Carm-Down Records

08/09/2026

What an amazing Saturday night we had with Red’s Tribe and The Ska vendors for Melbourne Calling - Chapter 2!

Melbourne called… and fans from all corners of the compass responded by travelling from far and wide to the Kindred Bandroom as it warmed to the sounds of traditional Jamaican music.

From Western Australia, Tasmania, New South Wales, South Australia and Victoria.. we all united to the walking rhythm and off-beat and showed that trad ska and rocksteady isn’t just surviving in Australia… it is THRIVING!

But of course, nights like these don’t just happen by accident…

We are immensely humbled and forever thankful to the leaders of the tribes, Stevuck Montgomery from The Ska vendors and Stuart Ferguson from Red’s Tribe for putting so much of their time and passion into coordinating and organising this event with us.

Red’s Tribe have made many new fans and followers from their first trip to the East Coast and we are looking forward with great excitement and anticipation to welcoming you back again in the future!

We were blessed with having so many world class musicians in the room... culminating with both bands joining together on stage to perform rousing renditions of “Mr PC” and “Oil In My Lamp” that will be remembered for a very long time by everyone in the room.

Special appreciation and love to the soulful powerhouses of Pat Powell and Kerri Simpson who, alongside the dynamic duo of Leah Guelfi and Justin Everette Gross from Red's Tribe, enthralled us all with their vocals and talent.

Special mentions and thanks to Larrabee DJmelbourne and Mark Reggae Fever Williamson for keeping the great vibe alive throughout the night from behind the decks.

Many thanks also from us to Newport Ska, Reggae and Rocksteady Festival for helping promote the event and the staff and management Kindred Bandroom for providing a fabulous venue and support on the night. We look forward to working with you again in the future.

And last, but by no means least, we are deeply grateful to all our , supporters and everyone who joined us to fill the Kindred on Saturday night.

We love seeing so much happiness and enjoyment in the crowd at these events!

Jump onboard with the Carm-Down Records page to keep up date with upcoming events and more!

04/09/2026

Congratulations Ska Street 3MDR on your second anniversary of filling our Saturday afternoons with lots of SKA, SKA, SKA! 😃

We are proud to be supporters of Ska Street 3MDR and everything you do to promote new releases and upcoming gigs for ska and rocksteady bands, in Melbourne and all around the country.

We've got our ticket... and onboard for wherever you takes us, and all the other passengers, next on the SKA Express.... 🚂

All Aboard!

To celebrate two years of SKA STREET on your local community radio 3MDR 97.1 FM we are giving all listeners a complimentary ticket to Skaville this Skaturday! Jump onboard the transport of your choice and travel with us as we skank all the way to Skaville on ska trains, planes, cars, buses, bikes, boats and even rocketships!

We'll be taking the Skinhead Train to Rainbow City, the Night Boat to Cairo, and the Last Train to Expo '67 on the way to Skaville. This playlist is going to get your wheels turning!

If you miss your flight on Bumpy Airlines don't panic! Ska Street podcasts are uploaded to the 3MDR website straight after the show: https://3mdr.com/shows/ska-street/

18/08/2026

This Friday! The one and only Loin Groin play The Retreat Hotel.
Doors at 8:15pm.
Copies of their latest tasty vinyl offering “Damage Control” and more will be available on the night!
See you there.

For this show, these virtuosos of Melbourne pub-rock and ska will play a set full of of cult hits and material from their new album 'Damage Control'. This show will feature a very special guest: Melbourne trombone legend Eleanor Gordon. With support from The Torqueflites.

07/08/2026

Craig: Hey Pat!

Pat: What's Up Craig?

Craig: Did you know today is Bandcamp Friday?

Pat: Really?? I was too busy waiting to see if my team was playing tonight! What's this Bandcamp Friday all about then?

Craig: All sales on Bandcamp in the next 24hrs have reduced fees, meaning more money comes directly to us and the rest of the band!

Pat: Sweet! But how will everyone know where to buy our stuff?

Craig: It's all here on the Carm-Down Records Bandcamp site
https://carm-downrecords.bandcamp.com/, including our new album on vinyl and digital download... and a few other tasty additions from the Loin Groin back catalogue...

Pat: Sounds too easy.... even for someone who is slow on the uptake😉

* Photo by Tbone Media

03/08/2026

MELBOURNE CALLING II

Kindred bandroom, Footscray!

Bringing the best of live Ska & Rocksteady from across Australia
…..Pat Powell (N.S.W.)
……Red’s Tribe (W.A)
…….DJ Larrabee (VIC)
…….DJ Mark Reggae Fever Williamson (S.A)
……..The Ska Vendors

September 5th. $20 tix

See you on the dancefloor...

https://www.facebook.com/share/1QXRwPKr34/

Send a message to learn more

21/07/2026

We are very humbled and thankful to have our very own Ivan Downey to be this week's featured interview in the Ska Nation International Music Festival newsletter. As many of you will already know, Ivan has been deeply immersed with the ska movement in Australia since he first became involved with the pioneering Madness tribute band, Mad Not Madness in the early 1990's. He has always been a passionate supporter of Australian ska which has earned him a lot of respect with everyone in the scene. This has naturally progressed in last couple of years to the formation of the Australian Ska Archives which collects, curates and preserves it's history and its continued evolution in the current era. It is that same passion and love of ska music, and for the people that keep it alive, that he brings to Carm-Down Records today!

You can catch Ivan's interview here:
http://eepurl.com/M0eIMg2fhH

Subscribe!
If you're into ska, reggae, rocksteady, punk, two-tone, or just enjoy discovering great music and great people, the Ska Nation newsletter is perfect for you. This weekly newsletter will be sent straight to your email inbox with feature stories, exclusive interviews and details of what gigs are happening around the country. Keep up to date and informed by signing up here:
https://mailchi.mp/d3d857105fd1/ska-nation-newsletter

In other news, we have lots of awesome gigs and special events coming up in the next couple of months that we can't wait to tell you all about. It's going to be a really exciting time with all the great ska and rocksteady shows happening across Melbourne - and we can't wait to see you at a gig soon... 😃

Hint! There are big spoilers for one of our upcoming events that we are co-hosting with The Ska vendors and Red’s Tribe in this week's edition of the Ska Nation newsletter. Enjoy!

01/05/2026

Hot on the heels of the album launch last weekend at the Northcote Social Club, we are pleased to announce that the Carm-Down Records Bandcamp site is now ready for business.

If you weren't able to attend the event last Sunday, this is your chance to grab a copy of Loin Groin's brand new vinyl LP, DAMAGE CONTROL and other select merchandise.

The link to our Bandcamp site is now live:
https://carm-downrecords.bandcamp.com

And while you are there, click the link to follow our Bandcamp site and get notified of more merchandise, releases and bands that will be appearing very soon! 😃

29/04/2026

Time to start loving - Loin Groin encore style at the Northcote Social Club during the release party for their new LP, Damage Control. Enjoy! 😃