The Allstonians - ProfilesArchive

About Me

Through a storied career spanning the better part of the 90s and into the new millennium, The Allstonians have earned their reputation as a world-class reggae/ska group. The band has released three full-length CDs, appeared on innumerable reggae and ska compilations worldwide, put out several singles and won international and local superlatives for their unforgettable live shows and recordings.
The Allstonians play a horn-driven, danceable, and irreverent style of reggae, ska and roots music. How well they play together (and how much fun they are to perform with) is demonstrated by the legendary musicians who've sat in with them over the years, including members of the Grammy-nominated Skatalites (Bob Marley's former backing band).
The band has toured North America and Europe extensively with a variety of local, national, and international groups. The Allstonians have shared stages and tours with notable acts The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, The Specials, The Selecter, Bad Manners, The Toasters, and Bim Skala Bim, as well as touring with and serving as backup band for Jamaican vocal legends Laurel Aitken and Lord Tanamo. Playing a busy schedule of nightclubs, colleges and benefits, the band has performed their inimitable brand of roots, reggae and ska for roughly 250,000 people, from their very first to their most recent gig.
The Allstonians' first two CDs, "Go You" and "Allston Beat" on New York's renowned reggae/ska label Moon Records, have sold approximately 15,000 copies apiece and are distributed in North America, Europe and Japan. They have also released a third CD, "Bottoms Up" on Fork in Hand Records. Their recordings are available in most music shops in "reggae" sections, or available via outlets such as Amazon.com. The band has been featured on MTV's Real World, is played consistently on US college radio stations, and is featured on Internet radio sites almost daily throughout the world.

My Interests

Music:

Member Since: 06/08/2007
Band Website: www.allstonians.com
Band Members: Presently:: Dtrain - Saxamaphone and warbling:: Tommy Quartulli - Saxamaphone and marbling:: Eric 'Pops' Bridson - Trombone and fatherhood:: Matt Giorgio - Trumpet and Brack Raber:: Father David Roy - Drums and vox:: Joe 'Pondaco' D'Italia - Guitar and Enforcement:: Nigel 'Nigel' Knucklehead - keys and screaming:: Any one of the following on bass: Jim 'I might be able to make it' Zavadoski..Luke 'Kurt' Wahlstrom..David 'PBR' Tierney::Steve ! also makes some gigs.
Influences: Alcohol
Sounds Like: Your girlfriend the first time you hear her "pass gas" - frightening...then not that shocking...then kind of funny...then you want her to do it again.
Record Label: Unsigned

My Blog

You may not believe this but...

The flux a band goes through is really f**ked up, anyone who's been in a band longer than six months can atest to this. Just when the horns are sounding really good, a bass player has to leave. Just...
Posted by on Tue, 24 Feb 2009 09:15:00 GMT

New bass player, Bob.

OK, we need some help. Two members named David? No, no that is not good. They both answer every time we call. It is getting annoying, really. I mean these guys are annoyi...
Posted by on Wed, 01 Oct 2008 14:59:00 GMT

Top Ten Things Youll Never Hear at an Allstonians Show

10. Boy, these guys are really young! 9. The horns NEVER solo. 8. They are all so serious. 7. Wow, I've never heard them play "Allston, Mass" live. 6. I hear they ar...
Posted by on Wed, 16 Jul 2008 08:03:00 GMT

Til the cows come home...

Austria. It is a beautiful country. We didn't play there but we drove through on our way to Lindau, Germany, where we stayed overnight at a B&B on a lake just across from Austria....
Posted by on Wed, 11 Jun 2008 07:10:00 GMT

Just writing...

Dtrain told me to put stories up here. A lot of them you would be horrified to hear. We are a distinctly un-PC, foul mouthed bunch. Even if you aren't when you join the band, you soo...
Posted by on Tue, 03 Jun 2008 11:30:00 GMT

Oh, yeah, music

We played with Bad Manners last week. This band is good. We all felt like we were transported 20 years into the past...but that was probably helped by the amount of tequila I inhaled. ...
Posted by on Thu, 27 Mar 2008 08:03:00 GMT

From Simon in Burnley...

Thanks for the good press, Simon. http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&f riendID=130995406&blogID=359385484&Mytoken=51042594- C820-4162-A8E3144A9A835F9830546095
Posted by on Thu, 28 Feb 2008 10:18:00 GMT

What the f...? 28 December 2007.

How's it going? Well, the BossTones didn't honour us with selection for the Hometown Throwdown. I know there is a lot of excitement about this event but it points out one very important th...
Posted by on Fri, 14 Dec 2007 06:29:00 GMT

1 December

We are doing a whole night at Porter Belly's Pub in downtown Brighton, MA on the first of December 2007. This means we had to dig out a lot of old stuff to be able to do the two long sets. ...
Posted by on Tue, 20 Nov 2007 09:37:00 GMT

Scattered memories of about 500 gigs...

With so many recollections of Allstonians tours, gigs, hijinks and such I find it irresistible not to join in and add to the mix. (Listening to Rico Rodriguez on internet radio as I write this&) ...
Posted by on Mon, 01 Oct 2007 08:53:00 GMT