Live In The Atrium: Big D and the Kids Table / Mustard Plug with Special Guest Matamoska

Big D and the Kids Table front man David McWane has said, “There are people who want to be in a band and then there are musicians.” Once in a while a group comes along that makes music simply because they have no other choice – they are addicted musicians. For the past fifteen years Boston’s Big D And The Kids Table has proven just that, regardless of the band’s poverty. McWane describes the group as – “We’re modern American gypsies,” And you can feel that sense in their wildest record yet – For The Damned The Dumb & The Delirious. “The person who put it best is [Warped Tour founder] Kevin Lyman”, McWane explains. “A friend once asked him if we were a ‘big band’, and Kevin replied, ‘I’ll tell you this…they’ve been around for 14 years and each year they’re extremely relevant.’ “Our new record is by far our best yet,” says McWane. “It’s a bomb! Our energy writing it was incredible. As friends, we had a blast; as musician’s, we knew exactly what we wanted to craft; and as tour mates, we were all on the same page, writing songs that would make the coming tour a slaughtering battle on stage. We love energy, and that’s what we packed these explosive songs with.” For The Damned The Dumb & The Delirious is filled with driving ska-punk bangers, leaping off the stage thrash, seedy dub and topped off with a lot of that good ol’ fashion working class, Boston bar room beer toasting anthems. It’s gritty, bratty and raw – confident, witty and fun. “I personally prefer shows where you have to prove yourself,” McWane adds when asked which of the band’s thousands of live performances stick out in his head. “The Warped Tours, Reading & Leads, and the Dropkick Murphys tours that we did were exciting because you had to prove yourself. The feeling is similar to when your band first starts out; you get that first-show anxiousness,” he continues. “When you play shows where everyone loves you, then it turns more into entertaining—and that can be fun, but that’s not where I personally come from,” he elaborates. “I like the underdog shows more because they add spice and kick.” Armed with a record as youth driven, honest speaking, furious and fun as For The Damned The Dumb & The Delirious, Big D will undoubtedly get the opportunity in sweaty clubs all over the world, to step up to the plate and prove themselves all over again “We want to wake up the masses with this record, remind them that they’re more than just alive; and make their Mondays into Saturday nights. Lovers of our sound better get ready ‘cause no one’s gonna help them in the front row of this coming tour. If you wanna relax – head to the back.” – says McWane

Mustard Plug is a ska punk band from Grand Rapids, Michigan. Formed in 1991, the band's original members were Dave Kirchgessner, Mike McKendrick, Colin Clive, and Anthony Vilchez. Currently the band consists of Dave (Vocals), Brendon Jenson (trumpet), Jim Hofer (trombone), Nate Cohn (drums), Colin Clive (guitar/vocals), and Rick Johnson (bass). The band has regularly toured throughout the United States, Europe, Japan, and South America. They have toured with the Warped Tour twice, and participated in the Ska Against Racism Tour.

Hailing from Montebello, California, Matamoska! was created during the infancy stage of the ghetto ska-punk movement, in November 2000. The band is comprised of musicians with a very diverse taste in music, which leads to their signature mixes of sounds, influences, and even language (both Spanish and English). As a result, this edgy and original sound has led to various performances from numerous backyard shows to club shows featuring some of the top punk, metal, hardcore, sXe, crust/grind, psychobilly, garage, reggae, rock en espanol, and ska bands around. The current roster includes Jose Padilla on rhythm guitar and lead vocals, Richard Sanchez on drums, Hector Rivera on bass, Esteban Flores on keyboard and backup vocals, and a horn line comprising of Jovan Loera, Ivan Lopez, and Robert Verdugo on saxophone, trumpet and trombone respectively. Ernesto Ocampo subs in as lead guitarist frequently After developing an initial following, Matamoska! released their demo CD in April 2001. This release propelled the band to appearances on LATV live and bigger shows at venues such as like The Whiskey A Go- Go, the Coconut Teazer, The Roxy, and out of state venues, taking them as far north as Seattle and as far east as New York and opening up for legendary English and Spanish ska acts such as Reel Big Fish, Voodoo Glow Skulls, The Slackers, Mustard Plug, Ska-P, Los Pericos, and more. They also took up offers of appearing on compilation albums such as Keeping the Spirit Alive and Backyard City Rockers. Their success on these albums led to them being approached by OBSCENE RECORDS to release their own official album. Their first EP De Verdad was recorded in 2002 and released in 2003. The album featured 5 songs plus an extra bonus track at the end. An unintentional error caused the first 200 albums to feature a red cover. These would be known as the initial limited edition run. This first EP gained traction, including coverage in several fanzines and webzines, which led to wide spread internet based radio play, reaching such areas as in Texas, Tijuana, Guadalajara, Mexico City, Buenos Aires, and the entirety of California. Shortly after the 2005 release of Problema sin solucion, front man Jose Padilla left the band. Experimenting with different sounds and members, the band continued to play through 2006 until taking a hiatus from 2007-2010. The band reunited with most of the original lineup, including the return of front man Padilla, and in 2011 the band added yet another member, Esteban Flores on keys. That same year, the band released a live album including a new song that would become a staple of the band, Beer Goggles. With the new lineup together, the band spent two years producing the LP M is for Murder. This featured some classics such as Night of 100 Frights and, for the first time on studio album, Beer Goggles. The album release party was held in 2014 at the Whisky a Go Go and included a guest appearance from Angelo Moore of Fishbone singing a cover of Monkey Man by The Specials. During the summer of 2014, the band once again hit the studio to produce an EP entitled Slacktivist Swing. The album which features songs such as Six Months, El Jefe De Ska and Mario Bros Before Hoes was recorded by producer Dave Irish, who had previously produced for Ska staples Reel Big Fish, Stupid Flanders, and Suburban Legends. This album was a display of the maturity of the new lineup, as well as revamped lyrics and musicality. In 2017, the band had its newest release Skalluminati. The album debuted during a month long summer tour with Las Vegas ska band Be Like Max. The album brings about more diversity to the Matamoska! catalog including hits such as East LA and politically charged songs such as Reggaenomics and Wonderbread. It also includes a cover of The Misfits hit I Turned Into A Martian. The band is as busy as it’s ever been, having come back from recent US tours with bands The Bandulus and Be Like Max. Future plans include a Mexico tour and the addition of European dates to the calendar in 2018, and continue sharing the stage for some of the top ska bands in the world. ~ PAUL VERDUGO (2017)