To help celebrate Record Store Day, Ska Brewing teamed up with Chicago’s JUMP UP RECORDS to release “Drink the Ska,” a compilation of 17 ska hits curated by Ska and JUMP UP.
The album wil be available at Southwest Sound and at Ska Brewing.
Dave Thibodeau, co-founder of Ska and a self-proclaimed vinyl junkie, said that while the album is not an official Record Store Day release, offering the album is an important way to support the local community.
“I’m a vinyl person: I collect records and I’ve always thought vinyl is cool. Record Store Day means a lot to me, I think, because it’s the idea that you’re supporting independent business,” he said. “I sometimes feel like as craft brewers, we’re not a lot different than an independent band or independent record label or an independent record store. And because I’ve got this attachment to vinyl, in my head, I don’t see any reason why most craft breweries aren’t putting out records because we’re all kindred spirits, you know?”
Thibodeau said that it was Chuck Wren, owner of JUMP UP RECORDS, who came up with the idea for the album. Wren has been a DJ at a number of events Ska has put on over the years. The album includes tracks from The Toasters, Buster’s Ghost, Green Room Rockers and The Dendrites.
“It’s a great way to showcase some of the bands we’ve had out here at our anniversary party and otherwise, as well as the really good bands Chuck is the existing label for,” Thibodeau said.
And when it comes down to it, Thibodeau said, it’s the celebration of all things indie that makes the album – and Record Store Day – so important.
“The fact that it’s all about indie and independently owned business and doing stuff yourself, that kind of DIY mentality, that’s a lot of it. It’s always been a kind of bucket list – and I’m not a musician, so it doesn’t do me any good to have a bucket list of putting out an album when I can’t play an instrument and I’m not in a band.”
Ska will be throwing a Record Store Day LP release party at 5 p.m. Saturday at Ska Brewing World Headquarters, 225 Girard St. For more information, visit www.skabrewing.com.
katie@duranoghereald.com
