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DS Interview: The Toasters and Mustard Plug frontmen Rob “Bucket” Hingley and Dave Kirchgessner reflect on their history in the ska scene

January 24, 2026 | 12:01 pm

Mustard Plug held their second Ska Smackdown show at the GardenAmp in Garden Grove, California. This year, ska pioneers The Toasters joined them once again for a winter West Coast tour. With the two having a significant past there’s no doubt that they put on an unforgettable show. Frontmen Dave (Mustard Plug) and Bucket (The Toasters) caught up with Spike at the smackdown, which featured an outstanding lineup of 10 bands. What started as a quick, lighthearted check-in turned into a heartfelt conversation about decades of sharing stages, DIY and political roots, and the family first mentality that has kept ska alive, even through an industry that was never built for it. In ska, “only winners, no losers.”

Dying Scene (Spike): What made you choose The Toasters for this years Ska Smackdown?

Dave: We’ve done a West Coast tour in like January/February going back for the last decade or something like that, and this is actually the second time we’ve done it (Ska Smackdown). We always try to get another bigger, co-headliner type band to do it with us, and we actually played with The Toasters right before COVID in 2020. That was an epic tour, so we were due to do it again. We always have a blast with them, they’re one of our favorite bands. One of the very first ska bands I ever saw, so they have always been inspirational.

Bucket: I first met Dave at the Club Soda in Kalamazoo, Michigan, in 1989 with The Busters. He showed up with his long hair and everything. Were you doing the radio show then?

Dave: Yeah, I was the music director of my college radio station and I was super into ska. So I met you there, and back then we used to have CMJ music marathons in New York City, right, and I don’t know if you remember this, but I thought Moon Records was like this huge thing…

Bucket: I had a little shop about the size of that toilet.

Dave: Yeah seriously, it was amazing. So I called you and I was like, hey can we get some records, and talked about how I was going to be in New York in a week, and you were like yeah! just come to this address. So I went to the address, like this 19 year old kid walking around Manhattan, or Lower East Side or whatever. I found it and I was like… this just looks like someones apartment! You had me come to your apartment, I remember that because your wife was there and you guys just had like a bookcase of records. It was the most amazing thing ever.

Do you remember the first show you played together?

Dave: I remember we played a couple shows at Rick’s Cafe. There was one in Lansing and one in Kalamazoo and I think we played both of those. It was probably ’92 or something like that. Back when he had Moon Records going, he was one of the first people to latch onto the song “Mr. Smiley”. He was like “Oh yeah this is great, we got to put this on the comp”, the Skarmageddon comp.

Bucket: That was a great comp. It’s amazing how many people I’ve talked to that have said those comps were what really provided them a portal to get into ska music in the first place. They were compilations of 2 or 3 discs with like 60 bands on there, pretty epic.

Dave: Yeah it was great. You could buy this one compilation, and at least know one song from every ska band in the United States pretty much. And the fact that you took the care to pick some of the best songs from each band, because a lot of people that do comps just want people to send whatever they have, and it can be really uneven, but that one was really good because he actually took the time to pick some of the very best songs.

Bucket: Yeah, we could very easily pick what we wanted. There wasn’t really anybody doing comps at that time, it got to a point where they felt like “too much”. I think we did three episodes and then we finally went up to three discs on Skarmaggedon 4, that was great.

Is there a specific city or state that you like to play in?

Bucket: Well I like coming out here because the weather’s nice. SoCal’s always had a really good ska scene, even back in the day. We played our first show in California in 1987 at Mabuhay Gardens, which was a Filipino restaurant in San Francisco. Then at night it wasn’t a restaurant anymore, they had a club there, like a soul club, and that was almost forty years ago now. California’s great but the ska incentive really moves around. Florida was really good for a second, Chicago has always had a big scene, it tends to move around. But now anywhere you go there’s a ska band, and it didn’t always used to be like that.

Do you see a difference in West vs. East Coast crowds?

Bucket: We get up earlier and we work harder on the East Coast. I think the bands on the West Coast have been a lot more traditional. Bands like Hepcat, See Spot, Ocean 11, all bands like that, and I think the bands on the East Coast have had a bit more of a hardcore edge. Certainly that was the case in New York because when we were coming up we were rehearsing in the same studio as Bad Brains, Cro-Mags, and Murphy’s Law for example. I think the gist is that is that people on the East Coast tend to be a bit more aggressive cause that’s how our lifestyle is.

What intertwines ska and politics so much?

Bucket: If you look back at where ska music came from in the early 60’s it was involved with the Jamaican’s gaining their independence from hundreds of years of British colonial rule, so that music was the backdrop for that. Then in England in the 70’s there was a whole 2 tone movement, which is really an anti racist movement featured around all the bands on the 2 tone label, which is black guys and white guys playing together. I think a certain part of that has kind of been lost in the states, but there are bands who have a political voice, which we definitely need a lot more of these days with all the nonsense going on.

Dave: It’s always kind of crazy when you have people online or whatever who are like “keep your politics out of your music”. I’m like, you have no idea what ska is, it’s history, or anything.

Bucket: Yeah keep your partying frat boy nonsense out of our social political scene, please. Ska has always been a social political thing, and in my mind there should be more of that and not less. People really listen to music as one thing you can agree on, whether you agree with people politically or not, so hopefully we can sway some of the lug nuts to come over to our side of the fancy.

What do you think is different about ska today compared to the past waves of it?

Bucket: I think I’d point toward the Bad Time Records phenomenon, which is a whole new way of approaching ska music. It’s a lot more punk, to my mind a little less ska. Equally so with what happened with ska punk in the late nineties, that was a bit of a curveball. Nobody really saw that coming. In fact, I turned down The Might Mighty Bosstones and Rancid from Moon Records. Oops!

How are you keeping up with the modern punk scene? Are there any bands that you’re into right now and want more people to know about?

Bucket: If I see or hear a band I like, I just try and take them on tour with us and hook them up with some gigs. That’s the best way to do it. You can’t send records to radio stations anymore and Spotify kind of sucks, so really the way to get people to listen to a band that you like is to put them on stage with you. Do it that way.

