NATURAL FLAVAS ALBUM RELEASE 2012 - On the Road to Victoria's 13th Annual Ska Festival!

@ Lucky Bar Victoria BC Ska Society is proud to announce that Natural Flavas is having their long-awaited album release at Lucky Bar, Victoria ON FRIDAY, JUNE 8TH WITH Giraffe Aftermath. Those that present (or purchase) Full Festival or Harbour Passes at the door will get in free of charge (Note there is limited capacity at Lucky Bar and this promotion has limited quantities so if you have the Full Fest or Harbour Pass show up earlier to present it for free admission)

NATURAL FLAVAS are busy again leading up to the Victoria Ska Festival. As you know they backed rocksteady legend Ken Boothe and Kae Sun at last year's Ska Fest. This year they will be playing on Ska Fest again individually on Wed/July/11th with Tequila Mockingbird Orchestra and Blackberry Wood + they'll be backing Leroy 'Heptone' Sibbles at the Grand Finale Concert on Saturday, July 14th alongside New Zealand's all Maori reggae outfit Katchafire and Vancouver's Giraffe Aftermath.

GIRAFFE AFTERMATH continue to be busy in Vancouver headlining shows with various regional bands. Additionally the band has been landed some amazing supporting gigs both in Victoria and Vancouver including opening up for Yellowman & Sagittarius Band, Katchafire, The Black Seeds and John Brown's Body. They also just finished their brand new album which was released earlier this year. You'll get to hear all the hits from their new album as well as some of the oldies from previous albums and eps.

VICTORIA'S 13TH ANNUAL SKA FESTIVAL KICK OFF with TOOTS & THE MAYTALS

@ Ship Point (Inner Harbour) Tuesday, July 10, 2012 VICTORIA'S 13TH ANNUAL SKA FESTIVAL in the finest fashion with a performance that festival fans and organizers have been yearning for many years.

We are proud to announce that the legendary TOOTS AND THE MAYTALS will kick off the festival with his own brand of ska/reggae/soul at Ship Point Inner Harbour.

It's been 12 long years since Toots and the Maytals have blessed this Island with their presence at one unforgettable performance at Market Square. Now several albums and hundreds of performances later we are pleased to have him make this historic return at Ship Point Inner Harbour.

Toots and the Maytals is known as the king of ska/reggae/soul by people all over the world. Timeless songs such as "54-46", "Sweet and Dandy" , "Time Tough", and "Country Roads"have become anthems in their own right. And to add to that collection of songs Toots has continued to make new albums and collaborate with many artists that cross other genres in country, hip hop folk and more.

True Love released in 2004 was one of his most celebrated albums in the past ten years. It features past Victoria Ska Festival artists such as The Skatalites, Easy Star All Stars, and Ken Boothe. But the range he covers in his collaborations on the album are staggering. Other legendary artists on the album include: Manu Chao, Eric Clapton, No Doubt, Bootsy Collins, Bonnie Raitt, Willie Nelson, The Roots and so much more. Toots and the Maytals' most recent album is called Flip and Twistreleased in 2010.

The roots of the genre are as strong as ever, and their dedication to the craft is testament to this. Our festival would not be where it is today without the amazing talent of this group and their performance will surely be once in a lifetime experience.

Joining Toots and the Maytals is Mexico's LOS RASTRILLOS. Using Mexico City as the band's home base, the members come from various parts of Latin America including Cuba and Argentina. The band has been lighting up both South and North America for 20 years and counting. Regionally the band has played extensively throughout British Columbia including appearances at Vancouver Jazz Festival and two prior appearances at Victoria Ska Festival.

Finally Bananafish Dance Orchestra will be our Island representation on this triple bill. Bananafish Dance Orchestra came together through similar interests in Latin/jazz a few years ago through at Malispina Jazz Program. Since the initial assembly of the band, Bananafish Dance Orchestra have become one of BC's most exciting up and coming Latin/jazz bands appearing on festivals such as Vancouver Island Music Fest, The Big Time Out and Victoria Ska Festival. This will be their second appearance in as many years.

