Skatalites

The legendary ska and reggae band close out 2019 with an extensive tour of the western United States.

Fifty years is a lifetime. The Skatalites are an incredible band touring for part of six decades in every corner of the Earth. Their mixture of ska, reggae, jazz and rock is the definitive sound, the birth of reggae and ska music.

The band still features Doreen Shaffer, aka the Queen of Ska, along with a lineup of heavy hitting players from Jamaica and America. While most of the original members no longer are with us, several of the band members have been in the band for decades. Ken Stewart for instance has been in the band for over thirty years and is their anchor on the keyboards.

Photo by Fernando Hevia

The band just returned from a European tour that included stops in Spain, Finland, France and London. This US tour starts in Texas, extends into California, Arizona, Utah, Colorado and returns to Texas. Some of the dates in California are with Portland Oregon’s the Bandulus.

The band’s historic run has the attention of reggae royalty who come to pay their respects at Skatalites’ shows. Julian Marley and Andrew Tosh have both appeared live onstage with the Skatalites illustrating the never ending threads that connect ska, rocksteady, and reggae and drive the sound into the future as it becomes modernized in America with bands from Stick Figure to Slightly Stoopid and the Big Takeover, and countless others who are evolving the sound and spirit of reggae music.

From the video channel of Uprising Festival

The band does not rest on their laurels as they continue to write and record new music. Their touring schedule is relentless with visits to South America, Europe, the Caribbean and North America are a part of the annual schedule.

Fri 11.08.19 Flamingo Cantina Austin TX
Sat 11.09.19 Flamingo Cantina Austin TX
Sun 11.10.19 Reggae Bar San Antonio TX
Wed 11.20.19 Echoplex – Dub Club Los Angeles CA
Fri 11.22.19 The Rhythm Room Phoenix AZ
Sun 11.24.19 The Siren Morro Bay CA
Wed 11.27.19 Moe’s Santa Cruz CA
Fri 11.29.19 Ashkenaz Berkeley CA
Sat 11.30.19 SOHO Restaurant and Music Club Santa Barbara CA
Sun 12.01.19 Soda Bar San Diego CA
Tue 12.03.19 Commonwealth Room Salt Lake City UT
Wed 12.04.19 Knotty Pine Victor ID
Fri 12.06.19 Streets – Denver Denver CO
Sat 12.07.19 Caribou Room Nederland CO
Wed 12.11.19 Esquire Jazz Club Amarillo TX
Thu 12.12.19 Shipping and Receiving Bar Fort Worth TX
Fri 12.13.19 Discovery Green concert series Houston TX
Fri 01.03.20 Brooklyn Bowl Brooklyn NY

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