Dave: I can’t really speak for the punk scene because I’m not as hip to it as I used to be. I still love punk music, I just don’t know too many of the new bands. Unless they’re hyperlocal, like Rodeo Boys, kind of a breakout band out of Michigan. But in the ska scene and being able to tour and stuff, you see all these upcoming artists, and that’s kind of what I focus on as far as learning about new bands. Like Bucket said, we try to help them out, and it really is a family. That’s the cool thing about ska music, it’s always had a really great community about it. It’s one of the things that attracted me to ska in the early nineties because I had come from the ashes of midwest hardcore. In the eighties, I was going to all these hardcore punk shows because that’s what was there. Back in the day they were all friends, and would trade ideas, communicate, network and that sort of thing. Then that whole scene really fell apart in the late eighties, and then the ska scene was like this new fresh breath of air. I was really attracted to it because it did have the politics to it, it was danceable and fun, and a lot of other reasons. One thing that really stuck out to me was that it is like a network, a family, and that’s really stayed in a lot of ways as far as the ska underground, we all know each other.

Bucket: You’ll find that a lot of the bands that have been around for a long time are amenable to finding younger bands starting up and help them out, take them on tour, and give them advice. Be an uncle to them. The Toasters have always done that, and I think it’s one of the things that’s endemic in the scene. It makes it so it’s not every man for himself.

Dave: Bucket can take a lot of credit for that. He took us in when we were a little band and helped us out. He’s been like a role model in that way, and he’s responsible for a lot of third wave stuff and the philosophy behind it. He helped us out, and we help other bands out now that we’re a little bit bigger, and so it’s kind of injected into the scene.

Bucket: We really just made it into like a ‘do it yourself’ thing because it came pretty obvious to me early on that the music business and major labels weren’t interested at all in what we were doing and playing. I mean, they told me it was circus music when I went to CBS records in New York. So I realized that if we were to do this, we’d have to do it ourselves. So we just created a model of going on the road and doing your own merch, and marketing yourself. That’s been built up over the years and now everybody’s doing it, so it works.

Do you have any advice for ska bands trying to come up and make it in today’s industry?

Bucket: Play as many gigs as you possibly can. That’s the only thing that makes sense. Play as many gigs as you possibly can because your music now isn’t worth anything being diluted by Spotify and P2P sharing and stuff, so you can’t make money there. You have to put everything into your live performances and shows, and network with people like Dave and I, and other people like that. Make it work by using those kinds of resources. It was true in the eighties and it’s still true now.

How did you rack up this lineup today?

Bucket: We’ve known Half Past Two for a bit. The Goodwin Club, we played with them in San Diego last year. In fact, I turned them onto Dave Romano.

Dave: Yeah we actually played here a year ago with Voodoo Glow Skulls, and they played at that.

Bucket: It tends to be people either Mustard Plug or The Toasters know. You got to be in la familia.

And who do you think is going to win the smackdown?

Dave: We both won. We’re both winning. The crowd wins.

Bucket: Only winners, no losers. I wouldn’t hurt a hair on Dave’s head.

These two perfectly encapsulate what ska has always been about: staying driven, helping each other out, and being a family. Treating the scene like a community instead of a competition is what has kept The Toasters and Mustard Plug so great over the decades. If you haven’t seen them live yet, you need to fix that. You can find tour dates and everything else you need at thetoasters.band and mustardplug.com, and watch the full video to hear the conversation!

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by Staff Writer spike

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DS Show Review: Ska Smackdown 2 with Mustard Plug, The Toasters, Half Past Two and more (GardenAmp Garden Grove, CA 1/10/26)

January 17, 2026 | 8:00 am

It happened again. GardenAmp in Garden Grove, CA hosted Ska Smackdown 2. Featuring some of the best names in ska, ten bands performed between the venue’s Main Stage and smaller-sized Locker Room, treating the crowd to a night of energy, angst, and dancing in the pit. Behind the main stage sits the Locker Room, a […]

Behind the main stage sits the Locker Room, a smaller stage that feels like a dive bar, complete with a disco ball and bad decorations. This year’s lineup was so solid that the small space was always filled, and I only got to see the first band, Calypso’s Curse.

This eight-piece from Long Beach, CA, is led by two singers, Kimberly Sharon and Shane Reider. The amazing thing about ska is how many different variations of it there are; Calypso’s Curse was great at playing a good portion of them. Mixing ska, reggae, and rocksteady with a little bit of surf rock and indie, there was something for everybody. Sublime’s legacy left an indelible mark on the city of Long Beach, and the newer bands have done a great job carrying that torch.

It’s been a minute since I’ve seen the Goodwin Club, but it’s always a good time. Always the band to dress up in matching costumes, this year the theme was old ladies. Although they didn’t have as many horns joining them as last year, I believe they still had the largest horn section. Last year, lead singer Tami Demaree had caught a bad case of laryngitis right before the show, but she more than made up for it this year. I’ve never seen a bad set from the Goodwin Club, and tonight was no exception.

Next up was The Iron Roses, who had the most profound set of the night. They walked out to the song “The Day the Nazi Died,” like it was a national anthem to the scene; as it should be. With the crowd all fired up, co-lead vocalists Nat Gray and Becky Fontaine brought an explosive set full of angsty glory to Orange County, an area that could use it. Between class wars and chasing Nazis out of the scene, The Iron Roses should be a louder voice in the fight against… well, everything. Partway through the set, Becky gathered people who identified as women, queer, or trans to give a collective scream in a safe space. The Iron Roses closed out their set with “Screaming for a Change,” a song that more than applies to the current climate of our country.

This was my second time seeing Half Past Two this year, and it continues to not be a bad thing. Purple-haired singer Tara Hahn and crew played “Talk Is Killing Me,” “Curse the Universe,” and “Dominoes.” During “Dominoes,” Hahn brought out her daughter to help with the verses, and she did a fantastic job. In the middle of the set, they debuted a new song called “Nightmares of You.” It was a little darker than the other stuff I’ve heard them play, but it works and would be an interesting direction for them if they pursue it. Half Past Two ended the set as they did back in May when I saw them at Chain Reaction (R.I.P.) with a hardcore song. I said it then, and I’ll say it now: Tara Hahn could make a fantastic hardcore singer.

