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Bim Skala Bim celebrates 40 years of Boston ska

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Bim Skala Bim celebrates 40 years of Boston ska


When the band Bim Skala Bim first appeared in 1983, Boston didn’t have much of a ska scene. They worked hard over the years to make sure we got one.

This Saturday the band celebrates its 40th anniversary at the Crystal Ballroom. True to their roots, it’s an all-ages matinee. “When we started there were just a couple of ska bands in town,” frontman Dan Vitale recalled this week. “There was Dub 7, who we really looked up to because they opened for the Clash on Cape Cod. As a young band we were very much into reggae as well as ska, in fact some of the first airplay we got in town was for our reggae songs. We didn’t have anyone to compare ourselves to, but we all loved Bob Marley and UB40. At that time it wasn’t easy to be an all-white reggae band, but now you can’t swing a stick without hitting one.”

Bim Skala Bim has also been a remarkably stable band: All seven of the band’s original members have remained in the picture over the years, and all will be appearing this weekend. Other former members will also be dropping in, including the female singers who guested on the first two albums — Lauren Flesher and Jackie Starr respectively — who’ll be onstage together for the first time. Vitale promises they’ll include a song from each of the band’s dozen albums.

An early highlight of those 40 years was the band’s first European tour, where they opened shows for a number of first-generation ska greats. “We got signed in Europe before we did in America, and we’re still the early American ska band that any British ska fan would know. Our first show there was at the Sir George Robey (a music pub in North London), opening for (Jamaican ska legend) Prince Buster. It was completely sold out, everyone was going nuts. We were onstage and Prince Buster is standing in the middle of the dance floor, with his arms folded, staring right at me — I didn’t realize that meant that he liked us. But he ran up and gave me a huge hug afterwards.”

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Another memorable tour happened in the US in 1997, when Bim played the middle slot between the headlining Mighty Mighty Bosstones and an up-and-coming band called the Dropkick Murphys. “Funny how the opening band on that tour is the biggest one now. I actually knew Kenny (Dropkick’s frontman Ken Casey) before the band started, my other band Steady Earnest played his wedding. We loved the Dropkick Murphys right away.”

But that doesn’t mean that Vitale is a fan of all the US ska that’s hit big in the past couple of decades. “I’m not pleased with everything that I’ve seen. To put it bluntly it’s turned into a cartoon with bands singing about beer, that kid of thing. Of course I drank plenty over the years, but we don’t think that’s what it should be about.”

These days Vitale lives on an island in Panama, so the Bim shows tend to happen during his twice-annual visits to renew his visa. “I produce a lot of bands in the country where I live. I work with people from all over the world from my shack on the beach, and I kinda love it.”



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Boston, MA

Red Sox at Reds preview: Sonny Gray makes his first start for Boston – The Boston Globe

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Red Sox at Reds preview: Sonny Gray makes his first start for Boston – The Boston Globe


Gray, acquired in a November trade from the St. Louis Cardinals, was one of Boston’s key rotation additions, along with Ranger Suarez, in the offseason. He was 14-8 with a 4.28 ERA in 2025.

“He’s very specific about his work. Every day has a purpose,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said of Gray. “Two hundred strikeouts, that’s something that we were looking for. The competitor. Every five days, this guy is going to give you everything.”

In his five career appearances against the Reds, Gray is 1-3 with a 4.18 ERA.

“It’s pretty much one of the only things that is continuing to push me, is to get to a World Series, to win a World Series, to pitch in big games,” said Gray. “I love the moment, and I am chasing that moment.”

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Here’s the preview:

RED SOX (1-0): TBA

Pitching: RHP Sonny Gray

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REDS (0-1): TBA

Pitching: RHP Brady Singer

Time: 4:10 p.m.

TV, radio: NESN, WEEI-FM 93.7

Red Sox vs. Singer: Wilyer Abreu 2-5, Roman Anthony 1-2, Willson Contreras 2-7, Jarren Duran 3-10, Caleb Durbin 0-1, Isiah Kiner-Falefa 6-16, Marcelo Mayer 0-1, Andruw Monasterio 1-4, Carlos Narváez 1-1, Ceddanne Rafaela 1-5, Trevor Story 0-4, Connor Wong 2-8, Masataka Yoshida 2-7

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Reds vs. Gray: Will Benson 0-5, Elly De La Cruz 5-11, TJ Friedl 1-8, Ke’Bryan Hayes 4-17, Nathaniel Lowe 2-10, Noelvi Marte 0-5, Matt McLain 2-2, Spencer Steer 4-9, Tyler Stephenson 0-8, Eugenio Suárez 7-13, Jose Trevino 0-2

Stat of the day: Sal Stewart become the first Cincinnati rookie since 1958 to record three hits on Opening Day.

