Skalidays feat. Murphy’s Kids w/ Mighty Joshua, Shagwuf, and JACKMOVE

Murphy's Kids is a six-piece American ska punk band from Richmond, Virginia, formed in 1999. The group has toured up and down the East Coast of the United States and is noted for organizing the yearly Happy Skalidays charity benefit show. The Band is also known for being politically active. Their album, The Anti-Corporate Beach Party, was recorded in Petersburg, Virginia at Imagine Music Studios and had almost sold out its first pressing of 1,000 copies as of December 2006. In 2009, they released Departures.

Mighty Joshua moves listeners by opening minds and activating bodies through song. He encourages positive change with lyrics that raise consciousness in his community and beyond. With the debut of his first solo album, Joshua expresses himself through a spirited self-titled life inspired compilation.

Experimenting with sound and rhythm, Joshua draws from his musical roots in African percussion. Soon after exposure to Djembe and Djun Djun drums they became a part of his playing repertoire which also includes the Didgeridoo. In 1998 Joshua worked as a manager and D.J. with the company 3 Brothers, 1 Million Records – steadfastly laying the foundation for what has become the vibrant reggae music scene in Richmond today. By 1999 Joshua joined Jah Revelations, and later linked-up with Richmond Dub Collective which transformed over time into the reggae band Antero.

Joshua is an integral part of Antero. In 2008 the group won title of “Favorite New Band” at the first Virginia Reggae Awards. As vocalist and percussionist for the group since 2007, he has helped build the following that made the band a staple on the local music scene in his hometown of Richmond, VA. It is in this role that “Mighty Joshua” was born, and in 2012 he was nominated for Virginia Reggae’s “Best New Artist” award. In 2014 Joshua received awards for being Virginia Reggae's Favorite Artist of the Year, and his debut album was voted Favorite Album of the Year. Joshua has become acquainted with internationally recognized reggae artists through Chris “Peanut” Whitley of Stable Roots Productions who has received many accolades for his role as Music Director/Producer for Corey Harris and touring keyboardist for Corey Harris, Culture, and Eek-A-Mouse. Mighty Joshua played percussion and supplied backing vocals for Corey Harris albums “Father Sun, Mother Earth” and the soon to be released “Fulton Hill Blues.”
Mighty Joshua has had the pleasure of opening for international reggae acts such as Inner Circle, The Itals, Midnite, Tribal Seeds, and The Legendary Culture w/ Kenyatta Hill.

When he’s not living the life of a professional musician, Mighty Joshua dedicates time and energy to working with non-profit organizations like the Makindu Children’s Program in Kenya East Africa. He enjoys integrating music for social awareness and celebrating the impact individual people make.

"Shagwüf’s first full-length album unleashes heavy psychedelic blues on the ears of an unsuspecting public. There is a lot to unwrap here. The dense musicality suggests a mastery of instruments. Mood and tempo change quickly within songs courtesy of drummer Pablo Olivieri, while Ivan Christo’s organ-esque keyboard wailing helps define the swampy atmosphere. The lyrics suggest a primal, violent undercurrent. “Run O’ Bad Luck” begins almost as a self-empowering dance track before vocalist Pete Stallings turns to the listener to snarl questioningly, “How does it feel to be someone else’s meal?” “Fight Like a Girl,” with bassist Sally Rose on lead vocals, exhibits the best attributes of a top-notch Kim Deal-fronted Pixies song, one-upping Julius Caesar with the refrain, “She came, she saw, she broke my jaw.” The garage energy blazes toward “Cassolette,” the five-minute churning typhoon at the album’s center. Once there, all instruments explore the parameters of their existence with many a noodle. Rose and Pete Stallings complement each other’s vocals throughout. In spite of the intensity, the songs have a strong throughline of humor as well, one necessary to sell the charming couplet, “I’m in my cheetah chariot / I feed my cheetahs on baby carrots.' ”

-Whurk Magazine