The main event for a lot of fans was this year’s inclusion of New York City’s the Toasters. Like most classic ska bands, the Toasters have had many members pass through, but are always led by guitarist and lead singer Robert Hingley. With a packed show comes short sets. Hingley and the Toasters were given forty minutes. They opened with “2Tone Army,” and the hits didn’t stop coming. Fishbone lead singer and sax player Angelo Moore came out appropriately for “Weekend in LA.” While not all of the bands acknowledged the state of our country, Hingley took it straight on by closing with Don’t Let the Bastards Grind You Down. A song that sadly still needs to be relevant nearly 30 years later.

Despite a long night for everyone, Mustard Plug showed up with a lot of energy. There wasn’t much change from the band’s set last year. They played most of their staples in a nearly identical set. However, their version of Fugazi’s “Waiting Room” is a cover that gets more and more fun each time I see it played live.8 The stage turned into absolute chaos in the best way as Mustard Plug brought all of the bands out to sing “Beer (Song)” and close the night.

It would do a disservice to the other bands that played in the Locker Room if I didn’t talk about them. I was to hear a few songs from the bands from outside the door if it was open, but in general, the small room was packed, and rightfully so. From the few songs I could hear and/or knew, if I was a previous fan of the band, the acts performing in the Locker Room deserved it. I would have liked to check out Hooray For Our Side, Chencha Berrinches, Louser, and Chudson, but another time.

I hoped for a second iteration of the Ska Smackdown, and I feel the same about a third. The ska scene out here right now is really in a great place. This is a great opportunity to check in with these bands, but also the friends I’ve made in the last couple of years. It’s a shame there aren’t many other venues that would entertain a show of this caliber. Given that the Locker Room was full for most of the show, its popularity only seems to be growing.

by Staff Writer Forrest Gaddis

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California Calypso's curse chudson Garden Grove GardenAmp

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DS Gallery: Skanking through the Skalidays with Mustard Plug! (Chicago, Bottom Lounge, 12/28/25)

January 14, 2026 | 8:34 pm

Dying Scene is over here reminiscing about the holidays – or rather, the skalidays. Mustard Plug’s annual Midwest festive soirée Home for the Skalidays came through Chicago last month with support from fellow ska-punkers Devon Kay & The Solutions, J. Navarro and the Traitors, and Bumsy and the Moochers. Check out all the fun from The Bottom Lounge! Chicago’s own Bumsy and the Moochers kicked off the night! Detroit’s J. Navarro and the Traitors took […]

Dying Scene is over here reminiscing about the holidays – or rather, the skalidays.

Mustard Plug’s annual Midwest festive soirée Home for the Skalidays came through Chicago last month with support from fellow ska-punkers Devon Kay & The Solutions, J. Navarro and the Traitors, and Bumsy and the Moochers. Check out all the fun from The Bottom Lounge!

Chicago’s own Bumsy and the Moochers kicked off the night!

Detroit’s J. Navarro and the Traitors took the stage next, featuring Jason Navarro of The Suicide Machines.

Another Chicago-based ska band, Devon Kay & The Solutions, performed at the now jam-packed venue.

The energetic and upbeat Mustard Plug closed out the festivities for another holiday season in the books. They are currently finishing up a West Coast tour with The Toasters and The Iron Roses.

Relive more of the holiday cheer and check out all the photos below!

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by Staff Writer Mary_Sunde

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DS Show Review: Ska Smackdown 2025 with Voodoo Glow Skulls / Mustard Plug / Buck-O-Nine and More. (GardenAmp – Garden Grove, CA 1/18/2025)

February 6, 2025 | 7:21 pm

The GardenAmp hosted the Ska Smackdown on January 18. Featuring sets from ten bands in six hours, the show was a celebration of old faves, local faves, and new blood within the genre. There were enough trumpets, trombones, and saxophones to make this the horny-est (rim shot) show I’ve ever been to. The show started […]

The show started in the Locker Room, an intimate smaller stage within the GardenAmp that holds about one hundred people. The low-lit room has a graffiti mural that reads “CAN’T BE STOPPED” on one wall and a bar and green room on the opposite side. The walls are lined with framed concert posters of some big names in all genres of music that have played at the GardenAmp. The stage has a few strobe lights above it and a collage of what looks like concert flyers on the wall behind it.

Trucha opened the show in the Locker Room with an instrumental that got the crowd moving, and then went into their cover of the Misfits’ “Hybrid Moments.” This is probably one of my favorite arrangements of a Misfits song. The setlist was very similar to when they opened for Bite Me Bambi back in August. They’ve narrowed their sound a bit more which is more dancey, but also played some punkier songs towards the end of their set. They’ve been practicing and sound tighter, but they didn’t need much as they sound great. Hopefully they can get some songs released soon; Trucha are definitely a band to keep an eye on.

The Goodwin Club had the biggest amount of people on the stage for the night, which is saying a lot for a ska show. They had an extended horn section that included three trumpets, three trombones, and one saxophone. Everyone in the band was clad in Karate Kid / Cobra Kai costumes, ranging from Daniel LaRusso’s shower costume to skeleton jumpsuits to the famous black and yellow dojogis worn by the members of Cobra Kai. The Goodwin Club was a good choice to open a big fun night of ska bands. Singer Tami Demaree had lost her voice and did her best to get through a set including their songs “Little Girl” and “Join the Club,” but also covers of Operation Ivy’s “Sound System” and Taylor Swift’s “Shake It Off.” This was my second time seeing them and their confetti shooters during their set, and it was just as fun as the first.

As the GardenAmp filled up with more people, it became increasingly harder to get to the Locker Room to see the bands on the smaller stage. They were scheduled between sets of the bands on the bigger stage, but set times were stacked pretty tight. Most of the time they were starting as the band on the big stage was finishing. It was apparent I would miss some of those bands’ sets. The Ruffalos were the first of those bands. When I walked in, they were doing a cover of Snoop Dogg’s “Nothing But A ‘G’ Thang.” Some of their other songs had a bit of a spooky feel to them. Two singers traded back and forth. They reminded me a bit of very early Rx Bandits with some Sublime thrown in. They closed with a song about Samuel Jackson which, of course, had the word “motherfucker” in it.

