Ballyhoo! at RIBCO -- April 8.
Wednesday, April 8, 8 p.m.
RIBCO, 1815 Second Avenue, Rock Island IL
Reggae-rock and punk musicians from Aberdeen, Maryland, who have opened for the likes of 311, Dirty Heads, Tribal Seeds, and Slightly Stoopid, the touring talents of Ballyhoo! headline an April 8 concert at Rock Island's RIBCO, their most recent album Shellshock boasting the participation of fellow reggae-rock artists The Elovaters, HIRIE, Iya Terra, Kyle Smith and Tropidelic, and their home-state friends of Bumpin Uglies.
As stated at AllMusic.com: "Mixing pop, reggae, rock, ska, and even a little punk, Ballyhoo! are a band out of Aberdeen, Maryland whose music can be found on both Jimmy Buffett's Radio Margaritaville and underground skateboarding videos. The band was formed in 1995 by brothers Howi Spangler (lead guitar and vocals) and Donald Spangler (drums), with the first lineup rounded out by Josh Farley (bass). In 1997, Farley left the band, and Cassius King took over on bass. Ballyhoo! released their debut album, 365-Day Weekend, in 2000, around the same time the group expanded to a four-piece with the addition of Scott Vandrey on keyboards. The Green EP followed in 2004; 365-Day Weekend and Green were released by Hooligan Records, as was 2006's Do It for the Money, an album produced by 311 collaborator Scott Ralston. By the time Do It for the Money came out, Ballyhoo! had swapped bass players again, with Cassius King out and J.R. Gregory in on the low end. Their 2009 effort, Cheers!, found them on the Surfdog label, while 2011's Day Dreams landed on the like-minded band Pepper's label, LAW.
"After touring with the Vans Warped Tour 2012, Ballyhoo! climbed the Billboard 200 album chart with their 2013 release, Pineapple Grenade!!, issued by their own Right Coast Records label. Yet another bass player jumped ship in 2014, with Nick Lucera taking over for the departing J.R. Gregory. Lucera joined in time to sit in for Ballyhoo!'s 2015 EP, The Cool Down. The single 'Mixtape' also saw release in 2015, and later popped up on the group's 2017 album, Girls."
Since then, Ballyhoo! has released a trio of additional albums in 2018's Detonate, 2020's Message to the World, and 2023's Shellshock, the latter of which led The Pier to rave: "We all know their extremely stellar career thus far has been on the account of their musical talents and unstoppable drive. It’s no shocker their music intuitive direction has pushed them into this success. The entire album is perfectly produced, and you will have chills. This is one of the top 10 albums this year. This illustrative vibe is smashing all way, and to those lyrical fanatics, you will find Ballyhoo! has risen to this occasion."
Ballyhoo! headlines their Rock Island engagement on April 8 with a set by special guest Russ Baum, admission to the 8 p.m. concert event is $18-22, and more information and tickets are available by calling (309)506-4924 and visiting RIBCO.com.
