It's taken them quite a few years, but members of the long-lived New York ska group the Scofflaws have finally gotten the last laugh on some of their former bandmates.
The band started almost 20 years ago as the New Bohemians, a ska/reggae/pop ensemble but subsequently split into two factions after vocalist Edie Brickell joined up. The remaining members formed the pop/funk/folk group known as Edie Brickell and the New Bohemians, while the liberated horn section became the Scofflaws and re-dedicated themselves solely to ska music.But after some initial commercial success, Edie Brickell and the New Bohemians faded away (though Brickell has recently resurfaced, performing with husband Paul Simon), and the Scofflaws have been steadily building an audience across the United States and Europe with its horn-heavy ska, which mixes covers alongside original instrumentals and vocal numbers.
The Scofflaws will perform Sunday, Feb. 2, at the Zephyr Club, 301 S. West Temple.
"Ska in Hi-Fi," the second Scofflaws album, showcases the band after another split - band co-founder Mike Drance recently left to start the Bluebeats, an even more traditional-sounding ska act, while keyboardist Victor Rice is now devoting his time to the self-explanatory New York Ska-Jazz Ensemble. Despite the losses of those two members, the new CD is the group's most consistent musical effort to date.
Local ska act Insatiable, which just released its second full-length CD, "Inflatable," will open the concert at 9 p.m.
Tickets for the show, which is restricted to audiences 21 and older, are $5 at the door.