Ballyhoo!

Ballyhoo!, a Maryland outfit fusing pop, reggae, rock, ska, and traces of punk, originated in Aberdeen and has placed material on both Jimmy Buffett’s Radio Margaritaville and underground skateboarding videos. Brothers Howi Spangler on lead guitar and vocals and Donald Spangler on drums launched the group in 1995, with Josh Farley completing the initial trio on bass. When Farley exited in 1997, Cassius King assumed the bass role. The band’s debut album, 365-Day Weekend, appeared in 2000 on Hooligan Records at the moment keyboardist Scott Vandrey joined, expanding Ballyhoo! to a quartet. Hooligan also issued the 2004 EP The Green before releasing the 2006 album Do It for the Money, produced by 311 collaborator Scott Ralston; by then J.R. Gregory had replaced Cassius King on bass. The 2009 album Cheers! came out on Surfdog, while 2011’s Day Dreams surfaced on LAW, the label run by the band Pepper. After Ballyhoo! joined the 2012 Vans Warped Tour, their own Right Coast Records issued 2013’s Pineapple Grenade!!, which entered the Billboard 200. In 2014 Nick Lucera took over bass from J.R. Gregory and played on the 2015 EP The Cool Down; that same year the single “Mixtape” was released and later appeared on the 2017 album Girls.