El Grande is an original ska band from Portland, Maine. "Black & Blue" is from their first CD, Crosstown Rivals, released in 2007.

Black & Blue, studio version

El Grande is an original ska band from Portland, Maine. "Don't Take It Personal" is from their first CD, Crosstown Rivals, released in 2007.

Don't Take It Personal, studio verison

El Grande is an original ska band from Portland, Maine. "Saving My Pennies" is from their first CD, Crosstown Rivals, released in 2007.

Saving My Pennies, studio version

El Grande is an original ska band from Portland, Maine. "Crosstown Rivals" is from their first CD, Crosstown Rivals, released in 2007.

Crosstown Rivals, studio version

A live recording of "Closed Fist," performed at The Sad Cafe in Plaistow, NH on Jan. 12, 2013.

Closed Fist - Live @ The Sad Cafe

Attitude fueled by rock and roll and punk ethics gives life to El Grande’s original brand of ska. A fixture in the talented Portland, Maine music scene, El Grande has been playing shows all over the Northeast for the past decade, winning over ska purists and skeptics of the punk scene. The group delivers high energy concerts and tight songs in their live performances, always proving to be memorable and unpredictable.

Combining muscular vocals and lyrics that touch on personal triumph, relationships and social messages that speak to everyday people, El Grande’s songs range from fast, upbeat ska to rocksteady reggae. The band’s diverse sound combines early two-tone rhythms and third-wave ska to produce a big sound and prominent horn section melodies.

With major ska influences including The Slackers, The Aggrolites and The Pietasters, El Grande also reaches into the rock and roll breed with echoes of The Rolling Stones, J. Geils Band and The Clash.

In 2007, the Grandes recorded their debut album, “Crosstown Rivals,” featuring six original tunes. With many more songs already in the repertoire and even more emerging from every practice, the band plans to record a second album this spring.

The band has had the honor of opening for some of ska music’s biggest names and continues to share the stage with some of the genre’s most talented artists. These have included: The Toasters, Streetlight Manifesto, The Voodoo Glow Skulls, Big D and the Kids Table, The Pietasters, Westbound Train and The Slackers.

Lineup:

Chris Gironda – VOX, Guitar
Carlo Bufano – Keys
Justin Park – Bass
Sam Yawdik – Drums
Chris Campbell – Trombone, VOX
Betsy Caron – Trumpet
Keith Orlando – Guitar, Alto Sax
Stephen Perry – Bari (tenor/alto Sax

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