The Toasters

In the artist's words:

Almost 40 years of band history, 6,000 live performances and 100% kickass - the ska band THE TOASTERS is an institution and is ranked among the top 20 bands by New York's legendary CBGB Club. They were founded in New York's Lower East Side in 1981 by Robert "Bucket" Hingley, who is still the band's leader today. Since then, THE TOASTERS have released nine studio albums and numerous EPs and singles, many of them on their own label "Moon Ska Records". They are regarded as the founders of the ska explosion of the 90s in the USA and have developed their own style in the process. They influenced many other bands in the following years.

"In my opinion, The Toasters are to ska in America in the 1980s and beyond what The Specials were to ska in the U.K. in the late '70s and early '80s, and what the Skatalites were to ska in Jamaica in the 1960s. The Toasters were innovators, creators, shapers of the music, evolving it in a fresh direction, blending it with the cultural influences in a very American manner, and I mean that in a completely complimentary way. Just as Byron Lee & the Dragonaires brought professionalism and polish to ska, allowing others to benefit from the fruits of their labor, so too did the Toasters' music allow numerous other bands to share in the spotlight of skill and success, many of whom have gone on to great heights. Upon the shoulders of giants. Oh, yeah, and they kick ass!" - Heather Augustyn, Author of SKA , An Oral History

After almost four decades, THE TOASTERS are now stepping on the gas, not the brakes. The band continues to tour the world with undiminished vigor, delighting their fans in the USA, Canada, Poland, France, England and, of course, Germany. Gigs in South America, Russia and Asia are also on the tour schedule for the anniversary.