Half Past Two was next on the main stage. Purple-haired singer Tara Hahn danced through a fun ska punk set. Laying claim to her Orange County ska bona fides by playing their song “Heather,” which describes her friend who would take her to the legendary Chain Reaction in Anaheim. I hadn’t paid too much attention to Half Past Two previously when I saw them open for the Aquabats a year or so back, but I wish I had. The band announced they would be playing a show at the venue in May of this year. It may be a good excuse to go to the Chain Reaction.

Buck-O-Nine got the pit moving pretty quickly with fans alternating dancing and slamming through their ska punk set. Their set included the songs “Calling in Sick,” “Fever,” and their radio hit, “My Town.” When I saw them last summer, it was a family event, and they weren’t able to play “Irish Drinking Song” or their cover of Musical Youth’s “Pass the Dutchie,” but while there were families at this show, it wasn’t a family show. It was during this set where I saw people walking into the pit with a coffee cup. It’s a “bold” move, but the world is full of “bold” people.

Mustard Plug came out and played an energetic set. They brought a beach ball out that the crowd spiked around the venue and at the band, who continued to hit back out into the crowd. Playing a mix of songs of old favorites like “Not Enough” and “Vampire” and new song “Fall Apart,” the crowd went crazy for them. Their set contained a cover of Fugazi‘s “Waiting Room.” I didn’t know horns could make that song better, but it does. It was no surprise that veterans of the scene can play so well and keep the crowd’s attention after a long night of bands. They closed their set with “Brain on Ska” (their 2057th time playing it) and the “Beer” song.

Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to catch too much of Hooray Our Side’s set. I did catch them doing a cover of “Margaritaville,” which sounded pretty good as far as Jimmy Buffett covers go. It was the same for Codename: Rocky. By the time they went on, it was so close to the end of the night it was the choice of watching all of their set or getting a good spot for Mustard Plug and the Voodoo Glow Skulls. This also caused me to completely miss all of Matamoska‘s set.

Finally, it was time for the main event, the Voodoo Glow Skulls. It’s been at least ten years since I had seen them as a band and close to twenty since I’ve seen them with Frank singing. Nothing against Efrem as he held his own during his stint as singer of the band well, but it’s great to have all three Casillas brothers on stage. The beginning of the set was very heavy on their album, Band Geek Mafia, with tracks “Human Pinata,” “Misunderstood,” “Delinquent Song,” and “They Always Come Back.” The next section of the set was very focused mostly on songs from Firme, but also managed to slip in the song “Insubordination” from their first record Who Is, This Is? After playing a couple of songs in Spanish, “El Mas Chingon” and “El Coo Cooi,” the band closed with “Voodoo Anthem.” They sounded fantastic. Fast and intense, but still keeping with those horns reserved for the soundtrack of nightmares—I mean that in the best way.

It was definitely a positive vibe. The venue was pretty lax on security. There either wasn’t any or they didn’t care people were jumping on the stage for the most part. It was almost like they let the crowd self-police, and everything was fine. Which is weird because I legit saw like three fights at the Fishbone concert last month. There seemed to be more people dancing compared to the potent untethered energy of the Fishbone crowd. That crowd took themselves a little too seriously.

Everyone here was out to have fun. There was lots of crowd surfing with a few close calls, but everyone was caught before they hit the ground. It was strange to see kids climb and point where they were jumping to make sure they would be caught then waiting until everyone below agreed. The scene has changed a lot since I was their age. Punks, metalheads, ska kids, luchadors, people dressed as produce (one banana and one pickle) came out and united to have a fun night of music. Here’s hoping there are many more Ska Smackdowns.

*Editor’s note: In a previous version of this story, Half Past Two’s Tara Hahn was identified as having pink hair. She does, in fact, have purple hair. We apologize for the miscommunication.*

by Staff Writer Forrest Gaddis

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DS Show Review & Galleries: Home For The Skalidays with Mustard Plug, The Crombies, The Operators, and Something To Do. Chicago (12.28.2024)

January 13, 2025 | 12:24 pm

Mustard Plug headlined one of the final punk rock holiday shows in Chicago. Bottom Lounge was the site for this midwest ska celebration with Grand Rapids, Chicago, Indianapolis, and Milwaukee represented respectively in Mustard Plug, The Crombies, The Operators, and Something To Do. The blasting of the horns represented how much of a blast the […]

Top-billed Mustard Plug, from Grand Rapids, Michigan, delivered another spirited performance befitting the spirit of the season. This included a bespectacled dancing bottle of mustard and a Santa outfitted in traditional St. Nick garb but matching in color, the iconic condiment most closely associated with hot dogs. As a nice holiday touch, one member of Mustard Plug sported a mini-Christmas Tree hat.

Mustard Plug frontman Dave Kirchgessner took to the barricade encouraging the fans join in the singing much to the delight of the attendees.

This band and this event were the perfect tree-toppers for this holiday celebration of Ska.

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One of Dying Scene’s favorite two-toners, Chicago’s The Crombies, brought the jollity yet again. The band’s rollicking performance delighted its fans per usual.

This was a sort of catharsis after the band was struck with the tragic death of its beloved drummer Matt Meuzelaar earlier in 2024.

Cristian Riquelme of The Operators filled in on drums for The Crombies performing double duty on this night though facing a tough situation himself. Days before Christmas, a fire destroyed Riquelme’s home and most of his belongings. He also lost his beloved dog Brutus in the fire. Friends quickly set up a GoFundMe to help him out. And Riquelme generously helped out The Crombies.

But these sad events could not keep The Crombies and friends from this celebration. Indeed, the band members seemed inspired to celebrate in honor of their loved ones. A reminder to always dance, sing, and smile when the opportunity presents itself.

The Operators, out of Indy, returned to Chicago, just a seeming blink of the eyes after last appearing here for Slackfest. As with that earlier show, the band brought tidings of comfort, joy, and kinetic good times. Just the Operators’ standard operating procedure. Many thanks for that!