This show is ALL AGES w/licensed beverage garden for those 19rs+

Food Concession and Merchandise Tents on site

Doors: 4:30pm sharp!



PURCHASE OF THIS SHOW IS AVAILABLE THROUGH PURCHASING A FULL FESTIVAL PASS AT LYLE'S PLACE, DITCH RECORDS OR THE REEF IN VICTORIA BC. FULL FESTIVAL PASSES ALSO AVAILABLE & VIA WWW.VICTORIASKAFEST.CA



See you there!

VICTORIA'S 13TH ANNUAL SKA FESTIVAL Official TOOTS & THE MAYTALS AFTER PARTY!

@ Club 9ONE9

VICTORIA'S 13TH ANNUAL SKA FESTIVAL: Afterparty!

@ Club 9ONE9 Ska Fest doesn't stop after the Ship Point show, and neither should you! Clamber up from the harbour and head your way toward Club 9ONE9 for a night, of punk, hip-hop, and of course a whole lot more ska!

VICTORIA'S 13TH ANNUAL SKA FESTIVAL Day 2: Free for All!

@ Ship Point (Inner Harbour)

VICTORIA'S 13TH ANNUAL SKA FESTIVAL Day 3: Free for All!

@ Ship Point (Inner Harbour)

VICTORIA'S 13TH ANNUAL SKA FESTIVAL: ADHAM SHAIKH & SOLA ROSA (New Zealand) - Global Electronica Roots & Soul

@ Club 9ONE9 Adham Shaikh is a Juno Award-nominated music producer, composer, and DJ who brings his uniquely powerful global sounds to the world stage and screen, not to mention many a crowded dance floor.

Music labels from around the globe have released his music, including Interchill, Dakini Records, Electronic Soundscapes, Liquid Sound Design, Native State, One World Music, Water Music, Nia, Sounds True, Stoned Asia, and the infamous Six Degrees. Recently, Shaikh co-produced and mixed the award-winning debut CD for global fusion group Delhi 2 Dublin, and has finished re-mixing tracks for internationally renowned world fusion artists Nickodemus, Deya Dova, Kaya Project, Tripswitch and David Starfire. Shaikh has most recently completed remixes for Stephen Kent, Omar Faruk Tekbilek , Issa Bagayogo , Ganga Giri , and the Footsteps in Africa Project (Turag remix)

Shaikh’s work as both a live performer and a DJ has taken him to international events including the Waveform Festival (UK), Samothraki Dance Festival (Greece), Dakini Nights (Tokyo), Luminate (New Zealand), The Maori Peace Festival at Parihaka (New Zealand), and Boom Festival (Portugal).

While SOLA ROSA's first three albums undoubtedly cast Spraggon as one of New Zealand’s finest purveyors of downbeat-electronica – something that was backed up by a raft of accolades including a NZ Music Award for 2001’s Solarized, and b-net awards for 2000’s Entrance To Skyway and 2003’s Haunted Out-takes – his fourth long player, 2005s Moves On, saw a change in tact. Not content to simply stay within the bounds of any one genre, Spraggon expanded the Sola Rosa sound, incorporating more live instrumentation and adding a healthy dollop of funk, soul and reggae to an already considerable list influences. The new direction not only reinvigorated the Rosa sound, but earned Spraggon another nomination for Best Dance/Electronic album at the 2006 NZ Music Awards.

Spraggon’s latest album, Get It Together, which has so successfully captured the breadth of his vision and piqued the most interest from record labels, artists and fans the world over. Like its predecessor, Moves On, Get It Together builds on a more performance based template than Sola Rosa’ early work, featuring a full band.

VICTORIA'S 13TH ANNUAL SKA FESTIVAL WORKSHOP: Horn Arrangements in Ska Ensembles

@ Long & McQuade Music Education Centre As always, the Victoria BC Ska Society is proud to present FREE and interactive musical workshops during Ska Fest at Long and McQuade Music Education Centre.

The workshops are a great opportunity for you musicians out there to meet some of the Festival's artists and hear them talk about their craft.

