The New Limits | Boston Ska Band
What is normal, anyway? Some of us just want a nine-to-five. Others cry at the thought. “Normal Day” has nothing to do with quarantine and lots to do with figuring out what you want out of life.
“New England” is our Americana-Rocksteady love letter to the northeast USA. We’ve traveled all over but we keep coming back. It’s not perfect, but it’s ours. In fact, it’s the best.
This September, Boston-area Ska, Rocksteady & Soul band The New Limits will be bringing their danceable rhythms to The Big E, one of New England’s largest and widest-reaching events. The band’s late night set on Sunday, September 15th at The E Stage (8:30 – 10:30) will keep the fair’s energy going well into the night, and the band will be in good company performing alongside nationally-recognized acts throughout the festival like Ludacris, Diplo, Average White Band, and Public Enemy.
The New Limit’s appearance at the fair follows the release of the band’s new single “Dead Weight”, with more material set to be released in the coming months. The band is excited to be the second ever ska band to play the fair [citation needed]!
The band’s vocalist Julia Wolfe says it best:
“I’ve been attending the Big E since high school, and it’s the only place you can try cheese from every New England state, walk through an unnecessarily large butter sculpture, and most importantly, see your favorite artists from the very front row of the Big E’s many stages. To say I’m thrilled and honored to play the E Stage is an understatement, so I’ll say we are absolutely ECSTATIC to bring our love of ska to such a legendary event!”
Date: Sun, Sep 15, 2024
Time: 8:30 PM – 10:00 PM
Location: The E Stage, The Big E, West Springfield, MA
Included with fair admission, no additional ticket required
“We are incredibly excited about the variety and quality of performers we have lined up for The E Stage this year. Our goal is to provide a platform for local emerging bands to reach a wider audience, and we believe our guests will be delighted with the talent on display.”
– John Juliano of Mellowship Entertainment, The Big E’s talent buyer and entertainment program manager (via WWLP)
About The Big E
September 13-29, 2024
The Big E is the largest event on the East Coast and the seventh largest fair in North America. Attendees can enjoy hours of free entertainment and attractions, terrific food, plus the best that New England—and beyond—has to offer. Highlights include authentic New Orleans Mardi Gras in The Big Parade, an immersive Ireland adventure in the International Plaza’s Dingle Peninsula Showcase, North American Midway, as well as countless educational opportunities from the Avenue of States to Storrowton Village Museum, Farm-A-Rama and more. The Big E offers a diverse and vibrant experience to visitors from throughout the country.
The Big E is an annual event that begins on the second Friday after Labor Day and runs for 17 days. Eastern States Exposition is home to the Fair. ESE is not owned by any specific individual or group and is organized as a not-for-profit, educational institution under the laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Its governing body is a volunteer Board of Trustees consisting of distinguished civic, business and agricultural leaders from each of the six New England states.
The E Stage spotlights up-and-coming musicians at The Big E. The venue was developed to showcase emerging and regional artists dedicated to creating original music.
https://www.thebige.com/theestage
https://www.thebige.com/thenewlimits
https://www.thebige.com/p/generalinfo/bigeinfo
Head to Bandcamp today to buy a koozie or a CD! Any physical merch purchases come with free stickers and pins. On Bandcamp Fridays, Bandcamp waives their revenue splits so we get all of your financial support. Where’s that money going? Hopefully into a new record that we very much want to make.
You can also find our CD, alongside other great local records, at Monumental Market in Jamaica Plain, also home to Light of Day Records.
What have we been up to? Given the circumstances, we’re doing our darnedest to rehearse and learn some new songs. It’s been slowgoing, but as you might imagine, we’re just happy to be in a room making music together. We just can’t wait to perform live again and do some recording. We miss hanging out with you!
If you’ve already collected all of our releases, we thank you for your support! Please visit bandcamp and support other artists!
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Boston-based ska, rocksteady and soul band The New Limits will release their debut self-titled album on July 25th, 2017 via Date Night Records. The new album will be available for stream and purchase on iTunes, Bandcamp, Spotify, Amazon, Tidal, and wherever else you listen to music.
