One of the best line ups of ska hit Philadelphia on March 23rd.  A fairly new record label, Bad Time Records, was responsible for this mini tour that went up and down the North East and each band is currently on the label’s roster.  The show started with Philly’s newest band Catbite.  The band features members from other Philly ska/soul bands The Snails/Dull Blue Lights and Last Martyrs of a Lost Cause.  Mixing all those bands together gives you this fresh soul, ska, rock ‘n’ roll, punk sound that will cause anyone to groove to the music.  Being an opener, and only having a handful of shows under their belts, Catbite had no problem getting everyone in good spirits.  The duel vocals of Tim and Brittany, husband and wife, separates Catbite from the rest as sounding fresh and original in the scene.  With a new album coming this year, Catbite’s setlist contain originals, but also covers to get the crowd moving.  The Elvis Costello cover had to be the highlight cover of the night.  Catbite has a busy year ahead of them and if they are playing anywhere near you go support them or pick up their new album when it drops, links below

https://www.facebook.com/catbiteband/

It’s been about a year since Kill Lincoln came out of their hiatus and each show proves that the time off helped recharge them.  For those that know Kill Lincoln, they know that their shows are by far the most energetic, chaotic, and unpredictable.  With the help of their hype guy Drew, you can bet you won’t be standing there waiting for the time to pass.  Going through an extensive setlist, Kill Lincoln touched on almost every song they have, with the highlights being from their latest effort Good Riddance To Good Advice.  Due to each member living across the nation, it is unclear if and when new material will be coming out.  However, it seems like they can still tour of these songs because each show is always completely different no matter if the songs are the same.

https://www.facebook.com/KillLincolnDC/

After a successful Kickstarter campaign, We Are The Union released their latest effort Self Care last October.  The album displayed the We Are The Union fast paced ska punk sound, but also showed growth and touches more on self doubt, life, and our current state as a society.  As their previous albums had more of a political stance.  We Are The Union prove that ska can be fun, but also serious without bringing down the listener.  Proof is in their live shows, the crowd was more rambunctious with crowd surfing and singing along in the mic to the point it seemed like they were going to rush the stage.  The venue setting for this mini tour fits the experience of how someone should see We Are The Union.  Now free of labels and doing it on their own, We Are The Union seem to be going at it full force and stronger than ever that one forgets they called it quits at one point.  Hopefully the rest of the year brings more shows for them and they continue bringing their positivity to the masses, because we surely still need them and it shows.

https://www.facebook.com/wearetheunion/