Notes: Cincinnati sends righthander Brady Singer (14-12, 4.03 in 2025) to the mound … With Hunter Greene and Nick Lodolo already on the injured list to start the season, Singer is considered one of Cincinnati’s most durable pitchers, leading the Reds with 32 starts last season … Singer has made five career starts against Boston, posting a 2-2 record with a 4.88 ERA over 24 innings … His last appearance against the Red Sox, on July 1 in Boston, ended after just three innings when he allowed two earned runs on three hits.


Cam Kerry can be reached at cam.kerry@globe.com.





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Boston, MA

Mayor Robert Van Campen talks about priorities in Everett

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Mayor Robert Van Campen talks about priorities in Everett


Nearly three months since assuming office as mayor of Everett, Massachusetts, Mayor Robert Van Campen isn’t wasting any time.

The former city councilor ousted 18-year incumbent Carlo DeMaria in decisive fashion last November, but even so, issues surrounding his predecessor still linger at City Hall.

A state-led salary audit of DeMaria found $180,000 in overpayment, a finding the former mayor disputes. Van Campen says the city is monitoring ongoing investigations.

“What I’ve conveyed to my partners in government here, locally, is to allow that state process to play itself out, and then we, as a community, will make a decision,” the mayor said. “In addition to that, I recently met with Inspector General Jeff Shapiro, who visited me at City Hall. We had a great conversation about transparency in government, best practices, putting in the right systems to ensure that that type of financial oversight doesn’t happen in the future.”

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Beyond the audit, Van Campen is placing emphasis on school overcrowding.

“My objective is to try to implement solutions as quickly as I can,” he said. “Our high school today, which was built for I think 1,650 students, now houses around 2,200.”

The World Cup is creating buzz across Massachusetts, including in Everett, where the Kraft Group is looking to build a soccer stadium.

To alleviate that problem, the mayor is using federal ARPA funds to repair the old Everett High School and seeking out other spaces that could be used in the future.

“Would I like to build out new classroom space for the students of Everett in the next one to two years? Yes, that’s my ideal,” Van Campen said. “But I want to make sure that if we do it on a quick timeline, it’s done in a correct and proper fashion.”

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Also in focus for the mayor is a new soccer stadium for the New England Revolution on the shores of the Mystic River.

The Kraft Group, Boston, Everett and the state Legislature have all taken steps to make the project a reality, but Van Campen says there’s still more work to do.

“It’s a transformative project, it’s a breathtaking project,” said Van Campen. “But I’ve been clear with all the stakeholders around that project, and the other larger developments going on down there, that we have to make sure that transit issues are comprehensively addressed, that pedestrian access issues are comprehensively addressed, that all those issues have to be addressed to perfection in order for these projects to succeed.”

Tune in on Sunday, March 29 at 9:30 a.m. for our extended @Issue Sit Down with Van Campen.

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Boston ‘No Kings’ rally expected to draw 100,000; others planned across Mass.

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Boston ‘No Kings’ rally expected to draw 100,000; others planned across Mass.


“No Kings” rallies are scheduled in Boston and across Massachusetts on Saturday and are expected to draw large crowds, organizers said.

Organized by the ACLU of Massachusetts, Indivisible Mass Coalition, and Mass 50501, the event is a mass mobilization in protest of the Trump administration.

The No Kings theme was created by the 50501 Movement, a national movement made up of Americans who stand for democracy and against what they call the authoritarian actions of the Trump administration. The name 50501 stands for 50 states, 50 protests, one movement.

“The Trump administration is trying to shred the Constitution; the No Kings movement is an unequivocal statement that we, the people, will not let that happen. This will be the third global No Kings Day, and it’s not just about protesting what’s wrong—it’s about building something better. We intend to show our power, build our power, and power a democracy that advances freedom, equality, justice, and dignity for all,” organizers wrote.

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The rally, one of thousands scheduled across the country this weekend, is planned for the Boston Common from 2 to 4 p.m. More than 100,000 people are expected to attend Boston’s rally. Other events are scheduled in Pittsfield, Northampton, Lancaster, Worcester, Framingham, Methuen, Lexington, and towns in southeastern Massachusetts and the Cape. For a map of No Kings events near you, click here.

Speakers include elected officials Attorney General Andrea Campbell, Gov. Maura Healey, Sen. Ed Markey and Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley, and civic leaders Hessann Farooqi Marcelo Gomes Da Silva, Darlene Lombos, president of the Greater Boston Labor Council, Carol Rose, executive director of ACLU of Massachusetts, Jessica Tang, president of the American Federation of Teachers of Massachusetts, and others. It will be moderated by Rahsaan Hall, president and CEO of Urban League of Eastern Massachusetts.

There will also be performances by the Dropkick Murphys, Boston Area Brigade of Activist Musicians, BVOCAL Chorus, and Jimmy Tingle.

A previous No Kings rally in October drew massive crowds estimated in the tens of thousands.

NBC10 Boston

NBC10 Boston

An aerial view of the crowd at Boston’s “No Kings” rally on the Common on Saturday, Oct. 18, 2025.

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