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Something To Do, from just down the road in Milwaukee, also made a return trip to the Windy City. The crew last played Chicago at Reggie’s, supporting Mad Caddies in September 2023. The something to do by the band was to bring the mirth and the merry in generous portions. Something To Do wildly succeeded in this with a killer performance.

Home For The Skalidays was a wonderful way to close out a 2024 composed of good and bad and happy and sad. Despite a tough year, the show brought some sweet relief to the fans in attendance. It was a much needed celebration met with lots of gratitude.

Cheers and here’s to a better 2025!

by Staff Writer MerGold

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Bottom Lounge chicago mustard plug Ska Something To Do

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Dying Scene Album Review: Mustard Plug – “Hey!”

December 11, 2024 | 1:24 pm

Ska legends Mustard Plug are back with an eight-track EP entitled HEY!. This latest record highlights the band’s creativity and gives the listener a little bit of everything that Mustard Plug has to offer. It features four new tracks from last year’s Where Did All My Friends Go? album sessions; produced by Descendents‘ Bill Stevenson […]

Ska legends Mustard Plug are back with an eight-track EP entitled HEY!. This latest record highlights the band’s creativity and gives the listener a little bit of everything that Mustard Plug has to offer. It features four new tracks from last year’s Where Did All My Friends Go? album sessions; produced by Descendents‘ Bill Stevenson – as well as a few surprises.

Kicking off the EP is the title track, “Hey!”, a fast-paced song, best suited for a live show and an audience chanting along; it’s reminiscent of Evil Doers days and is a stellar start to the album. The second song, “Take Me With You,” takes it down a notch and adds a harmonic touch; although a slower tempo, it flows well with the rest of the album. Next up for new material is “West Coast,” a simplistic pop-ska-style track and the most energetic song on the album, showcasing the band’s favourite locations. Lastly, “Not Breaking Down” – it’s heavy-hitting, fast and made for the dance floor – you can’t go wrong with this track.

Now for the surprises… The teaser released for this EP was “Vampire,” from last year’s album Where Did All My Friends Go?; although it’s not the Mustard Plug version you’re familiar with. “Vampire (House on Fire)” has been remixed and reworked by Math(s) into a gothic-style EDM track and it is going over well with fans. The song “Now or Never” from the same album is now your classic dub track, thanks to the legendary, Victor Rice; dubbed perfectly with a syncopated rhythm and echoing vocals. There are a couple covers on this EP as well; “Springtime,” from the children’s show, Imagination Movers and “Waiting Room” by Fugazi; the latter has been a staple at live shows throughout the years.

This album is Mustard Plug’s most eclectic thus far, pushing the boundaries of their creativity while maintaining the style that fans adore. Hey! is available on December 13, 2024, on Dashiki Clout Records. And for all you vinyl collectors, don’t miss out on this limited edition vinyl either. Get Hey! here on exclusive maroon vinyl—limited to 300 copies.

by Staff Writer Sarah Mac

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album review dashiki clout records Grand Rapids melodic punk michigan

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DS Record Radar: This Week in Punk Vinyl (Against All Authority “24 Hour Roadside Resistance” reissue, Eat Defeat, Mustard Plug & More!)

April 7, 2024 | 1:52 pm

Greetings, and welcome to the Dying Scene Record Radar. If it’s your first time here, thank you for joining us! This is the weekly* column where we cover all things punk rock vinyl; new releases, reissues… you name it, we’ve probably got it. Kick off your shoes, pull up a chair, crack open a cold one, and break out those wallets, because it’s go time. Let’s get into it!

Check out the video edition of this week’s Record Radar, presented by our friends at Punk Rock Radar:

Last year, we loyal Against All Authority fans were graced with the long awaited All Fall Down Reissue. The year of our lord 2024 brings more gifts for the AAA faithful with the equally long awaited reissue of 24 Hour Roadside Resistance. Due out June 28th on Red w/ Black Splatter colored vinyl, pre-order this MF here and say a prayer for a Destroy What Destroys You reissue.

UK ska-punks Eat Defeat’s new record My Money’s One Me is due out May 10th on Uncle Style Records. Check out the lead single “Slip Through the Cracks” below and go pre-order the green vinyl variant here and/or the red vinyl variant here.

Fun fact: the Dying Scene Record Radar is contractually obligated to talk about a new NOFX record every week! This week’s NOFX record is Clay Pigeon, which is a collection of demos from the recording of Coaster (also known as Frisbee). This is the first in a new series of releases from Mr. Burkett’s Punk Rock Museum and apparently similar demo collections from RKL and Get Dead are coming soon. Very cool! There are three color variants available to pre-order here and a splatter variant that will only be available in person at the Punk Rock Museum gift shop.

These guys commented on last week’s Instagram post about the Record Radar saying we didn’t include their “new” record, so here ya go fuckers. Long Birds are a skate punk band from Elgin, Illinois (wherever the fuck that is). They released their latest record On Speed last October, so it’s not really new, but it’s probably new to you. It reminds me of early Millencolin – there’s even a ska-ish song! Get it out and consider purchasing the blue polyvinyl chloride disc, cassette, compact disc, or digital music files from their Bandcamp.

Did your band release a bad ass record that you want me to talk about and tell people to buy? Drop me a line and I’ll include it in the next Record Radar

Fat Wreck’s 25th Anniversary series rolls on with this reissue of Sick of It All‘s Call to Arms. What color is it? Nobody knows! Order it and find out I guess. All copies come with a free tub of creatine and 30 day Gold’s Gym membership.

A few weeks ago I told you about Rancid‘s B Sides and C Sides seemingly being reissued after listings popped up on Amazon and a few other stores. Right after that Pirate’s Press made the official announcement, revealing the Neon Magenta and Neon Green w/ Black Splatter (try saying that 5x fast) color variant, confirming it’s a 2xLP, and also confirming the cover art’s pink for some reason.

This is limited to 1,000 copies – Pirate’s Press has already sold out and most other retailers have as well. Merchbar still has it available for pre-order but buyer beware: I’ve had them switch stuff from “In Stock” to “Backordered” after ordering and then hold my money for a literal year before the order ended up being canceled. Absolute clown show.

