| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| Fort Skumpter |
Posted - 07/04/2004 : 12:08:01 PM
There are people around the country, like myself, who have worked diligently over the years to basically bring ska back from the dead.
(And trust me. It was pretty dead.)
What we're seeing is a bunch of new bands spring up. But instead of being ska bands, they're more like rock-bands-with-horns.
So, maybe, a lot of you simply just don't know what ska is supposed to sound like.
Well, pull up a chair cuz class is in session.
Ska is Jamaican music.
In the simplest of terms, it's basically a mix of Motown and an African type of music called mento.
Boss Sounds - A History Of Jamaican Music
http://www.geocities.com/boss_sounds
Eventhough it had gained its independence from England in 1962, Jamaica was still part of the British Commonwealth. A few years later, in the mid-70's, there was great political unrest in Jamaica and a lot of musicians fled the country. Some, because Jamaica was part of The Commonwealth, fled to the UK.
In England, musicians like The Clash and The Police started working Jamaican riddims into their music. Well, thanks to the Sex Pistols, a lot of punk was banned, and punk started to fall out of fashion.
In 1979, a punk band from Coventry called "The Coventry Automatics" decided to dabble in ska, or bluebeat as it was known in England. They decided to play a mix of punk and ska, and changed their name to The Specials.
The Specials Official Website
http://www.thespecials.com
At the same time, there was great social unrest in the UK because unemployment was high and a lot of these new Jamaican transplants, as well as other foreigners, were taking up jobs as cheap labor. Race retlations in the Uk were at a fever pitch. Along comes this band called The Specials, and they are an integrated band.
What the fook??
To show their support for racial solidarity, The Specials formed their own label, Two Tone Records, and started recruiting other ska acts.
Two Tone Info
http://2-tone.info
What followed has been described as a "Dance Craze". Ska was white hot in England. The black-and-white checkerboard design could be found everywhere. Two Tone bands ruled the British Pop Charts. But before you could say "One Step Beyond", it was all over. Two Tone Records was bankrupt, and in 1984, the whole craze folded.
Ska lay dormant for most of the 80's. Sure, The Toasters, Fishbone, The Loafers, and other bands were active, but with Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston, and Bon Jovi being forced down your throats, did you really notice?
Around 1989, things began to change in the US. Bands like The Toasters, Fishbone, The Mighty Mighty Bosstones stopped being local bands and started gaining national recognition. (Who remembers hearing "Skanking To The Beat" in the movie "Say Anything"?)
At the same time in California, bands like No Doubt, Let's Go Bowling, and others started dabbling in ska. By 1994, with Moon Ska Records well under way, ska exploded onto the US music scene. Other record companies, always looking for the next big thing, started signing bands left and right. A Ska Boom, also know as The Third Wave, was on.
Pretty soon, any band with a couple of horns was being signed to a label. It didn't matter if you were a traditional band like Hepcat, or a punk band with horns like Reel Big Fish.
Ska was everywhere.
But with every Boom, there comes the Bust. And with the explosion of Boy Bands like NSync. Ska bands were dropped like flies from the labels. Moon Ska went bankrupt when bands couldn't make due on their contracts. (For more on Moon Ska, check out this interview with Bucket Hingley. http://www.inmusicwetrust.com/articles/66h03.html )
Ska was dead, as far as the US was concerned.
But it wasn't really. A lot of bands did fold, but some just went back to being the local band they were in the beginning.
In the past 3 to 4 years, a lot of people having trying to get a national ska scene back up and running. Some people, like myself, have worked on a small scale. Some people have worked on a regional scale. Others like Chuck Wren and Bucket Hingley have worked on a national scale with the founding of Megalith Records.
So please, if you want to start a ska band, at least try to work some recognizable ska aspects into your music. Keep in mind that ska is dance music. It always has been. If you need more info on ska's history, check out these links:
http://hem.passagen.se/qhp/75/history.html
http://www.geocities.com/lvbernard
http://www.skajerk.com/historyframe.html
Or check out these US bands that play a more traditional ska style:
http://www.twoandahalfwhiteguys.com
http://www.akarudie.com
http://www.chrismurray.net
http://www.easternstandardtime.com
http://www.iration.com/hepcat
http://www.kingdjango.com
http://www.lascabriolas.com
http://www.letsgobowling.com
http://www.rudeindc.com/rsg
http://www.theslackers.com
http://www.toasters.org
http://www.theuprights.net
http://www.westboundsound.com
and many more that I'm forgetting.
