| FINAL SUPERNOVA INTERNATIONAL SKA FESTIVAL LINEUP RELEASED, PUNKERTON RECORDS OWN JOKER’S REPUBLIC ADDED TO SUNDAYBand’s third full-length LP The Hand You’ve Been Dealt, produced by Roger Lima (Less Than Jake), Out This Fall |
| Supernova International Ska Festival is coming up quickly. This year’s festival takes place September 12th – 14th at Fort Monroe in Hampton, Virginia. The lineup includes the brightest and best from the ska scene, spanning all waves and generations of ska.Joining the likes of The Pietasters, Bedouin Soundclash, and Mustard Plug on Sunday is Essex County, NJ ska punk trio Joker’s Republic. Playing Supernova is something the band has wanted to do for years, and finally getting the opportunity is a dream come true.“Supernova feels like a Ska family reunion. It’s really cool to have an annual festival of that size and scale that brings on bands from all over the world while still including smaller acts like us and keeping a focus on the community that makes Ska feel like home to so many people. We are honored to be playing this year and can’t wait to show everyone what we have in store.” — Austen Gray (vocals/guitar)Supernova is the beginning of a busy Fall for the ska punk power trio, that includes the release of their brand new album, The Hand You’ve Been Dealt on Punkerton Records, and an appearance at Fest in Gainesville, Florida.About the AlbumNew Jersey Ska Punk Power Trio Joker’s Republic returns with their third full-length LP produced by Roger Lima (Less Than Jake). It’s called The Hand You’ve Been Dealt and releases on October 10.Featuring 12 tracks produced by Lima and mixed/mastered by Grammy-nominated engineer Eric Taft, the record covers both deeply personal and globally relatable themes such as loss, politics, mental health, and identity; and it’s EXTREMELY catchy to boot!Pre-save the LP here: https://ffm.to/jokersrepublic_thehandyouvebeendealtPre-order the LP here: https://punkertonrecords.com/products/jokers-republic-the-ha…“The Hand You’ve Been Dealt is my favorite album we’ve ever written. The writing process was super collaborative, and you can hear all of our voices coming through in each track. From riffs and lyrics to chord progression and structure, every detail of this album has been meticulously written and executed. This has been an enormously creatively satisfying project for the band, and for me personally. Plus—the bass tone kicks ass and I got to shred through the whole thing!” — Billy Smolen (bass)“Regarding the new album—it slaps. In less flippant terms, it’s far exceeded even our own expectations. A full year committed to writing, combined with the experience of Roger Lima and the expertise of Eric Taft has given us a ska-punk record with staying power (we hope!). We’ve struck a precarious balance of things that are ska and things that absolutely aren’t ska. Punk, metal, emo, reggae, prog—it’s all in there in subtle and not-so-subtle ways. The lyrical content also runs the gamut, tackling themes of political unrest, tumultuous relationships, transphobia; the thru-line of it all being the shit hand the world has dealt so many of us. I think that’s going to resonate with people.” — Pat Elwood (drums) STREAM / FOLLOWOfficial Website + Links Spotify | Apple Music Instagram | Facebook YouTube Punkerton Records Artist PageUPCOMING SHOWS 9/12 – Starland Ballroom – Sayreville, NJ (Supporting Save Ferris)9/14 – Fort Monroe – Hampton, VA (Supernova International Ska Festival)East Coast Tour With PWRUP and Mega Infinity (* = no PWRUP)10/18 – Scottish Dave’s – Clinton, CT *10/19 – The Woodshop – Brooklyn, NY10/20 – The Nail – Ardmore, PA10/21 – Morseberger’s – Catonsville, MD10/22 – Milestone – Charlotte, NC10/23 – Bogg’s – Atlanta, GA10/25 & 26 – Gainesville, FL (FEST) |
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BAND BIOThey’re called the “Elected Representatives of the Joker’s Republic” (or at least that’s what Austen’s mom calls them), but what that really stands for is this New Jersey band’s commitment to represent Ska Punk with high-energy performances that have earned them a place at the BIG kid’s table. The years 2023 and 2024 saw a vinyl release of the band’s second full length album Necessary Evil on Ska Punk International records, followed by several tours and festival appearances such as Punk Rock Saves Lives Fest and Ska Punk International Fest! Now with a BRAND NEW RECORD on the horizon (also produced by Roger Lima from Less Than Jake/Rehasher and mixed/mastered by Grammy-Nominated engineer Eric Taft), the band plans to continue touring through 2025 and 2026 to finally answer the greatest questions of our time: “Who are we?” “Why are we here?” and “Where in the world is Carmen Sandiego?” The Music of Joker’s Republic feels familiar to fans of Ska Punk but also brings new (and sometimes questionable) musical ideas to the genre. The band feels that their brand of Ska Punk works best as a power trio, which enables them to have greater crossover appeal while still remaining true to their roots…plus, it’s a lot easier to remember the names of the band members without a horn section. While Joker’s Republic refuses to acknowledge the existence of “Brass Rock”, they and their fans (who they lovingly refer to as “Citizens of the Joker’s Republic”) are united by one universal message: “One nation under Ska, and together we will save rock and roll!” |