Who Are The Mighty Mighty BossToneS?

Wrapping up the week of Reggae/Hip Hop/Ska...

Who are the Mighty Mighty BossToneS?

Since their inception in 1984, The Mighty Mighty BossToneS have been one of rock music’s most prolific touring and recording bands. During their 27 year career they have played thousands of shows all over the world and released a slew of ground breaking albums.

Since their inception in 1984, The Mighty Mighty BossToneS have been one of rock music’s most prolific touring and recording bands. During their 27 year career they have played thousands of shows all over the world and released a slew of ground breaking albums.
The BossToneS formed when Cambridge, Massachusetts high school chums Joe Gittleman, Nate Albert and Ben Carr approached Dicky Barrett about fronting their new band. Barrett agreed and brought in his pals Tim Bridwell and Tim Burton on horns. They were joined by drummer Josh Dalsimer. In early 1984 the band played its first gigs in several clubs and barrooms around Boston. Barrett, Gittleman, Burton and Carr have remained constant members. The current line-up also includes drummer Joe Sirois, who replaced Dalsimer in 1991, Saxaphonist Kevin Lenear, an early member who left the band in 1998 and returned in 2008, and guitarist Lawrence Katz and trombonist Chris Rhodes, both of whom joined in 2000.

The BossToneS are credited as a progenitor of the ska-punk genre, and the creators of its sub-genre ska-core, a form of music which mixes ska with punk and hardcore. Since the release of their 1989 debut album Devil’s Night Out, the band has toured and recorded extensively. They were a key figure in the development of the mid-90’s “Third Wave” ska scene and one of the first bands to popularize the genre in the musical mainstream with their platinum-selling 1997 album Let’s Face It, and its hit single “The Impression That I Get.” They have also earned the reputation as one of the hardest touring bands in rock. The band released seven studio albums, three EPs and a live album by the time they announced a hiatus in December 2003.

In the fall of 2007 the BossToneS reunited to resume touring and recording, releasing their eighth studio album, Pin Points and Gin Joints, in December 2009. Their newest album, The Magic of Youth, was released on December 6, 2011.

Since their inception in 1984, The Mighty Mighty BossToneS have been one of rock music’s most prolific touring and recording bands. During their 27 year career they have played thousands of shows all over the world and released a slew of ground breaking albums.

The Impression That I Get
In the lyrics, the singer asks listeners if they have "been close to tragedy" necessitating "a strength most don't possess". The singer says while he has not faced such a daunting situation himself, he "know(s) someone who has" and makes the understatement that he is "sure it isn't good." The singer also expresses doubts about his own mettle and wonders how he would perform in such a situation himself. While stating "I like to think that if I was I would pass" he confesses "I'm afraid of what I might find out."

The opening line of the chorus states "I never had to knock on wood." This may mean "I never had to...(knock on wood)" referring to something that the singer has never had to do (i.e. face a huge crisis) and utilizing the superstitious phrase "knock on wood" -- said in the hopes that a good thing will continue to occur after it has been acknowledged. Alternatively, it may simply be a statement he has not had to "knock on wood" for good luck, in the face of a challenge.

The lyrics have been interpreted by some to be in reference to AIDS, and the anticipation of blood results, but the group's official website denies this.

http://youtu.be/NIGMUAMevH0

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