You just need to e-mail Colin McTaggart at Long & McQuade to sign up and confirm attendance in advance:
E-mail: cmctaggart@long-mcquade.com

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This workshop features the The Pietasters Horn Section: Alan Makranczy, Jeremy Roberts and Carlos Linares

Since the early 1960s with the birth of ska music in Jamaica horns have always been key instruments in what many people recognize as the definitive signature of the genre.

Traditionally ska bands have always had horns as a part of their arrangements even though the guitar took a greater role in many bands' sound in the second and third waves of ska. This is not the case when one looks at cousin genres rooted in ska, such as rocksteady and reggae, although these genres also use horns.

The Pietasters Horn Section will address the origins and influences of ska as a base going back to Cuban music, American jazz and mento. They will talk about contributing factors as to why horn sections were so predominant in the early wave of ska music and how the role of horns is still so important in identifying the ska genre today.

VICTORIA'S 13TH ANNUAL SKA FESTIVAL WORKSHOP: Music that Inspires Social Change

@ Long & McQuade Music Education Centre As always, the Victoria BC Ska Society is proud to present FREE and interactive musical workshops during Ska Fest at Long and McQuade Music Education Centre.

The workshops are a great opportunity for you musicians out there to meet some of the Festival's artists and hear them talk about their craft.

You just need to e-mail Colin McTaggart at Long & McQuade to sign up and confirm attendance in advance:

E-mail: cmctaggart@long-mcquade.com
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Adham Shaikh is a Juno Award-nominated music producer, composer, sound designer, and DJ who brings his uniquely powerful global sounds to the world stage and screen, not to mention many a crowded dance floor.

One of Adham's greatest talents is his ability to use sounds and visuals within his global electronic repertoire to evoke certain emotions from the audience and get important points across through his set.

The idea for this workshop was planted after Adham Shaikh performed a song at a show in Nanaimo that was used to address the crisis of water. His music, visuals and the costumes of his dancer during the set vividly conveyed the crisis. This song was just one of many that used visuals, music and dance to convey various themes.

In this workshop Adham will touch on some of these techniques when selecting to bring each idea to the forefront. He may also talk about what influences him to use music to inspire social change and why his shows leave such a lasting impression on the audience.

VICTORIA'S 13th ANNUAL SKA FESTIVAL WORKSHOP: Reggae Hit Bass Lines

@  Long and McQuade (Sheet Music room) As always, the Victoria BC Ska Society is proud to present FREE and interactive musical workshops during Ska Fest at Long and McQuade Music Education Centre.

The workshops are a great opportunity for you musicians out there to meet some of the Festival's artists and hear them talk about their craft.

You just need to e-mail Colin McTaggart at Long & McQuade to sign up and confirm attendance in advance:
E-mail: cmctaggart@long-mcquade.com
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Leroy "Heptone" Sibbles is the man behind many of reggae music’s most famous bass lines and classics, and we are honoured to be playimng this year's festival and graciously hosting this workshop.

Leroy Sibbles is widely known for his work as the lead singer of the Rock Steady group The Heptones and as a solo artist. However, many people are not aware of the huge influence Mr. Sibbles has had on all reggae music as the Studio One Bass player, arranger and A&R rep during the late 60’s and early 70’s. During his time in this role he was responsible for many of the classic reggae bass lines that have been and continue to be used by new artists over and over again.

During his keynote interactive session Leroy will discuss how he created the bass lines and arrangements for songs like "Satta Massagan" , "Declaration Of Rights", "Kutchie" (Pass The Dutchie) , "Queen Of The Minstrels" , "No Man Is An Island" and "Drifter."

He will also discuss how he auditioned artists like Burning Spear, Dennis Brown and provided bass lines for artists like John Holt, Horace Andy, Alton Ellis just to name a few.

If you are a true lover of the history of reggae music, this is a session you won’t want to miss.

