The Kingpins

Infobox musical artist
Name = The Kingpins

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Origin = flagicon|Canada Montréal, Québec, Canada
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Genre = Ska
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Years_active = 1994 - 2004
Label = Stomp
Associated_acts = Lo and the Magnetics
URL = [http://www.thekingpins.com www.thekingpins.com]
Current_members =
Past_members = Eric Boulanger Jordan Swift Ian Hodkinson Lorraine Muller Bobby Beaton Nigel Goddard Jesse Radz Maithe Robert de Massis Paddy Walsh Nish Herat Dave Jager John Jordan Dave "JFK" Adams Chris Pung Mitch "King Kong" Gírio Josh Fuhrman Johnny Trudel Mike Gasseldorfer Daryl Meili Chris Raz Dan Meier Sean Scanlan Oliver Crow Russ Cooper Liam O'Neil Josh Katz-Rosene Andy King Gord Hyland
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The Kingpins were a ska band from Montréal, Canada, signed to the Stomp Records label. The last Kingpins tour took place in 2004, after which the members of the band reformed under the name Lo and the Magnetics in order to reflect the drastic line-up changes that had taken place since the band's inception in 1994. During their ten year reign, the band toured extensively in Canada, the U.S., France, Germany, Switzerland, Belgium, Italy, and Japan. They are known for their danceable ska rhythms, and their catchy song-writing abilities in both English and French.

History

The group formed in 1994, with the intent to represent traditional, warm, and danceable ska in the Montréal ska scene. The founding members of the Kingpins were Eric Boulanger on drums, Jordan Swift on bass, Ian Hodkinson on organ, and Lorraine Muller, who billed herself as the world's "Queen of ska", on alto saxophone.

The band's first big break came with the release of their first single, "On the Run", which garnered them the 1995 Montreal Independent Music Industry awards in the category of Best Single. The single was released with two B-sides, "Spy vs. Spy" and "Leave My Girlfriend Alone". The Montréal ska scene took notice and Kingpins shows attracted increasingly larger crowds. The wave of support was continued with the release of their first full length album "Watch Your Back" in 1997, but it wasn't until 1999 that they broke out into the mainstream media with the release of their second album "Let's Go To Work". The success of the second album led to major exposure, such as performances on the Warped Tour, at the Montreal Jazz Festival and extensive touring in Europe.

The third and final album under the Kingpins' name was "Plan of Action", released in September 2000. This album represented a major shift in the Kingpins' musical direction. Vocal duties were taken over almost exclusively by Lorraine Muller, one of the band's original members. Before the release of "Plan of Action" Muller was primarily responsible for playing baritone saxophone and singing backup vocals. The band also experimented with different stylistic fusions, mixing ska with various other musical genres, including New Wave and breakbeat. The album also featured guest appearances by many big names in the , including Dave "JFK" Adams of JFK & the Conspirators, and Mitch "King Kong" Girio of King Apparatus fame. Though these were drastic changes, the album was well-received.

The group toured on and off over the next four years, but by 2004, the band's line-up included only one original member (Muller), and the group announced on October 28, 2004 that their next album would be released under the name Lo and the Magnetics. At the time of their "breakup", the Kingpins consisted of Lorraine Muller on lead vocals and saxophone, Chris Raz on guitar, Dan Meier on saxophone, Russ Cooper on bass, and Mike Gasseldorfer on drums. In concert, Lo and the Magnetics occasionally play songs that were released under the Kingpins' name, though they refer to them as "covers". They have, however, retired some of the Kingpins' most notable songs, such as "The 10 Commandments of Ska".

Discography

*"Plan of Action" (2000)
*"Let's Go to Work" (1999)
*"Lootin' Shootin' and Wailin'" (7" vinyl single)
*"Watch Your Back" (1997)
*" On the Run" (1995) (CD single)

Compilation appearances

*"Simon Viens Danser Le Ska" on "2Tongue: le Québec en montre une!" (Disques Sapristi!)
*"Ball of Fire" (with The Pilfers) and "Give it to Me Now" on "Oi!/Skampilation Vol. 3" (Radical Records)
*"Johnny Ratchet" on "The All-Skanadian Club Vol. 3" (Stomp Records 1997)
*"Watch Your Back" on "The All-Skanadian Club Vol. 2" (Stomp Records 1996)
*"Spy vs. Spy" on "The All-Skanadian Club Vol. 1" (Stomp Records 1996)

Videography

*"Supernova"
*"Consequence"
*"Bordel"
*"Manon Viens Danser le Ska" (1999)

External links

* [http://thekingpins.com/news.htm The Official Kingpins Web Site (English)]
* [http://profile.myspace.com/theoneandonlykingpins The Kingpins on MySpace]
* [http://radio3.cbc.ca/bands/THE-KINGPINS The Kingpins on CBC Radio 3]
* [http://4thwave.ca/interviews.php?id=1 Interview with the Kingpins on 4thwave.ca]
* [http://www.eye.net/eye/issue/issue_01.16.97/music/indie.php Ska and Order: Skankin' the old way with The Kingpins (from Eye Weekly Magazine)]
* [http://www.unionlabelgroup.com/bandsview.php?id=25 The Kingpins at Stomp Records]
* [http://skanews-webzine.propagande.org/interviews/kingpins/kingpins-112000.htm THE KINGPINS Interview on SkaNews Webzine]