King Muskafa - notorious for packing dance floors wherever they play - is a six-piece female fronted band from Edmonton, Alberta. The group was founded by JC Jones in 1997 and began it's life as a ska cover band. They picked up Top 40 material (insert quote about $) and then originals were soon to follow. "It was something to try for fun" recalls Amber. And it was fun! Their own songs were every bit as strong as their covers - and they had to be, playing before discerning crowds who's ears were tuned to the radio friendly hooks that define mainstream music.

"But what exactly is pop music anyway" they asked, "...just stuff that's popular - and likable." So with this attitude they went to work - taking their early ska roots and creating music for the sole purpose of getting everyone out of their seats. Their material fuses elements of ska, reggae, and pop to create their own unique style. The horns (JC on trombone and Eric on trumpet) cover both traditional lines and modern guitar riffs (you should hear AC/DC's Shook me all night long) while the rhythm section (Peter on guitar, Troy on bass and the 'Other' Peter on drums) take care of the all important grooves. Amber of course is the tie that binds. Her powerful voice and wicked energy dare you to sit still - and when all things come together Muskafa is a sight to be seen and heard.

The bands self-titled CD is their first and was officially released in July of 2002. It was recorded, mixed and mastered at Sound Extractor Studio under the care of Stew Kirkwood. The groups material was created for the live audience, and Stew went about capturing this in his recordings. Mastering was done by Chris Sturwold, CD Design from Mark Remple and photography by Eugene Uhuad.

The last few years have seen the band extremely busy - routinely booked by Feldman Agencies throughout the mountain parks and performing at numerous clubs/events across Western Canada. The band is into their second run of CD’s with sales of over 1500 units. Manager Chris Martin has secured air play on local and national radio, helped with regional promotion and distribution and has 'freed' up the band allowing them to focus on performing and of course writing for their next album. "New songs are always in the works...it's just a matter of what to cut and when to record". And when to record is the big question. "Hopefully we'll get a few months of quiet time...it seems there's always something to do", and with the inclusion of their song Walk Away on the Jump Up/Megalith compilation 'Still Standing', new opportunities are in no short supply. "...it's kinda neat, shipping discs to Greece and Indonesia and what-not...and there's also the possibility of another comp. this summer too, which is why a new disc would be great to have."

So time will tell.

User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License and may also be available under the GNU FDL.