The Toasters are a
third wave ska band from
New York formed in
1981 by
Robert 'Bucket' Hingley. Their music and image was heavily influenced by the
British Two Tone movement.
They were one of the first American bands in the third wave of ska, and may be the longest active ska band in the United States. However, singer Robert Hingley is the only original member still in the band. They have released nine studio albums, most of them on the now-defunct Moon Ska independent record label. Moon Ska was founded and owned by Hingley and at one time it was the world's largest ska-only record label. Moon Ska folded in 2000, and Hingley has since founded a new label, Megalith Records.[1]
The Toasters experienced a small degree of commercial success in the late 1990s due to the North American ska explosion. They recorded the music for the Nickelodeon show KaBlam! (credited as the Moon Ska Stompers) and recorded background music in many TV commercials, including for America Online and Coca-Cola. Their song "Don't Let The Bastards Grind You Down" appeared in the pilot episode of the animated series Mission Hill. They still perform around the world, and in 2007 they celebrated their 25th Anniversary with a new studio album, One More Bullet.