Some more reissues from Hopeless in addition to that AAA record: Volume 1 of the Hopelessly Devoted to You comps is back in print on red vinyl (500 copies). With songs by Guttermouth, Falling Sickness, 88 Fingers Louie, the Bollweevils & more how can you go wrong? This one’s due out on May 22nd. You can pre-order it here.

And last up from Hopeless is this 25th Anniversary reissue of Mustard Plug‘s Pray for Mojo. There are three variants: the very tastefully named Hopeless Records webstore exclusive Blue w/ Monkey Poo Splatter (1,000 copies), the Smartpunk exclusive Blue w/ Yellow Splatter (200 hand numbered copies), and the blue retail variant (1,000 copies) which you can probably get at most record stores. All three variants come with updated cover art and the following bonus track:

Iron Chic’s debut album Not Like This is back in print for the first time in a while. This is the 10th pressing and it’s limited to 435 copies on black wax (purchase here), 226 copies on Clear Blood Smoke (purchase here), and 122 copies on Hyacinth (google tells me this is “a small genus of bulbous herbs, spring-blooming perennials” which is a pretty purple-ish color) colored vinyl (SOLD OUT!).

What do you get when you take Grath Madden (House Boat, the Steinways, Robot Bachelor, etc. etc. etc.), Michelle Shirelle (also from the Steinways), Mike Erg (from every band on the planet), Fraser Murderburger (The Murderburgers, Wrong Life, FUCK! (It’s Pronounced SHIT!), etc. etc. etc.), and Kieron Jordan (Don Blake) and put them in a rural barn-turned-recording studio in Belgium? A extremely long sentence, apparently – but also an unsurprisingly bad ass pop-punk record!

That’s what Scrapped Plans’ new record Buddy Buddy Belgium is, a simply splendid 16 minute long 10 song album out now on Bloated Kat Records. If you like any of the affiliated acts, you’ll 100% like this record. I highly recommend checking it out below and pre-ordering it on random colored vinyl here. Also, cassette enjoyers, I should have some exciting news to share relating to this very soon! Stay tuned.

Also out now from our friends at Bloated Kat Records: the new Split LP from Brooklyn’s Heavy Lag and Milwaukee’s Bad Crime. Recommended if you like fuzzy lo-fi-ish shit. Check it out and add it to your cart while you’re picking up that Scrapped Plans record!

Here’s a band that’s been around 20+ years that I’ve somehow never heard of. I found out about Budapest, Hungary’s The Idoru when their new record Undertow went up for pre-order on the Blackstar Foundation’s Bandcamp, which I’m apparently still on the mailing list for after buying some Atlas Losing Grip records like 10 years ago. Anyway, the first few singles from this record are bad ass, and kinda remind me of the last two ALG albums which I loved. Undertow is due out April 26th and is available to pre-order on a bunch of awesome color variants right here.

Back by popular demand, Illinois Ramonescore newcomers Ghost Party‘s critically acclaimed 2023 debut album Afterlife of the Party has been repressed by our friends at Mom’s Basement Records. They did a bunch of very limited screen printed versions of the jacket with mixed color variants, but all of those sold out already. The good news is you can still get it on mixed blue colored vinyl with the normal jacket (limited to 100 copies). Head on over to the Mom’s Basement store before those are gone, too! If you’re in the UK you can get the first pressing from our friends at the Punk Rock Vinyl distro.

Asian Man Records‘ latest release is from Raleigh, North Carolina’s Teens in Trouble. Their debut LP What’s Mine is out now and you can get it on random colored vinyl (limited to 600 copies) right here. My favorite song on the record’s “Autopilot” – check that shit out:

Cock Sparrer just released their new album Hand on Heart (I already told you about that) but they also just released a 7″ single for the album’s closing track “Here We Stand (I’m telling you about that now!). The 7” features a B-Side called “We’re Alright Now” and is available on these three color variants:

Blood Red w/ Black Splatter – Pirate’s Press Records (1,000 copies)

Gold Vinyl – Randale Records (500 copies)

Beer w/ Blood Red Splatter – Captain Oi! Records (500 copies, btw their store is dogshit and I can’t find this thing on there lmao)

Sounds Rad Records fully committed to April Fool’s this year, pressing two new variants of The Mr. T Experience‘s Revenge Is Sweet and So Are You with Dr. Frank and co. being bumped from the front cover in favor of a stunning portrait of some feline friends. They pressed 100 copies of Revenge Is Sweet and So Are Miaou on Orange, White, and Black Cat Splatter (sold out! womp womp) and 4000 copies on Cat Scratch Fever Green colored vinyl. The latter is still in stock and can be purchased here.

London (UK, not Ontario) indie/punk solo artist James Sullivan is releasing his sophomore album Vital Signs on April 19th via Stardumb Records. If I had to describe it in a concise manner, I’d say it’s a mix of The Cure, Oasis, and Joe Strummer’s later output with The Mescaleros. If that sounds interesting to you, I recommend picking this record up! You can get it on Van Gogh Green and/or black wax here (US), here (UK), or here (EU).

The last two Atom and His Package LPs, 2001’s Redefining Music and 2003’s Attention! Blah Blah Blah, are both back in print for the first time since their original release. These are limited to 500 copies each – you can get them from Asbestos Records in the US and Le Noise in Canada.

And last but certainly not least on this week’s gargantuan Record Radar, we have a new pressing of beloved Chicago punk band The Arrivals‘ debut album Goodbye New World. It’s limited to 270 copies spread across four variants and you can get it here.

Well, that’s all, folks. Another Record Radar in the books. As always, thank you for tuning in. If there’s anything we missed (highly likely), or if you want to let everyone know about a new/upcoming vinyl release you’re excited about, leave us a comment below, or send us a message on Facebook or Instagram, and we’ll look into it. Enjoy your weekend, and don’t blow too much money on spinny discs (or do, I’m not your father). See ya next time!