VICTORIA'S 13TH ANNUAL SKA FESTIVAL Day 4: THE PIETASTERS! (Exclusive Canadian date for The Pietasters)

@ Ship Point (Inner Harbour) Friday, July 13, 2012 Victoria BC Ska Society proudly presents THE PIETASTERS from Washington D.C with special guests LARRY & HIS FLASK, Vancouver's own LOS FURIOS and Victoria's own STEP BACK DAVE!

THE PIETASTERS' slogan NEVER SOULED OUT is nice tongue and cheek but rings true. The Pietasters have stayed true to the spirit of ska music keeping a full 8 piece band alive through good and bad times in the world of ska music. The Pietasters' first break came early when they landed a 1992 tour opening for Bad Manners. In 1997, Rancid’s Tim Armstrong signed them to Hellcat/Epitaph where they recorded two albums with producer Brett Gurewitz (Bad Religion): Willis and Awesome Mix Tape #6. The soul-charged Turbo was released in 2002 by Fueled by Ramen. The Pietasters shared bills with NOFX and Less Than Jake on the epic ’98 and ’99 Warped Tours, and followed with a stateside run with punk legend Joe Strummer. Three years later, they worked as James Brown’s back-up band for one surreal evening.

This is the second appearance for The Pietasters since they headlined at Victoria's 3rd Annual Ska Fest ten years ago. We're happy we're still standing stronger than we were when they performed for us so long ago.

LARRY & HIS FLASK: Formed by brothers Jamin and Jesse Marshall in 2003, "the Flask" spent its first half-decade stuck in a primordial, punk-rock goop, where a blood-sweat-and-beers live show took priority over things like notes and melodies. But by 2009, Larry and His Flask’s train began gaining steam. The band’s new songs are a blurry blend of lightning fast string-band picking, gorgeous nods to old-school country, and sublime multi-part harmonies, all presented through a prism of punk chaos. The boys have grown and changed, yes, but their shows are still gloriously physical displays of live music’s sheer power. In other words, keep your eyes peeled, or risk taking the heavy end of Jesse Marshall’s flailing, stand-up bass right between the eyes.

LOS FURIOS are Vancouver's kings of ska and through some slight line-up changes and a few Mexican tours later the band continues to tear up the scene in Vancouver and surrounding areas. This will be the band's fourth appearance on Ska Fest in its 13-year history. Notably Los Furios has played alongside ska/reggae heavyweights such as Fishbone, Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra, Long Beach Shortbus,Inspector and The Black Seeds.

STEP BACK DAVE bring an honest and ambitious voice to the Island's Ska/Reggae influenced scene. Nick Taylor, Dan Turgeon and Ethan Horgan have been gaining noteriety throughout Victoria and the Gulf Islands the past three years. The band recently played on infamous Tribute to Sublime Island Style tour and have also played alongside Island mates Brave New Waves and Bananafish Dance Orchestra.

This show is ALL AGES w/licensed beverage garden for those 19rs+

Food Concession and Merchandise Tents on site

Doors: 5pm sharp!

FULL FESTIVAL PASSES AT LYLE'S PLACE, DITCH RECORDS OR THE REEF IN VICTORIA BC. FULL FESTIVAL PASSES ALSO AVAILABLE & VIA WWW.VICTORIASKAFEST.CA

VICTORIA'S 13TH ANNUAL SKA FESTIVAL FRIDAY NIGHT RUCKUS!!

@ Lucky Bar

VICTORIA'S 13TH ANNUAL SKA FESTIVAL Day 4: Free for all Friday Matinee!

@ Ship Point (Inner Harbour) Friday, July 13 come and start your Victoria Ska Festival weekend festivities earlier and enjoy two extremely high-energy entertaining acts from Nanaimo and Vancouver respectively. Nanaimo's Dope Soda and Vancouver's Heads Hang Heavy will warm up the festival vibe at Ship Point Inner Harbour.

