Though ska more often conjures up images of high-school music students attempting to start a punk band than legendary collectives of skilled musicians, the Skatalites fall squarely into the latter category. The nine-piece band formed in Jamaica in 1964, early enough to be part of skas First Wave (i.e., long before the genre essentially fused with punk), and backed the likes of Bob Marley, Jimmy Cliff and Toots and the Maytals before disbanding in 1965. The group has undergone numerous lineup changes after reuniting in 1983, but their musical style remains representative of the early days of the genre, even if their pun-based name is reminiscent of more modern contemporaries like Reel Big Fish. Best of all, the venue is a perfect fit: its fair to say that the acts that fill the Nectars ska and reggae-heavy calendar owe an enduring debt to these progenitors of the genre. With Georgetown Orbits. ANDREW GOSPE
Thu., June 2, 8 p.m., 2011
