You haven’t heard of ska. Not until now at least. This crazy
genre is all about the fun. Not many ska bands take themselves
seriously. You’re probably wondering what the hell ska is, so I guess I
could tell you. its a mixture of a good ‘ol rock and roll band mixed
with the horn section from a jazz band. I know, I know, it sounds weird,
but does it sure sound nifty.
However cool ska music is, (and by cool, I mean Hipsters jump on the
bandwagon before its cool) there is a lot of crap you have to go through
to find good bands. First off, the devil that is iTunes doesn’t have a
genre for ska, so you have to know bands. Good thing for you I know some
amazing ones that I listen to on a normal basis. First, I must define
the two schools of thought on ska music. There is ska punk which is more
widely known because frankly, its better, and then there is reggae ska.
In small doses, reggae ska can be awesome, but be forewarned, this is a
lot reggae and the distinction is a fine line. I’m going to be sticking
mostly to ska punk because I know it better and more people tend to
like it. So here are my recommendations:
Streetlight Manifesto (Catch 22/ Bandits of the Acoustic Revolution)-
This band, Streetlight Manifesto, started as an alternative band back
in the late 90s early 00s and have evolved into one of the pioneers of
the ska genre. They head up the serious ska punk side of things. Their
amazing anthems like “1,2,3,4 1,2,3,4” give listeners hope for the
future. Check out the whole entire Keasbey Nights redone by Streetlight
Manifesto and also their latest album 99 Songs of Revolution. You’ll dig
it.
Reel Big Fish- These guys were my first introduction into the genre
and was it a great intro! They head up the other side of the genre which
doesn’t take it self seriously and they just do everything for a laugh.
The song, “Sell Out” is a personal favorite. Check out the album Turn
the Radio Off, it has the main hits on it. Their greatest hits is also a
good place to start if you are into that sort of thing.
The Mighty Mighty Bosstones- They have some good hits, I’m partial to
their number one hit “The Impression That I Get” which is a must have
for any ska junkie. Let’s Face It is the
album i grew up with so I can’t
help but recommend it.
Less than Jake- Another fun band mixed with some serious lyrics, Less
than Jake is another legend in the industry, They’ve been around for
awhile and let me tell you, they still rock in concert. I’m really
digging the song “The Science of Selling Yourself Short” which is a
“slow” jam in terms of ska.
The Aquabats- These guys are crazy. Check them out. “Super Rad” ” is
zany along with “Fashion Zombies.” I forgot how much these guys were to
listen to. You won’t be able to help but not to sing along to the
nonsensical lyrics. Also check out “Pizza Day” and “Pool Party” for some
good laughs.
The Forces of Evil- A smaller time band, but still great, The Forces
of Evil have one of my all time favorite ska jams “Independent” along
with other angry, nerd hits such as “Go to Hell” and “Vague Love Song.”
Other bands of note:
Mad Caddies, Skankin’ Pickle, Goldfinger, Save Ferris, Chase Long
Beach, Five Iron Frenzy, The OC Supertones, and a few others that I
can’t remember at this time.
So I hope that I gave you enough information to get your feet wet
in this great genre. My main suggestion, plug one of these bands into
Spotify, Pandora or Last.fm and listen to their radio stations. Theirs
some great hidden gems! Good luck and happy listening.
