Viva Ska Vegas at Downtown Las Vegas

Smash Magazine presents ¡Viva Ska Vegas! – highlighting some of the biggest bands in ska during a night of music. Featuring two stages and twelve bands, plus food trucks and a vendor bar for 21+ with valid ID, ¡Viva Ska Vegas! makes a new home in Downtown Las Vegas at the Fremont Country Club (601 E. Fremont St., Las Vegas) on Saturday, September 20. Doors open at 5 p.m.

¡Viva Ska Vegas! is an 18+ show and tickets are on sale now. General admission tickets are $25 in advance or $30 day of show (pending availability). Tickets can be purchased online at www.ticketfly.com. VIP tickets include an event t-shirt, 18×24 poster and a VIP laminate. VIP tickets are available for purchase online while supplies last.

The ¡Viva Ska Vegas! inside stage will feature bands including Five Iron Frenzy, Authority Zero, Guttermouth, Voodoo Glow Skulls, Steady 45’s and Matamoska. The outside stage will be set for performances by The Untouchables, Chris Murray, Skapeche Mode, Monkey, East Side Agents and Drinking Water.

A kick-off party will take place on Friday, September 19 from 8 p.m. – 12 a.m. at Downtown Container Park featuring The Debonaires, California Celts and Isolated Victims. After 9 p.m. all guests must be 21+ with valid ID.

The official after party will take place immediately following Five Iron Frenzy at Backstage Bar & Billiards (601 E. Fremont St. Las Vegas) with live performances by Skapeche Mode and DJ Ska Boss. Admission is free with purchase of ¡Viva Ska Vegas! ticket or $5 admission for public. The after-party is a 21+ event only.

Five Iron Frenzy first formed in 1995 with vocalist/lyricist Reese Roper, former bassist Keith Hoerig, guitarist Micah Ortega, and lead songwriter Scott Kerr. They soon added Dennis Culp on trombone, Andrew Verdecchio on drums, Leanor Ortega-Till on saxophone, Nathanael Dunham on trumpet, and Sonnie Johnson on guitar. They gained national exposure with the songs, “Oh, Canada” (Our Newest Album Ever!, 1997) and “Where the Zero Meets the Fifteen” (Upbeats and Downbeats, 1996). Up until they disbanded in 2003, the band entertained audiences with spirited, interactive shows, sometimes in full costume. They announced their reunion in 2011 with the release of their free single, “It Was a Dark and Stormy Night.” Their 10th album, “Engine of a Million Plots,” was released late fall 2014.

Arizona based punk rock royalty Authority Zero has managed to weather the music industry storm and endure living on the road away from friends and loved ones for almost two decades. With four studio albums under their belt, two live acoustic albums, and two EP’s, they appear to be just getting started. Over the past few years the band has broken ground internationally, beginning with shows in Japan, followed by performances at Belgium’s legendary Groezrock, Spain’s Resurrection Fest and UK’s Rebellion Fest amongst countless other European festivals. With tours through Russia and Australia in the works, Authority Zero continues to seek new destinations to spread their live show and music with their latest release “The Tipping Point.”

Guttermouth is an American punk rock band formed in 1988 in Huntington Beach, California and currently recording for Volcom Entertainment. They have released nine full-length studio albums and two live albums and have toured extensively, including performances on the Vans Warped Tour. They are infamous for their outrageous lyrics and behavior which are deliberately explicit, offensive and intended to shock, though usually in a humorous and sarcastic manner.

The Untouchables are a soul/mod revival band from the Silver Lake, California area. Described by original lead singer Kevin Long as “mods who played ska music,” The Untouchables are credited with being America’s first ska band. Forming in 1981 as part of the embryonic L.A. mod revival, The Untouchables are inspired be ska revival/punk band The Box Boys. They have released six studio albums and have shared the stage with The B-52s, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Fishbone and No Doubt.

Chris Murray is a unique force on today’s music scene. Born in Toronto, he earned a strong reputation as a dynamic performer and gifted songwriter as leader of influential Canadian ska group King Apparatus. Upon the band’s breakup, he relocated to Los Angeles, emerging as a solo artist with The 4-Track Adventures Of Venice Shoreline, recording the album in various locations on a portable 4-track recorder. Entering LA’s ultra-purist rock steady scene armed only with an acoustic guitar, Chris has become a leading figure in the world’s foremost authentic Jamaican music community. As host of Bluebeat Lounge (2003-2009), a popular weekly concert series focusing on reggae and ska, Chris promoted more than 350 shows over seven years at Hollywood’s Knitting Factory. His musical journeys have taken him throughout the United States, Canada, and Europe, the UK, Ireland, Japan, Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, Colombia, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand, and Indonesia.

Sponsors include: Smash Magazine, Miller Lite, Good Shit Entertainment and Sellout Productions.

Viva Ska Vegas

From the creators of the original Ska Summit and the co-creator of the International Ska Circus comes ¡Viva Ska Vegas!, back for its third installment taking place September 20 in downtown Las Vegas. All tickers are general admission. For more information, please visit www.vivaskavegas.com.