The New Limits follows the 2015 release of the band’s debut EP Pressure Up, which served as an introduction to the Boston band’s distinct blend of danceable music. This new record expands on that template, and presents a more diverse range of sounds than would have been possible from a four-song EP.
The band will mark the occasion with an album release show on Tuesday, July 25, 2017 at O’Brien’s Pub. Having previously sold out the Allston venue, The New Limits knew this was a natural location for the celebration. Supporting the night will be roots reggae act Mr. Ice from Cambridge and rocksteady band The Steady 45s on tour from Los Angeles. Tickets are on sale now.
First single and leadoff track “Loss for Words” starts with a burst of soulful energy from the rhythm section, welcoming a catchy horn line to create a groove that sets the tone for the rest of the record. In the two years since their initial EP’s release, the band began to experiment with a more soul-oriented sound, which shows in tracks like “What’s The Worst That Could Happen” and “Up in the Air”. With “Stir the Pot”, the band channels The Aggrolites for a funky, mid-tracklist jam. Showing further diversity, tracks like “New Way” and “Part of Me” have a more contemplative, reggae feel that successfully contrasts the rest of the album’s energy.
Formed near the end of 2012, The New Limits began as a collection of veteran ska musicians playing the styles of music they grew up with inside of an Allston garage. In trying to emulate the classic ska, rocksteady, and reggae sounds of the past, the band found inspiration in both local and far-reaching bands like Westbound Train, Deal’s Gone Bad, The Slackers, The Pietasters, and The Planet Smashers. The six-piece band is anchored by the rhythm section of Jake Wilkenfeld-Mongillo (formerly of New York’s The Hard Times and Hey Stranger) on guitar and background vocals, Thomas Vezeau on drums, and Alex Chiasson on bass guitar. Matty C, known for his performances with Mass. Hysteria, The Allstonians, and Big D and The Kids Table, brings his unique tenor voice to the mix, along with trumpet duties. Along with Matty, Bradford Hewitt and Miles Blackwood round out the band’s horn section on trombone and alto saxophone, respectively.
The New Limits was recorded by Calum Brockie at Studio A in The Record Company, a non-profit recording studio in South Boston. The recordings were then passed to Brooklyn’s Dave Lowenthal for mixing duties, and then to Richard Marr at Galaxy Park Studios in Watertown for mastering. The band crafted the album’s 11 songs while playing at venues throughout New England, including The Middle East in Cambridge, MA, a Boston Harbor cruise supporting The Slackers, and a summer residency at Bernie’s Beach Bar in Hampton, New Hampshire. With the album’s release, the band hopes to continue to play the music they love to an even wider audience.
“The New Limits were certainly raised on the tunes during the heyday of American ska; however their take on the genre is no carbon copy.” – Skaboom.com
“The band is anchored by a tight rhythm section laying a foundation for soulful vocals and a horn section that knows exactly how to complement a song.” – Steven Bauer, Readjunk.com
“I felt like this band could do no wrong…I can’t state how much this set kicked ass.” – Skot Silver, Scott Silva’s Writings & Ramblings
For Fans Of: The Slackers, Westbound Train, Bim Skala Bim, Deal’s Gone Bad, The Planet Smashers, The Toasters, The Pietasters
First single “Loss for Words” can be embedded and streamed via Youtube, Soundcloud, and Spotify:
Second single “Transition” can be embedded and streamed via Youtube, Soundcloud, and Spotify:
For more information and an advanced copy of the record, please contact jake@jacobwakeup.com.
Album Artwork – https://www.dropbox.com/sh/zx89603va1q2jmq/AACoKdmJZIsGuHKTfQN9Pa5ca?dl=0
Photo of the Band – https://www.dropbox.com/sh/zx89603va1q2jmq/AACoKdmJZIsGuHKTfQN9Pa5ca?dl=0
Photo Credit to Marie Craig
Album Personnel
Matty C – Vocals, Trumpet, Melodica
Jacob Wake Up! – Guitars
Tom Vezeau – Drums, Timbale
Alex Chiasson – Bass
Miles Blackwood – Sax
Brad Hewitt – Trombone, Piano
The New Limits: