Mustard Plug

There’s no shame in liking ska. So what if most of the genre’s fans happen to be teenagers wearing plaid hats? Mustard Plug’s horn-riddled infusion of Jamaican ska with American influences like jazz and punk doesn’t get as much respect as it probably should, but that hasn’t stopped the Grand Rapids, Michigan sextet: On 2007’s In Black And White, the group’s mood was infectiously upbeat but defiant, from the sneering opener “Who Benefits?” to the last note on “What You Say.” And there seems to be more in the pipeline (excuse the pun): The band contributed the gas guzzler-damning “Blame Yourself” in 2011 to Head Above Water, a Community Records compilation commemorating the one-year anniversary of the Deepwater Horizon disaster.

Updated 03/06/2012