Born during winter 1997, Les Skalopes, a band from Bures sur Yvette (Paris suburbs) strides fervently over concert halls, festivals and ballrooms to make people know their music : ska music mixed with a punkrock spirit, and powered by a boosting rhythm section, a generous brass section and the energetic voice of their female singer, mocking the shortcoming of modern societies . <br><br> The 10 musicians share their passion of music through more than 150 concerts, sharing the stage with The Toasters, The Slackers, Emir Kusturica, Inner Terrestrial, Les Fils de TeupuhÂ… <br><br> Concerts which have enabled them to build up a faithful and vaster and vaster audience as much as a solid stage-band reputation, far from the showbiz glittering world and the preformated actual musical trends. <br><br> After several demos, the band produced their first LP “Chasse à l’enfant” (Children to hunt) in 2005, with a video produced in December 2006. The band second album will soon come up. <br><br>

Mockingbirds was created in 1999 and today regroups 10 young musicians from Brussels. The band is composed of a blend between a rhythmic base (bass, guitar and drums), a strong wind instrument section (Alto Sax, Tenor Sax, 2 Trumpets and Trombone), a keyboard and a singer. <br><br> With more than 70 concerts which mainly take place in Belgium, but also in France and Luxembourg, the band plays incidental music which is made of an energetic, melodic and brassy mix of Ska, Surf music and Rock. <br><br> Their first album was auto produced in 2003 and was sold at 1,000 copies. The second 14 title album, for which a distributor is wanted, will be released on 28 June 2007 at an opening concert at the ‘Botanique’ in Brussels. <br><br> Mockingbirds is part of the ‘Friskyflexfellow’ association, which promotes bands from Brussels producing positive music (among them the Skamuraï Munchies and Combi Drivers for example). <br><br> The association has released 2 CD’s (Stoemp Volume 1 and 2) and has organized a number of successful concerts in Brussels, all sold outÂ… and this is only the beginning!!! Happy Happy Mockingbirds day !! <br><br>