Thanks for listening.
-Andrew
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| 15 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| Longsean |
Posted - 07/08/2007 : 01:11:38 AM
this whole thread makes me want to slit my wrists. play music. listen to music. enjoy the hell out of it. |
| gabester309 |
Posted - 07/06/2007 : 11:34:17 PM
I think it was right here on BAS that I read an interview a few years ago with Vic Ruggierro. This Q$A always sticks out in my mind when I think of this topic....
"What do you think of the state of ska music today? Everyone always says that it is either dead, or they are waiting for a fourth wave or whatever.…
To me, the musical taste of the average ska fan has gotten a lot better. They have seen what is out there now, and they are the better for it. I would love to say that No Doubt did a great disservice, but I can't. They came out and said they weren't ska, but it still got out to the people. And if 10% of the people that No Doubt captured the attention of get to hear the Skatalites because of that, then it's great. And now there will be another band who wants to be like the Skatalites. And it really doesn't matter how hot she is -- I mean she isn't my type -- but you can't put a bad record out, regardless of who you are. The music has to be good. So now they have faded, or they came and went or whatever. Ska music --well good music in general -- is timeless, man. You put "Guns Of Navaronne" on, and you will have a whole street dancing. You can put a good pop song on and have people dancing, but a year from now nobody will want to be associated with it. I mean, how old is Guns Of Navaronne? That record will always have people dancing."
To me...who cares how they play or what they play....as long as they play. Their putting forth an effort because they were inspired. At some point they may come to appreciate earlier sounds. This is the musical path for most people who listen to ska music. At least they go the bouls to start a band and perform for people. Most of em' dont't make any money, they do it for thir love of music.
Like a few said already, it's a matter of personal taste. It's all related somehow.
"Truly, you have a dizzying intellect". |
| ted |
Posted - 07/06/2007 : 2:18:33 PM
quote:
Originally posted by Tromboner
Hm. Hadn't thought of that. I'm not at all a fan of emo, but I don't really see how it could kill punk. I mean, wouldn't this be the same argument as saying that the third-wave skacore bands that went pop in the 90s would kill punk?
Didn't they? 
~~~
Cynicism is an unpleasant way of saying the truth.
-Lillian Hellman |
| Tromboner |
Posted - 07/06/2007 : 1:36:01 PM
quote:
Originally posted by PeggyAnd I've heard said that emo is an off shoot of punk that a lot of people believe is killing it like a parasite.
Hm. Hadn't thought of that. I'm not at all a fan of emo, but I don't really see how it could kill punk. I mean, wouldn't this be the same argument as saying that the third-wave skacore bands that went pop in the 90s would kill punk? |
| Peggy |
Posted - 07/06/2007 : 09:11:46 AM
quote:
Originally posted by Tromboner
quote:
Originally posted by Peggy
Haven't you ever heard the punk vs. emo debate?
Sure. That would make for a great pay-per-view fight too. I was talking more about intra-genre arguments, like the one here about the history, development, influences, and status of ska. Lots of "facts" for people to disagree on, apparently.
That is an intra-genre argument, too, as a lot of emo kids and punk kids can't agree on the origins of emo. And I've heard said that emo is an off shoot of punk that a lot of people believe is killing it like a parasite. I don't know much about punk or emo, so this is all second hand overhearing of arguments. |
| Tromboner |
Posted - 07/05/2007 : 8:02:46 PM
quote:
Originally posted by Peggy
Haven't you ever heard the punk vs. emo debate?
Sure. That would make for a great pay-per-view fight too. I was talking more about intra-genre arguments, like the one here about the history, development, influences, and status of ska. Lots of "facts" for people to disagree on, apparently. |
| Peggy |
Posted - 07/05/2007 : 7:48:33 PM
Haven't you ever heard the punk vs. emo debate? |
| Tromboner |
Posted - 07/05/2007 : 7:12:42 PM
I wonder if people argue about this sort of thing on boards for other kinds of music.