DOPE SODA

Thirsty for music that is both dangerous and danceable, refreshing as a mojito and as eye-opening as a whiskey sour. A cocktail party mix of reggae, punk rock, jazz, hiphop, and ska. This is Dope Soda.
Dope Soda formed in late 2011, a fresh concoction of six of the top jazz, rock, and Jamaican-music-inspired musicians from Vancouver Island, with membership in acts such as Current Swell, Rocky Mountain Rebel Music, The Bananafish Dance Orchestra, The Kiltlifters, and Kings Without.

The band is led by a three-piece horn section with roots in the highly-regarded Vancouver Island University Jazz Department, buoyed by a funky rhythm section that serves up sips of bubbling Hammonds and Wurlitzers, shots of distorted guitar, and heavy bass--in your face. Dope Soda jumps back and forth between reggae jams, punk rock assaults, happy ska romps, and hiphop throwdowns--a thirst quencher for audiences who need good rhymes and good times.

HEADS HANG HEAVY

While their sound is strongly rooted in Jamaican musical styles such as Reggae, Ska and Dancehall, HEADS HANG HEAVY also draw ideas from other forms of dance music including Disco, Hip-hop, Funk and Rock. With musical tastes that are wide and far-reaching, their collective goal has always been to bring these divergent styles together under the banner of strong song-writing and infectious musical performances. HHH strive to bring an intelligent and conscious positivity to their lyrics while expressing the unique west coast culture of British Columbia.

FREE! All Ages/Beverage Garden w/ID. on site/Food Concessions

VICTORIA'S 13TH ANNUAL SKA FESTIVAL Day 5: Ska Fest Family Day!

@ Ship Point (Inner Harbour)

VICTORIA'S 13TH ANNUAL SKA FESTIVAL GRAND FINALE

@ Ship Point (Inner Harbour) By the time this show comes around we are going to have a lot of happy skanksters in Victoria! Saturday, July 14, 2012 Victoria BC Ska Society proudly presents KATCHAFIRE from Hamilton New Zealand with special guests LEROY HEPTONE SIBBLES and Vancouver's own GIRAFFE AFTERMATH.

After KATCHAFIRE appeared at Victoria's 11th Annual Ska Festival back in 2010 the band has grown irresistably on the Island ska/reggae massive. Katchafire are one of New Zealand's greatest reggae bands.

Katchafire are an all Maori reggae band from Hamilton, who have achieved phenomenal success over the last few years. Their debut album, the prophetically named Revival release by Mai Music, has sold in excess of 45,000 copies with Giddy Up being the biggest selling single of 2003. 2004’s follow up, Slow Burning, was similarly well received, selling 20,000 copies in the first week of release.

LEROY "HEPTONE" SIBBLES is a living legend whose has brought more to ska/rocksteady/reggae than many artists have done in a lifetime.

He was the lead singer for The Heptones in the 1960s and 1970s. For this performance he will be backed by Vancouver's Natural Flavas.

In addition to his work with The Heptones, Sibbles was a session bassist and arranger at Clement 'Coxsone' Dodd's Jamaica Recording and Publishing Studio and the associated Studio One label during the prolific late 1960s, and was described as "the greatest all-round talent in reggae history" by Kevin O'Brien Chang and Wayne Chen in their 1998 book Reggae Routes.[1]

Leroy Heptone Sibbles will be giving an exclusive key-note address at the Victoria Ska Festival. Times are TBA. Please log on to www.victoriaskafest.ca for updates.

Vancouver's Giraffe Aftermath are impressing audiences throughout BC with their unique style that pleases reggae fans that enjoy both classic and more contemporary reggae styles. Giraffe Aftermath will be making their 2nd straight appearance on the festival. The band has also played alongside names such as Katchafire, John Brown's Body and Shane Philip.

This show is ALL AGES w/licensed beverage garden for those 19rs+

Food Concession and Merchandise Tents on site

Doors: 4:30pm sharp!

PURCHASE OF THIS SHOW IS AVAILABLE THROUGH PURCHASING A FULL FESTIVAL PASS AT LYLE'S PLACE, DITCH RECORDS OR THE REEF IN VICTORIA BC. FULL FESTIVAL PASSES ALSO AVAILABLE & VIA WWW.VICTORIASKAFEST.CA