Eight Gigs: The Toasters

How do you place New York band the Toasters on the ska continuum? The group formed in the early ’80s, around the time of the British 2 Tone bands (bandleader Bucket is an English transplant himself). The band was one of the leaders in the ’90s when American ska bands were blowing up mainstream radio. Bucket’s label, Moon Records, signed a lot of ’90s ska bands, and the Toasters kept chugging along with the same fervor in the 2000s when ska supposedly died. Basically, the Toasters transcend era distinctions. The sound is upbeat with lyrics that range from political to get-on-the-floor-and-dance. 1400 Alhambra Boulevard, https://thetoasters.band.