Shawn Johnson, 39, is an organizer of the A Fistful of Ska! Festival, 7 p.m. Friday at Beechoowd Lounge, 416 E. Walnut St. and 7 p.m. Saturday at the Gas Lamp, 1501 Grand Ave.
Q: Where did the idea for the festival come from?
Me and the other members of 3 Bridges (Jason Kling, John Laws, Joel Rouse and Daren Owens) came up with the idea at an after-hours party at The Rude Boy Bar & Grill on the south side. It kind of fell together. Everybody had availabilities for those days, so we figured why not do something fun right before Christmas for ska fans?
Q: How long has 3 Bridges been putting on shows?
Our first show was The Aggrolites in May. We got together because bands like The Aggrolites weren’t getting brought to town. Since then we’ve brought in Deals Gone Bad, Deke Dickerson, Coupling, Dropsteppers, The Prizefighters and Spin Spin.
Q: What ska band would you most like to bring to town?
I’m a big fan of second-wave ska, the 2 Tone era. I’d love to bring in Madness, out of the U.K. But we’re going to have to get a bit bigger. I don’t think we have the budget for them.
