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JFH Indie Review

JFH Indie Inspection Review

How To Program A VCR

Dime Store Heist
How To Program A VCR

Street Date: March 1, 2010
Style: Ska
Buy It: Amazon.com

While the days of great ska have, for the most part, died, there are still bands around that are trying to keep the genre alive. The Mighty Mighty Bosstones are apparently working on a new record, and Reel Big Fish has been a staple of the Vans Warped Tour for years now. Last year, Indie Vision Music released a free compilation called Ska Lives, with a sequel having dropped this summer. The compilation featured a mix of good, bad and decent ska bands. Among them were well-known bands like Five Iron Frenzy and The O.C. Supertones, as well as bands you may not be familiar with, such as The Waffle Stompers and Dime Store Heist. The latter of which released a full-length album in 2010 called How To Program A VCR, which was a surprisingly good effort from the group. Overall, the production work is pretty solid, and the music is good old fashioned ska that makes you want to get up and skank the day away. While the majority of ska is pretty self-explanatory as far as sound goes, a couple of good comparisons to Dime Store Heist would be Sublime and The O.C. Supertones. The title track even offers a bit of Five Iron Frenzy in the chorus. I do like what Dime Store Heist has to offer on How To Program A VCR, and the guys are obviously talented musicians, but I think they display a tendency to fall into the shadows of some of the aforementioned, bigger name ska bands. They even end the album with some silly rambling in the hidden track at the end, a la the Supertones. So while they are talented, and How To Program A VCR is a fairly good ska album, I can't help but hear other bands that came in and did it before these guys. However, don't let that stop you from listening to this if you're a ska fan. Dime Store Heist is one of the few bands that is doing a good job of keeping ska in some sort of living state.

- Review date: 8/30/11, written by Scott Fryberger of Jesusfreakhideout.com



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This Friday, June 27, 2025
ALBUMS
7eventh Time Down We Praise You [BEC]
The Browns 25th Anniversary: Better Days Ahead [StowTown]
Franni Cash Wild Child - EP [Capitol CMG]
Matt Crocker interlude [Anotherland]
Jimmy Fortune Songs of an American Dreamer [Gaither]
Roxanne Grace Road Trip - EP [DREAM]
JJ Hairston & Youthful Praise The Live Reunion: Washington, DC [James Town]
Kutless The Seventh Seal - EP [BEC]
Evvie McKinney It Ain't Over - EP (independent)
Rusty Shipp Capsized Empire (independent)
SEU Worship A Forgiving God [Provident]
The Shimmering Carnelians The Doorway (Version 2.0) (independent)
We Are Messengers A Thousand Times - EP [Curb]

SINGLES
Anchor & Braille Rattlesnake - Single [Equal Vision]
ANTHNY imposter syndrome - Single [Provident]
Blanca Right On Time - Single [Curb]
Landry Cantrell & Elenee sunshine & rainbows - Single [DREAM]
Eddie Clark Never Content - Single [Syntax]
Colony House Atomic - Single [Roon]
Megan Danielle Preachin' To The Choir - Single [Provident]
Drea LP & OnBeatMusic Don't Try Me (DTM) - Single [Syntax]
Joseph Habedank Running to Me - Single [Daywind]
Lonnie Hunter Flow (Like A River) - Single [Uncle G]
Kashh Kade HELP - Single [Syntax]
KB x KEANU Keanu's Song - Single [Provident]
Tasha Layton Singing In the Dark - Single [BEC]
Tasha Cobbs Leonard The Hand That Keeps Holding - Single [Motown Gospel]
Tim Lovelace Celebration of America Medley (feat. Charlie McCoy) - Single [StowTown]
Lecrae Tell No Lie (feat. Jackie Hill Perry) - Single [Reach]
LO Worship The Perfect Love of Jesus - Single [Integrity]
Patrick Mayberry Thank The Lord - Single [Provident]
Michael Monroe John The Baptist (feat. Chris Renzema) - Single [Provident]
Alexander Pappas A Great Awakening / Un Nuevo Despertar - Single [Integrity]
PEABOD Summer in Seattle - Single [RMG Amplify]
Rave Jesus Walk On The Water Remix (From The Chosen) - Single [Provident]
The Rocky Valentines Nat Song - Single [Velvet Blue]
Saints In Exile & Cutright My Dead End (ft. Jeannie Ortega, Luc DiMarzio, Jericko) - Single [Syntax]
Emilie Weiss Take Care (Studio Sessions) - Single [BEC]

DVD
Jimmy Fortune Songs Of An American Dreamer DVD [Gaither]

Next Friday, July 4, 2025
ALBUMS
Chad Cory America [DREAM]
Tenielle Neda The Way Of Love [Wings]

SINGLES
Christian Back Now - Single [DREAM]



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