Yes, Bluebeat DC is back, this month featuring The Scotch Bonnets!

After throwing in the towel for about a year, the monthly ska/reggae/rocksteady event was resuscitated in December and now gets the party started every third Thursday of the month at Bossa. Bluebeat DC showcases the finest acts in ska, reggae, and rocksteady from DC and beyond, taking its cues from a similar happening of the same name that used to be all the rage in L.A.

As for The Scotch Bonnets, they are no rookies. The Baltimore/DC-based band has been doing their thing since 2009 and used to be a staple of another DC event, Conductor Pablo Fiasco’s Reggae Sweatshop. The band’s frontwoman, Lady Hatchet, recalls those days with reverence: “Before I moved to Baltimore, I used to live in DC. I miss being in the District, and I’m very psyched to be a part of that nightlife again!”

And Lady Hatchet and crew – Pablo Fiasco, organ and vocals; Devlin McDonald, bass; Names Thompson, drums; DJ Selah, melodica and vocals; and Doc Night, saxophone and vocals – have been keeping themselves busy. Aside from gigs galore in and around the Mid-Atlantic – usually in tandem with H.R. of DC punk royalty Bad Brains – they have a track on Hooligans United, Hellcat Records’ upcoming Rancid tribute album, which is set to drop on April 14; and they are embarking on an epic three-week nationwide tour starting April 23, opening for and backing Roddy Radiation, lead guitarist from the legendary Two Tone band The Specials.

But don’t think any of this has gone to their heads – The Bonnets hat-tip their roots and salute Bluebeat DC’s revival. Lady Hatchet: “Bluebeat DC is the brainchild of my buddy Keith Duncan, and it’s pretty great because, as well as giving ska/reggae/rocksteady bands a regular place to play, it’s a recurring night where lovers of Jamaican music can hear those types of bands from this area and beyond. And the fact that it’s a volunteer-run night that has been brought back by popular demand is pretty outstanding, too.”

We couldn’t agree more.

Check out The Scotch Bonnets performing live this Thursday at Bossa’s monthly Bluebeat DC event, along with New York City’s King Django, and New Jersey headliners Hub City Stompers.