Wanna catch up on all of our Record Radar posts? Click here and you’ll be taken to a page with all the past entries in the column. Magic!

by Staff Writer Screeching Bottlerocket

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against all authority cock sparrer ds record radar mustard plug NOFX

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DS Record Radar: This Week in Punk Vinyl (Pulley, 30footfall, Mustard Plug, Nancy Vandal & More!)

March 3, 2024 | 5:55 pm

Check out the video edition of this week’s Record Radar, presented by our friends at Punk Rock Radar:

Two Pulley EPs are back in print, thanks to SBÄM and Double Helix Records. Time-Insensitive Material and The Long and Short of It are being reissued, each limited to 300 copies on three different color variants. You may recall these were just repackaged as part of the Encore 2xLP a few years ago, but this is the first time in over a decade either of these has been reissued as a standalone release. If you’re in the US, you can grab your copies here; if you’re in Europe, you’ll want to go here. These should start shipping in late April.

Another Record Radar, another sold out Fat Wreck release. Perhaps I should start doing those one-off Record Radar posts if a big release is announced in the middle of the week? Anyway! It’s NOFX. It’s The Decline. It’s the 25th Anniversary reissue. It’s sold out. Womp womp.

30footfall! They’ve got a new EP coming out later this month on People of Punk Rock Records. It’s their first new record in like a bagillion years! The 12″ EP titled National Treasure …And Other LaForgeries features 6 songs that were in the works before 30footfall guitarist Chris Laforge unfortunately passed in 2017. Pre-order the record here.

People of Punk Rock Records have a few more awesome new releases you should add to your cart while you’re grabbing that 30footfall record. Exhibit A: Montreal skate punk band Down Memory Lane‘s new Breathing Space LP. If you’re a fan of all things fast, melodic & awesome, don’t sleep on this. Shit’s a banger. Buy the record and while yer at it buy their last one, too.

Exhibit B: Hurry Up and Wait, the new album from Toronto melodic punk band Wasting Time. This one’s due out on April 12th and (spoiler alert) your friends at Dying Scene are exclusively premiering the album’s lead single tomorrow! Yes, that’s right. 9am eastern standard time, be there or be square. Also, pre-order the record!

Last week (I guess it was two weeks ago technically), I told you about a bunch of Aquabats reissues. Well there’s more Aquabats on tap this week because they announced their new album Finally!. Pre-orders are available here. You can get the double LP for $39.99, or if you’re a fucking idiot you can pay $119.99 for an autographed copy. LMAO

The Adolescents have a new 2xLP live record due out May 17th on Concrete Jungle Records. As its title suggests, The Rob Ritter Tapes – Live At Starwood 1980/1981 is a collection of recently unearthed recordings from Adolescents shows at Hollywood’s Starwood Nightclub in the early 80’s. For 32 euros* (plus value-added tax and shipping), you get two – count ’em, two – 180g LPs on red and blue wax AND two CDs! It’s an unbeatable value, folks. Pre-order the record here.

Let’s talk some ska, shall we? Albany three piece Girth Conrol‘s new record Life’s Too Short For Girth Control is the first of five(!) ska records I’m boutta tell you about. These guys are awesome, this record’s awesome. It’s out now. You should listen to it. You should buy it.

Less Than Jake and Bowling For Soup just toured the UK together and released a 7″ where they cover one of each other’s songs. LTJ does “High School Never Ends”, BFS does “The Science of Selling Yourself Short”. SBAM Records has this up for pre-order, only on their EU store for some reason. People of Punk Rock Records has some copies on their store for the North American crowd. Limited to 125 copies on Pink Splatter & 125 copies on Clear Splatter colored wax.

22 years after its original release Mustard Plug‘s Yellow #5 is finally getting a reissue. There are two variants for this one; the Smartpunk Exclusive Purple w/ Yellow & White Splatter is limited to 200 hand numbered copies, and Hopeless Records doesn’t say how many copies they pressed of the White w/ Purple & Green Splatter variant. Links to all the places you can buy are here.

Orange County (California, not Florida) ska band Half Past Two has signed to Bad Time Records for the release of their new album Talk is Killing Me, which is due out on April 19th. Check out the lead single below and pre-order the record here.

And last up in the ska segment of this week’s Record Radar we have The Kilograms, a new band with an all star lineup including Joe Gittleman of the Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Sammy Kay, former Bouncing Souls Drummer Michael Mcdermott & J Duckworth from Newport Secret Six. The first pressing of their self-titled debut EP sold out almost instantly a few weeks ago, but the good news is Asbestos Records has already issued a second pressing of 300 copies on “Olive Drab” colored vinyl. Listen to the EP below and grab the 12″ here.

Bayside has a new album coming out on May 10th. It’s called There Are Worse Things Than Being Alive and so far three variants have been announced. The Smartpunk Exclusive clear(?) variant was limited to 300 copies and is already sold out, the splatter variant is sold out on Hopeless Records‘ US store but is still in stock on the EU store, and the translucent purple retail variant is in stock everywhere.

TSOL‘s new album A-Side Graffiti is out now on Kitten Robot Records. It features a mix of new original songs and covers. Check out my favorite song off the record below and get it on “colored vinyl” here (they don’t specify the color on the label’s store, but Rough Trade has it listed as “Red/White/Blue Blended”).

A few weeks ago we premiered the first of many tracks from our friends at Coffin Curse Records‘ upcoming NOFX tribute album I Heard They Broke Up!!. Since then, the 3xLP comp featuring 62(!) NOFX covers went up for pre-order and that shit is already soul doubt! If you missed out that sucks, but you can still get it on CD and hey, maybe there will be a 2nd pressing? Perchance.

Speaking of awesome shit we’ve done premieres for recently, let’s talk about Middle-Out! These guys are from Detroit and they kick fuckin’ ass. They’ve got a new record coming May 24th on Punkerton Records and it, too, is going to kick fuckin’ ass. Check out the latest single below and pre-order the LP on one of five variants (or just buy all five, why not?) by clicking this hyperlink.

The friendly people at Thousand Islands Records are flexing their might with a new label sampler comp! The Sauce Vol. 1 features 17 tracks from great bands like Belvedere, Chaser (they’ve got a new album on the way, too – that shit’s gonna be awesome), Straightline, Counterpunch & more. You can get it on green and/or purple colored wax here.

