Through 25 years and eight independent albums, the last four on their own Right  Coast Records, Ballyhoo! have earned the exclamation point which marks their  name. Starting in the basement of their mom’s Aberdeen, MD, home, rocking  out on guitar and drums respectively, practicing every day, brothers Howi and  Donald Spangler formed the proto-punk band in the mold of Green Day and  Nirvana, with an eye towards the emerging ska genre led by Goldfinger, Sublime,  311 and No Doubt. 

The group’s eighth and most recent studio album, the breezy, ska-fueled, hook filled Message to the World, on their own Right Coast Records, finds the self declared “beach-rockers,” having grown up in public, accepting the  responsibilities of adulthood while still hanging on to their dreams of world  domination. Stylistically, their music ranges from the hard-edged punk of 2018’s  Detonate, which captured the feelings of anger and depression from dealing  with personal loss and the exhaustion generated by over a decade on the road  to the island reggae beats of the follow-up, Message to the World.  “Whatever you want to achieve, just focus on that and work towards it,” explains  Howi about the Ballyhoo! ethos. “Don’t worry about followers, views, or even  money. Just keep making good stuff. One day it may be possible to finally quit  that day job and live your dream full time.”Ballyhoo! is still doing just that,  purveying good vibes, positivity and fun live shows meant to take you away from  real life...