The Secret Group Presents
BALLYHOO!
with Joint Operation + Cloud9 Vibes
Thursday May 2nd | Doors 7 PM | Show 8 PM | $20 General Admission
Through 25 years and eight independent albums, the last four on their own RightCoast Records, Ballyhoo! have earned the exclamation point which marks theirname. Starting in the basement of their mom’s Aberdeen, MD, home, rockingout on guitar and drums respectively, practicing every day, brothers Howi andDonald Spangler formed the proto-punk band in the mold of Green Day andNirvana, 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 theresponsibilities of adulthood while still hanging on to their dreams of worlddomination. Stylistically, their music ranges from the hard-edged punk of 2018’sDetonate, which captured the feelings of anger and depression from dealingwith personal loss and the exhaustion generated by over a decade on the roadto 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,” explainsHowi about the Ballyhoo! ethos. “Don’t worry about followers, views, or evenmoney. Just keep making good stuff. One day it may be possible tofinally quitthat 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 fromreal life...
