Through 25 years and eight independent albums, the last four on their Right Coast Records, Ballyhoo! have earned the exclamation point that marks their name. Starting in the basement of their mom’s Aberdeen, MD, home, rocking out on guitar and drums respectively, practicing every day, brothers Howi and Donald Spangler formed the proto-punk band in the mold of Green Day and Nirvana, with an eye towards the emerging ska genre led by Gold Finger, Sublime, 311, and No Doubt.
The group’s eighth and most recent studio album, the breezy, ska-fueled, hook-filled Message to the World, on their own Right Coast Records, finds the self-declared “beach-rockers,” having grown up in public, accepting the responsibilities of adulthood while still hanging on to their dreams of world domination. Stylistically, their music ranges from the hard-edged punk of 2018’s Detonate, which captured the feelings of anger and depression from dealing with personal loss and the exhaustion generated by over a decade on the road to the island reggae beats of the follow-up, Message to the World.
Since the early 2000s, Bumpin Uglies have been carving their path; channeling their tenacious and relentless attitude to their meticulous craft. Rejecting conventional norms, Bumpin Uglies has established a distinctive sound that is a perfect reflection of their Mid-Atlantic roots-gritty, down-to-earth, and bursting with charisma.
With a genre-defying approach that seamlessly fuses punk energy with ska's infectious grooves and reggae's laid-back rhythms, Bumpin Uglies creates a musical experience that captivates audiences far and wide. Their live performances are legendary, infusing the crowd
with an electrifying energy that leaves no one untouched.
Guitar slung low, microphone turned up, and emotion overflowing, Joe Samba taps into rock 'n' roll spirit and reggae soul all at once. The Massachusetts-born singer, songwriter, and guitarist sonically teeters on an axis of island-inflected grooves and gritty guitar-craft balanced by his dynamic vocals.