Hot Stove Jimmy

Early 1994 marked the formation of Chicago ska-revival outfit Hot Stove Jimmy, a group repeatedly disrupted by lineup instability, though one particular nine-piece roster—frontman Matt Irie, guitarists Keith Danek and Brett Meingasner, bassist Rob Willy, keyboardist Sam Ambrosini, saxophonists Jeff Vidmont and Matt Thullen, trumpeter Mark Beening, and drummer Anthony Spila—maintained continuity through the closing years of the decade. The demo Take Your Time received an official release on the Strike Out Reckhords label in 1995, followed a year later by the band’s first proper album, Salute, on Jump Up!. Multiple compilation contributions came before the 1999 appearance of Theme for a Major Hit.