Greetings to all MOTB readers from New York City! I am alive and well post Hurricane Sandy. Luckily I live in a neighborhood in Manhattan that did not flood or lose power. For that I am very grateful. Sadly, many of my family, friends and fellow New Yorkers are not so lucky. Many are still without power. Others have suffered significant damage to their homes. Our iconic subway system is still getting back on line after flood surges inundated key tunnels linking Manhattan and Brooklyn. On top of that, there are now gasoline shortages everywhere making it even more difficult to get around. While pockets of New York may seem normal, we are far from back to normal. That will take some time.
As a long time denizen of New York I know the city will bounce back. It has a spirit and energy that are hard to keep down for very long. As such, its only appropriate that The Toasters -- who were born in New York City thirty years ago and who helped found the American ska scene -- are playing tonight in Brooklyn at the Knitting Factory. Its almost poetic that the band that keeps the ska flame burning wherever it travels around the world is here in New York after a terrible natural disaster. Nothing keeps The Toasters down and nothing will keep New York City down either. Joining the band tonight are New York ska/reggae band The Rudie Crew and Phildadelphia's The Snails. My fellow ska blogger Steve Shafer (Duff Guide To Ska) and I are DJing the show together.
If you are able to travel to the Knitting Factory in Brooklyn tonight I urge you to come out and celebrate with the New York ska community to toast our collective good fortune and good luck with a night of soul stirring and inspiring ska brought to you by Rob "Bucket" Hingley. If you can't make it, then know we are with you in spirit and crank the band's anthem "East Side Beat," a musical paean to the lower east side of Manhattan (which has suffered mightily from the storm) and sing along at the top of your lungs. God bless The Toasters and God bless New York City!
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