28 years after its original release on compact disc (otherwise known as CD by those not in the trade), Aussie punk veterans Nancy Vandal‘s 1996 album The Debriefing Room is getting its first-ever vinyl release thanks to Endless Detention Records. Limited to 200 copies on “Oh Yes, You’re Beautiful Splatter” (Purple w/ Green Splatter) and 50 copies on “Gladiator Green” (Translucent Green) colored vinyl. These are selling fast; get your copy here. Fun fact: Jay from Frenzal Rhomb was in the band and is on this record. It’s a great record!

Ceremony’s Rohnert Park LP gets its 10th pressing from Bridge Nine Records, with four new color variants. These are what they are, how many there are, and where you can get them:

– Red/White/Blue vinyl (300 copies, only available at Hollywood Palladium show on 2/29/24)
– Orange vinyl (300, Hard Times)
– Yellow vinyl (500, Revelation Records)
– Pink vinyl (1000, Bridge Nine store)

Cock Sparrer announced their new album Hand on Heart will be released on April 5th. Pirates Press Records (US) has some exclusive color variants up on their store, some of which have already sold out. Cherry Red Records (UK) has an exclusive variant of their own on red & black splatter, which also has alternate cover art – you can get that right here. Both labels have a picture disc as well, but why would you want that?

And last up this week, keeping it in the UK, we’ve got Snuff! Their new album Off on the Charabanc is due out March 22nd (or maybe it’s April 5th, I’m seeing both dates listed in different places) on SBAM Records. Two variants will be available to pre-order from the band’s webstore very soon – Red/Black and Grey/Black Marble. Three tracks are already streaming on YouTube as well, though I haven’t seen any mention of it on the band/label’s social media:

To wrap things up, I wanna give a quick shoutout to Planet Retro Records, a local record store I’d probably frequent if I wasn’t too fucking lazy to make the 30 minute intra-county pilgrimage from Clearwater to St. Petersburg, Florida. I stopped in this weekend and they’ve got all kinds of awesome shit – the “punk section” takes up half the store! I picked up one of my favorite Honest Don’s Records releases, Big In Japan’s Destroy the New Rock, for $9! Also Dead To Me’s Moscow Penny Ante, another record I’d been hunting for a while, for $18! I also scored a copy of Glue Gun’s The Scene is Not for Sale, an “import” (wink wink nudge nudge) copy of AFI’s Crash Love, and records from some St. Pete locals in No Loves and Awkward Age. If you find yourself in Pinellas County and you’re a punk record collector, be sure to hit up Planet Retro.

Wanna catch up on all of our Record Radar posts? Click here and you’ll be taken to a page with all the past entries in the column. Magic!

by Staff Writer Screeching Bottlerocket

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30footfall Bad Time Records ds record radar Fat Wreck Chords Less Than Jake

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DS Show Gallery: Mustard Plug’s 21st Annual Holiday Spectacular w/ Flatfoot 56, J. Navarro & The Traitors and Bumsy & the Moochers – Bottom Lounge, Chicago 12/28/23

January 24, 2024 | 8:05 pm

Mustard Plug stopped in Chicago last month for their 21st Annual Holiday Spectacular, featuring some of our favorite ska bands and Celtic punk rockers Flatfoot 56. Check out the full gallery for each band! Bumsy and the Moochers J. Navarro & the Traitors Flatfoot 56 Mustard Plug

Mustard Plug stopped in Chicago last month for their 21st Annual Holiday Spectacular, featuring some of our favorite ska bands and Celtic punk rockers Flatfoot 56.

Check out the full gallery for each band!

Bumsy and the Moochers

J. Navarro & the Traitors

Flatfoot 56

Mustard Plug

by Staff Writer Mary_Sunde

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Bottom Lounge Bumsy and the Moochers celtic punk chicago christmas

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DS Review: Mustard Plug – “Where Did All My Friends Go?”

September 8, 2023 | 9:30 am

I am very excited to be reviewing Mustard Plug’s latest release on Bad Time Records, Where Did All My Friends Go?. In my younger years, I spent a good amount of time with my terrible ska-punk band opening for them. The heroes of the Michigan ska-punk scene have been known to put on a very […]

I am very excited to be reviewing Mustard Plug’s latest release on Bad Time Records, Where Did All My Friends Go?. In my younger years, I spent a good amount of time with my terrible ska-punk band opening for them. The heroes of the Michigan ska-punk scene have been known to put on a very energetic live show that can be hard to capture in the studio. Let me tell you, that is not the case regarding Where Did All My Friends Go?. They have captured what has made Mustard Plug a force to be reckoned with in the ska scene. The raw energy can be felt throughout this entire album. It really does take me back to being crammed in the small basement of the Dolphin House in Kalamazoo, shouting along with horns being blasted directly into your face. It’s amazing.

Check out the video for the latest single “Vampire”

Stand-out songs on this record for me include “Another Season Spent in Exile” which has the dynamic mix of the catchy ska verses mixed with more punk “whoa-oh-oh” choruses that I see becoming a staple during lives shows. “Why Does It Have To Be So Hard?” is such a catchy ska/reggae song and the melodica in the intro gives off serious Big D vibes and fits in so well throughout the rest of the song. My second favorite song on this record is “Distraction.” From the moment the horns come in, I am hooked on the intensity, and it’s a great juxtaposition to “Why Does It Have To Be So Hard?” Arguably, the hit here (and my personal favorite off this album) is the title track “Where Did All My Friends Go?” and it is the best way to lead off the record. This song will become one of the classic Mustard Plug songs and is sure to become played at every show.

Since I often listen to music in my car while the wife and I are out, I thought I’d get her take on this album. So, for my album reviews, I will be including the wife’s comments in a section I’d like to call “Wife’s Comments.”

Wife’s Comments: “This album is really hopping!”

Be sure to check out Mustard Plug “Where Did All My Friends Go?” September 8th and, following a handful of album release shows in their home turf of Michigan, will be out on tour this fall, starting off with Big D and the Kids Tables and Matamoska!

by Staff Writer Tony Barnabe

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album review Bad Time Records michigan mustard plug Ska