No, baroque did not die out because the peasants were allowed to dance! |
| twilkin4 |
Posted - 12/07/2004 : 11:17:03 AM
Here's how i found "ska":
It started probably two and a hlf or so years ago, just after my 15th b-day. I was browsing around mp3.com back when it was good, and I heard some cool bands, so I clicked on the genre, which was Ska, and I listened to EVERY SINGLE song ubder the ska genre on mp3.com. Then about two weeks after that, I was at a friends house, and he was playing a Victory Records sampler he got when he ordered his Earth Crisis CD. On it was a band called Catch 22, which I naturally loved. Since then, I've been doing google searches, real research, and everything to try and find out as much about ska as I can, and I try to listen to as much different music, ska included as i possibly can. Oh yeah, the Toasters on Kablamm kinda helped me out too ;)
"Give me two pers, I need two pers." |
| Fort Skumpter |
Posted - 11/12/2004 : 12:45:09 PM
quote:
oops... Andrew "Fort Skumpter" I got you and "FB" confused for some reason. Sorry. Anyway. Do you draw/play music or anything bro? I'll fucking go out to SC to hang out with a hardcore rudie / ska fan.
>>-+-+-+-+-+-+-+->
"SKA-pUnK-LoCo"
Sorry. don't draw or play an instrument anymore.
Used to play alto sax though....
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| wish |
Posted - 11/08/2004 : 8:46:36 PM
quote:
Wish,
Ijustsaw your post.
Don't know if you're still working on your project.
Hope it turns/turned out well.
If, by chance, you are still working on your project, it may be a cool idea to show three people on scooters. Each person would represent a Wave of ska.
-Anndrew
Hey anndrew,
yup I am still working on the project. thanks for the advice. I am excited how it's turning out so far. anyway, thanks again for the reply....
wish
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| PepsOne |
Posted - 11/07/2004 : 8:18:35 PM
oops... Andrew "Fort Skumpter" I got you and "FB" confused for some reason. Sorry. Anyway. Do you draw/play music or anything bro? I'll fucking go out to SC to hang out with a hardcore rudie / ska fan.
>>-+-+-+-+-+-+-+->
"SKA-pUnK-LoCo" |
| Fort Skumpter |
Posted - 11/05/2004 : 05:06:57 AM
Wish,
Ijustsaw your post.
Don't know if you're still working on your project.
Hope it turns/turned out well.
If, by chance, you are still working on your project, it may be a cool idea to show three people on scooters. Each person would represent a Wave of ska.
-Anndrew
|
| PepsOne |
Posted - 10/31/2004 : 4:46:04 PM
FB, dude, you know what I'm going to say...well, anyway--half right, half wrong. The Mods DID in fact get the target from the RAF logo. It's the same one. They were Nationalists (just like skins BTW) and saw themselves as diplomats of the UK as well as Europe in General. They were proud of being British. British Pride woo-hoo!!! let our hair grow free without gunk in it -- unlike the greasers(rockers for the time)! That was a US thing. YUCKY!!! Rock'n'Roll/Rockabilly (duh).
Anyway, as far as my tattoos are concerned (since somehow you've obviously heard from someone)...
I've read documented literature that walt jabsco/the b&w checkered concept did look cool, very nice design but also WAS in fact symbolism for racial unity. Not to mention therre are a bunch of pins and shit that say that.. NOW...
again you've READ the material in that magazine you sent me. I HAVE NOT, YET! So if you read that jerry dammers said it was JUST design, and no concept intended, then I suppose that the graphic art/ anti-racist imagery & concept coincided. I wish I had links to the info I've read on this subject. It's documented fact rather than speculation. Anyway, the struggle continues...
Once again, I wish you lived here bro. It's beer thirty on my watch.
 
>>-+-+-+-+-+-+-+->
"SKA-pUnK-LoCo" |
| FB |
Posted - 10/27/2004 : 02:32:53 AM
One small often misinterpreted error in that rather excellent history of ska:
'2-Tone' as a concept had NOTHING to do with anti racism. It was a purely art student, simple pop art style, graphic. The image of Peter Tosh was used because it looked 'right' not to make any huge political statement. Dammers, Hall, Goulding and Staples have all agreed on that in print, about all they have agreed on in recent years..., one or two of them did make the point that it was irrelevant what colour the band memebers were.
Incidentally Madness were all white :-)
Granted as time went by 2-Tone, and the Specials in particular, became more blatently left wing but that was a reaction to the right wing fan base that Dammers hated.
To use the chequered band as a symbol of racism is along the lines of claiming that mods used the target because they liked the RAF (Royal Air Force). Both groups had an eye for graphic design.
http://www.scooterboy-world.com
Scootering, traditional UK style. |
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