Tuesday, July 12, 2011

Artist: The Kingpins, Album: Watch Your Back, Song: Watch Your Back

The Kingpins were a ska band from Montreal.  They were Jordan Swift, Eric Boulanger, Ian Hodkinson and Lorraine Muller.  They burst on to the scene in 1994 and released their first full length, entitled, Watch Your Back, in 1997.  They were signed to indie label, Stomp Records, which was started by Swift and Matt Collyer of the Planet Smashers (another Montreal ska band).  The band released 3 full lengths before breaking up in 2004.  By that time, Lorraine Muller was the only remaining original member and she had taken over lead vocal duties.  At their peak, the band toured internationally and appeared to be attracting larger audiences to their genre and music.  Stomp Records also released a number of compilations, entitled, The All-Skanadian Club Series, which featured the band's music.  That's actually where I heard the title track to their debut album, Watch Your Back.  It was included on Vol.2.  You can hear the song on You Tube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EF3ACQe3uXI).  You can read about their legacy at http://www.thekingpins.com/.  Today, Lorraine has changed the name of the band to Lo & The Magnetics and continues to tour and record.  You can follow them at http://loandthemagnetics.com/.  You can purchase the album, Watch Your Back, from Stomp Records (http://www.stomprecords.com/).  Thanks for reading and enjoy!