What is the sound of a West Coast party?
Start with a big dose of hard-charging ska with a heavy horn section; add a blitz of punk rock; the sun-smoked groove of reggae; and dashes of hip hop, funk, jazz, and rock, performed by six tricksters who don’t stop till the crowd is rocked.
The Kiltlifters have been the essence of the best West Coast parties since 1999. Based out of the oceanfront city of Nanaimo, B.C. with roots in the Vancouver Island University jazz program, the band has rallied more than 350 shows, including four cross-Canada tours and performances at the Victoria Jazz Festival, Nanaimo Marine Festival, and CHUM TV’s New Year’s Eve party. They are at home at all-ages punk shows, music festivals, university pubs, house parties, and even weddings.
The Kiltlifters have also appeared at North America’s longest-running ska festival, The Victoria Ska Fest, more than any other band, appearing at seven of the 10 festivals. They have shared the stage with ska, reggae, and rock artists including Bad Manners, the English Beat, The Debonaires, the Aggrolites, Junior Reid, King Django, the Real Mackenzies, The Toasters, New York Ska-Jazz Ensemble, Easy Big Fella, the Planet Smashers, the Kingpins, King Apparatus, Mustard Plug, Antibalas, Ill Scarlett, Daniel Wesley...and even Randy Bachman.
The Kiltlifters’ brand of party-ska has shown well on the Canadian Campus Radio charts, including a top 50 showing for their debut disc, Pass the Popcorn, and a #1 ranking in Fredericton, New Brunswick. The band’s fifth album, The Punchline, is set to be released in August 2009 on vinyl and digital download card.
The band believes passionately in the spirit of ska and encourages everyone to learn about and enjoy the roots and energy of this musical community.
You need a West Coast party? Contact the Kiltlifters right now at info@nrgrecords.ca
