PREVIEW: Cranking & Skanking Fest @ Worcester Palladium 08/25

Cranking and Skanking Fest is a one day festival at the Worcester Palladium featuring some of the biggest names in ska, all curated by Boston’s own the Mighty Mighty BossToneS.  The lineup includes bands from all over the map, such as Jamaica’s Toots and the Maytals, Allston natives Big D and the Kids Table, and French Canadians the Planet Smashers. WTBU DJ Danya Trommer had a chance to talk to lead singer of the Mighty Mighty BosstoneS, Dicky Barrett, to discuss the festival and the band’s new album.  

Danya Trommer:  I know you guys do Hometown ThrowDown every year.  Why did you decide to host another festival this year?

Dicky Barrett: It’s difficult to call The HomeTown ThrowDown a festival. It’s more of a holiday celebration and it’s our way of showing our love to the city of Boston and the people that support the Mighty Mighty BossToneS at the end of every year–a seasonal gift, if you will.

We didn’t even call the event that is taking place on Saturday, August 25 at the Palladium in Worcester a festival–it’s called The Cranking & Skanking Fest, for reasons that I can’t seem to come up with at this time.

DT:  How does this festival differ from Hometown ThrowDown and other ska festivals?

DB:  As I see it, the differences between The HomeTown ThrowDown and The Cranking & Skanking Fest are these: The ThrowDown usually takes place in the final week of December in Boston, which is historically a very cold time and place. This year’s Cranking & Skanking Fest is during the dog days of summer in Worcester, Massachusetts so I’m predicting sweat. Luckily, there will be beer.

DT:  “Wonderful Day For The Race” is based off of a saying your father used to say.  Have you drawn any other inspiration from your childhood for other songs on the album?

DB:  “Hugo’s Wife” is about Joe Gittleman’s grandparents and Joe’s mother’s childhood. “The West Ends” is about a neighborhood in Boston that disappeared just before my childhood. Ninety-five percent of the songs on most of the Mighty Mighty BossToneS’ albums are about our thoughts, feelings, experiences, opinions and points of view; the other 5% is about beer.

DT:  There are reviewers out there who are ignorant of the history of politics in ska and believe politics do not have a place in the genre. What bands would you recommend someone unfamiliar with the political aspect of ska listen to?

DB:  So what you’re saying is… someone (or more than one person) that writes about and reviews music is unaware that ska music has a political history and doesn’t know that some ska bands have actually used their musical forums to address social issues and problems that exist within their communities and often times the world? Those same music journalists actually think politics don’t belong in this particular type of music, or is it all forms of music? I’m not buying the premise here. Everything is political in some way, shape or form and if such a music journalist does in fact exist, then that person is a colossal dipshit and part of the reason why the world is so dopey right now. I recommend they stop listening to all music.