The Allstonians
Encyclopedia
The Allstonians are a third wave ska/reggae
band formed in Allston, Massachusetts in 1992. They have released three albums, on the Moon Ska Records label and the most recent on Fork In Hand Records. They have also appeared on many ska compilations. The band has been featured on MTV's The Real World
, and can be heard often on college radio in the United States
. They are influenced by bands such as The Skatalites
, Laurel Aitken
, Madness
, The Specials
, and The English Beat.
After splitting in 2004, the band reunited, and in 2007, the Allstonians announced that frontman "King K" had rejoined. The band, which has resumed performing concerts, now features original members Nigel T. Knucklehead, Darrell 'D-Train' Morrow, Ken 'King K' Knucklehead, Steve!, as well as longstanding members Tom 'Tell it like it is' Quartulli, Kurt "Luke" Wahlstrom, Eric "Merv" Bridson, Matt Maloney, "Father" David Roy, Evan Parker, Jim Zavadoski, and Tyler "T-Bone" Oulton. The Allstonians supported and served as backing band for Laurel Aitken
on his final tour of the US in 1999, playing five weeks' worth of shows.
The Allstonians offer some sample songs for download on their official website: "Mikey Dee" and "Sean Connery" from their 2003 release "Bottom's Up," and two unreleased songs, "Ordinary Day," and their cover of "Secret Love", inspired by Lord Tanamo's version which was inspired by Doris Day
's version.
Reggae
Reggae is a music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s. While sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to most types of Jamaican music, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that originated following on the development of ska and rocksteady.Reggae is based...
band formed in Allston, Massachusetts in 1992. They have released three albums, on the Moon Ska Records label and the most recent on Fork In Hand Records. They have also appeared on many ska compilations. The band has been featured on MTV's The Real World
The Real World
The Real World is a reality television program on MTV originally produced by Mary-Ellis Bunim and Jonathan Murray. First broadcast in 1992, the show, which was inspired by the 1973 PBS documentary series An American Family, is the longest-running program in MTV history and one of the...
, and can be heard often on college radio in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. They are influenced by bands such as The Skatalites
The Skatalites
The Skatalites are a ska band from Jamaica. They played initially between 1963 and 1965, and recorded many of their best known songs in the period, including "Guns of Navarone". They also played on records by Prince Buster and backed many other Jamaican artists who recorded during that period...
, Laurel Aitken
Laurel Aitken
Lorenzo Aitken , better known as Laurel Aitken, was a singer and one of the originators of Jamaican ska music. He is often referred to as the "Godfather of ska".-Career:...
, Madness
Madness (band)
In 1979, the band recorded the Lee Thompson composition "The Prince". The song, like the band's name, paid homage to their idol, Prince Buster. The song was released through 2 Tone Records, the label of The Specials founder Jerry Dammers. The song was a surprise hit, peaking in the UK music charts...
, The Specials
The Specials
The Specials are an English 2 Tone ska revival band formed in 1977 in Coventry, England. Their music combines a "danceable ska and rocksteady beat with punk's energy and attitude", and had a "more focused and informed political and social stance" than other ska groups...
, and The English Beat.
After splitting in 2004, the band reunited, and in 2007, the Allstonians announced that frontman "King K" had rejoined. The band, which has resumed performing concerts, now features original members Nigel T. Knucklehead, Darrell 'D-Train' Morrow, Ken 'King K' Knucklehead, Steve!, as well as longstanding members Tom 'Tell it like it is' Quartulli, Kurt "Luke" Wahlstrom, Eric "Merv" Bridson, Matt Maloney, "Father" David Roy, Evan Parker, Jim Zavadoski, and Tyler "T-Bone" Oulton. The Allstonians supported and served as backing band for Laurel Aitken
Laurel Aitken
Lorenzo Aitken , better known as Laurel Aitken, was a singer and one of the originators of Jamaican ska music. He is often referred to as the "Godfather of ska".-Career:...
on his final tour of the US in 1999, playing five weeks' worth of shows.
The Allstonians offer some sample songs for download on their official website: "Mikey Dee" and "Sean Connery" from their 2003 release "Bottom's Up," and two unreleased songs, "Ordinary Day," and their cover of "Secret Love", inspired by Lord Tanamo's version which was inspired by Doris Day
Doris Day
Doris Day is an American actress, singer and, since her retirement from show business, an animal rights activist. With an entertainment career that spanned through almost 50 years, Day started her career as a big band singer in 1939, but only began to be noticed after her first hit recording,...
's version.
External links
- The Allstonians Home Page
- The Allstonians collection at the Internet ArchiveInternet ArchiveThe Internet Archive is a non-profit digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It offers permanent storage and access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, music, moving images, and nearly 3 million public domain books. The Internet Archive...
's live music archive - Interview with Nigel Knucklehead, 2001