Grand Rapids MI · ska-punk

Mustard Plug

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Grand Rapids' third-wave ska lifers, built for skanking. Relentlessly upbeat, horns blazing, zero cynicism — exactly the palate-cleanser a punk weekend needs.

Mustard Plug formed in Grand Rapids, Michigan in 1991, after Dave Kirchgessner and Colin Clive went to a Special Beat show together. The original lineup also included Mike McKendrick and Anthony Vilchez, and the band took its name from the crusty buildup someone found on a mustard bottle pulled from the fridge. Grand Rapids had barely any ska scene at the time, which left the band room to develop its own sound.

Fronted by Kirchgessner, the group pairs punk tempos and guitar with a horn section, writing short, fast songs with upbeat melodies and shouted choruses.

The band self-released the cassette Skapocalypse Now! in 1992 before its debut album, Big Daddy Multitude, came out on Moon Records in 1994. Evildoers Beware!, recorded with the Descendents' Bill Stevenson and Stephan Egerton at The Blasting Room and released on Hopeless in 1997, sold over 150,000 copies; a cover of the Verve Pipe's "The Freshman" drew radio interest that the band chose not to pursue, and Pray for Mojo followed on the same label.

The band organised the Ska Is Dead tours from 2004 to 2009, played Warped Tour twice and the Ska Against Racism Tour, and kept working through festivals including Riotfest, Back to the Beach, Amnesia Rockfest, The FEST, Pouzza and Groezrock, long after most of their third-wave peers had stopped.

A tour of Australia in March 2020 was cut short by the pandemic, leading to a 16-month hiatus. Mustard Plug returned to The Blasting Room with Bill Stevenson in 2023 to record Where Did All My Friends Go?, released that September on Bad Time Records. They have now played more than 2,000 shows across 35 years on the road.

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ska-punk