The Mighty Mighty Bosstones

This article is about the ska punk band. For the doo-wop group, see The Bosstones.

The Mighty Mighty Bosstones
The Mighty Mighty Bosstones performing in 2008
The Mighty Mighty Bosstones performing in 2008
Background information
Also known as
  • The Bosstones
OriginBoston, Massachusetts, U.S.
Genres
Years active
  • 1983–2004
  • 2007–2022
Labels
Past membersDicky Barrett
Tim Burton
Ben Carr
Joe Gittleman
John Goetchius
Lawrence Katz
Chris Rhodes
Leon Silva
Joe Sirois
Nate Albert
Tim Bridwell
Dennis Brockenborough
Josh Dalsimer
Roman Fleysher
Kevin Lenear
Websitewww.bosstonesmusic.com

The Mighty Mighty Bosstones (informally referred to as The Bosstones and often stylized as The Mighty Mighty BossToneS) were an American ska punk band from Boston, Massachusetts, formed in 1983.[1][2][3] From the band's inception, lead vocalist Dicky Barrett, bassist Joe Gittleman, tenor saxophonist Tim "Johnny Vegas" Burton and dancer ("Bosstone") Ben Carr remained constant members. The band's final line-up also included drummer Joe Sirois, saxophonist Leon Silva, guitarist Lawrence Katz, keyboardist John Goetchius, and trombonist Chris Rhodes.

The Bosstones are often credited as one of the progenitors of the genre of ska punk[4] and the creators of its subgenre ska-core, which mixes elements of ska with hardcore punk. Starting with the release of their 1989 debut Devil's Night Out, the band toured and recorded extensively throughout the 1990s, becoming influential in the development of the American third-wave ska scene and was one of the first bands to popularize the genre in the musical mainstream. They reached their commercial peak with their platinum-selling 1997 album Let's Face It and its hit single "The Impression That I Get". The band was also notable for being featured in the 1995 film Clueless as the frat party house band. The band had released seven studio albums, three EPs and a live album by the time they announced a hiatus in December 2003.[5] In 2007, the Bosstones reunited to resume recording and touring, and released four more studio albums between 2009 and 2021. From 1994 to 2002, and again from 2007 to 2019, they hosted the annual Hometown Throwdown music festival, held annually around Christmas time in Cambridge and later Boston.

On January 27, 2022, the band announced their disbandment.[6][7]

  1. ^ "Guitar World | Mighty Mighty Bosstones". December 20, 2002. Archived from the original on December 20, 2002. Retrieved October 26, 2011.
  2. ^ "Mighty Mighty Bosstones Tickets, 2011 Mighty Mighty Bosstones Schedule". AceTicket.com. Retrieved October 26, 2011.
  3. ^ "The Mighty Mighty Bosstones – Upcoming Shows & Performances". Zvents. November 12, 2008. Archived from the original on October 1, 2011. Retrieved October 26, 2011.
  4. ^ Lavin, Lauren (July 14, 2020). "The Bizarre History Of Ska Music". Grunge.com. Retrieved May 7, 2021.
  5. ^ Punknews.org (December 8, 2003). "Bosstones on hiatus / side projects update". www.punknews.org. Retrieved May 7, 2021.
  6. ^ Johnston, Maura. "The Mighty Mighty Bosstones couldn't have been from anywhere else". Boston Globe. Retrieved February 1, 2022.
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference bv was invoked but never defined (see the help page).