19th Norfolk, VA @ Jewish Mother Backstage
Thurs 20th Charlotte, NC @ The Milestone Club
Fri 21st Nashville, TN @ The Muse
Sat 22nd Hot Springs, AR @ Low Key Arts
Sun 23rd Houston, TX @ Walter’s on Washington
Mon 24th Lubbock, TX @ Jake’s Backroom
Tue 25th El Paso, TX @ Lips Lounge
Wed 26th Albuquerque, NM @ The Launchpad
Thurs 27th Tempe, AZ @ The Clubhouse
Fri 28th Las Vegas, NV @ The Bunkhouse
Sat 29th Camarillo, CA @ Rock City
Sun 30th San Diego, CA @ SOMA
Mon 31st Fullerton, CA @ Slidebar

February

Tue 1st Sparks, NV @ The Alley
Wed 2nd San Jose, CA @ The Blank Club
Thurs 3rd San Francisco, CA @ Red Devil Lounge
Fri 4th Eureka, CA @ Red Fox Tavern
Sat 5th Portland, OR @ Plan B
Sun 6th Vancouver, BC @ The Venue
Mon 7th Seattle, WA @ Studio 7
Tue 8th Spokane, WA @ A Club
Wed 9th Boise, ID @ Shredder
Thurs 10th Salt Lake City, UT @ Burt’s Tiki Lounge
Fri 11th Casper, WY @ Downtown Grill & Venue
Sat 12th Colorado Springs, CO @ The Black Sheep
Sun 13th Denver, CO @ Marquis Theatre
Mon 14th Omaha, NE @ The Waiting Room
Tue 15th Iowa City, IA @ Gabe’s Oasis
Wed 16th Minneapolis, MN @ Triple Rock Social Club
Thurs 17th DeKalb, IL @ Otto’s
Fri 18th St. Louis, MO @ Firebird
Sat 19th Indianapolis, IN @ Melody Inn (Punk Rock Night)
Sun 20th Toledo, OH @ Frankie’s
Mon 21st Lansing, MI @ Mac’s Bar
Tue 22nd Akron, OH @ Musica
Wed 23rd Pittsburgh, PA @ Mr. Smalls Theatre
Thurs 24th Trenton, NJ @ Championship Bar & Grill
Fri 25th Ithaca, NY @ The Haunt
Sat 26th Providence, RI @ Club Hell
Sun 27th Cambridge, MA @ The Middle East

+ + + +

Update: Here's a preview for The Toasters' show from the Wall Street Journal:

The Toasters started playing ska in New York in 1981, not long after a wave of English bands picked up on the precursor of reggae and celebrated its innate sense of community and joy. In the former context, ska stood for unity and thus folded itself into the progressive politics of punk. In the latter context, ska got by on simply being a blast to listen to. Here, the Toasters will celebrate their 30th anniversary with a show likely to make good on both aspects. Bandleader Robert "Bucket" Hingley has been an American ambassador for the style for a long time, and the Toasters play it devotedly down the middle, with an ear for the music's political elements as well as its roots as nourishing Jamaican dance music. What that means is the occasional insouciant snarl mixed in with lots of horns, bass-lines and upshot drums.

+ + + +