(person) by Woundweavr Sat Nov 13 1999 at 9:31:26
A cool skaish (3rd wave not 2nd) band from Boston that features rapid songs and lyrics. They were the Mighty Bosstones until a stuttering DJ called them the Mighty Mighty Bosstones and the name stuck. They've been around about a decade now and only gained national fame recently with The Impression that I get, which received lots of air time.
They have a great sound and a guy whose sole function is dancing. Defined ska-core. Originally they were seen as a primarily ska band, then with their 2nd album they swung towards punk and they have gone back and forth ever since. Extremely loyal to Boston, they tour almost nonstop but return each year for a weekend of shows at the fabled Middle East in Boston.
I like it!
(thing) by O-Swirl Mon Nov 05 2001 at 23:46:11
I've seen the Mighty Mighty Bosstones twice, and while I do not regularly listen to ska, I've found this band to be a lot of fun in concert. They are one of the few major acts, it seems, to still allow stage diving at their shows. This, of course, could be considered good and bad.

The first time I saw them was at the 40 Watt here in Athens, Georgia, and it was packed. This was the first and only time I ever dove from a stage, and it was great. Moshing was very "in" at the time, and most of my gal pals were afraid of getting too close. I was slammed to and fro a bit, and when I returned to where my friends were, one pointed out that I had blood running from my ear. (My top earring was torn out.)

The band is able to instigate a lot of brutal frivolity, methinks. One guy landed on the floor face down when he stage dove, and broke his nose.

See them live if you can, but I would advise you not to stage dive if you are especially heavy, unfortunately. People will back away.

I like it!
(thing) by Micholaus Fri Feb 07 2003 at 22:03:56

History

One of the great 3rd Wave ska bands, the Mighty Mighty Bosstones began as, simply, the Bosstones in Boston, Massachusetts in the late 1980s. Their first album, Devil's Night Out, was released by Taang! Records in 1990. A collection of bawdy party songs which infused ska, punk, and hard rock, it showed little indication of the musical talent that would be displayed on their later albums. The Tones' next release, Where'd You Go?, also released on Taang!, featured the new title track, "Do Something Crazy" from off of Devil's Night Out, as well as three cover songs: "Sweet Emotion" by Aerosmith, "Enter Sandman" by Metallica, and Van Halen's "Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love. After Where'd You Go?, the tones release their final album on Taang!, More Noise and Other Disturbances. Soon after the release of More Noise, the band signed with Mercury Records.

The Bosstones' major label debut, Don't Know How To Party, was released by Mercury in 1993. It featured the first appearance of what would become the band's signature tune, Someday I Suppose. The band followed up with Ska-Core, The Devil & More the next year. This mini-album featured a cover of Bob Marley's "Simmer Down", as well as covers from pioneering hardcore bands such as Minor Threat, Angry Samoans, and SSD.

The band's next release was 1994's landmark Question the Answers. Featuring the band's best songwriting to date, it combined the bands ska, punk, funk, and metal influences. But the biggest release in the Bosstone's career was coming up next. The release of 1997's Let's Face It coincided with the ska explosion which skyrocketed the careers of bands such as No Doubt. Let's Face It combined the party tunes the band was known for with social commentary, evidenced particularly on the title track. The album tackles such issues as alcoholism on "Another Drinkin' Song", and drug abuse on "Nevermind Me". The breakout single of the album was "The Impression That I Get", the video of which was in heavy rotation on MTV, as well as on many pop music radio stations.

The band took a break from the studio for a bit, releasing Live From The Middle East, a live album featuring songs from the Tones' annual Hometown Throwdown spectacular at the Middle East club in Boston. Reflecting a bit on the band's soaring popularity, leed singer Dicky Barrett proclaimed, "I think we all know this fucking song", as they launched into The Impression That I Get.

The band's next album came in 2000, with the release of "Pay Attention". Although not as successful as Let's Face It, it did sell well enough to go platinum. Featuring more partying (though much less than in previous albums), better songwriting, and more social commentary, it was another critical favorite. Tracks such as "High School Dance", which was about school shootings indicated the increasing maturity of the band.

The Bosstones returned in 2002, launching their own record label, Side One Dummy. The first album released under the new label was the Tones' A Jacknife To A Swan, a return to the party atmosphere of the earlier records. The most talked about song on the album was "Mr. Moran", which was written about Sammy "The Bull" Gravano. The most radical musical departure the Tones' have yet taken is on this album, the bluegrass-y like "Seven Ways To Sunday". This song features the amazing musicianship the band had developed over the years.

Current Lineup

Complete Discography

Thanks to www.bosstones.com

I like it! 3 C!s

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