In Defense of Ska Ep 48: Buck-O-Nine

Buck-O-Nine’s breezy, feel-good ska-pop song “My Town” took off on radio in 1997, but its video didn’t make it into MTV’s heavy rotation. This was due to some delays in the production of the video, making it so that by the time Buck-O-Nine had the video ready, the moment had mostly passed. “My Town” is remembered from this period of mainstream ska in the sort of in-between zone, not quite The Bosstones’ “Impression That I Get” territory but definitely above indie ska band level. 

Before, during, and after this brush with mainstream attention, the group was on the road a lot. True road dogs. In fact, several guests on this podcast (Suicide Machines, Link 80, Mustard Plug) mentioned touring with them at some point or another. So, understandably, a large percentage of this week’s episodes revolves around the glorious misery that is touring. We are joined by Buck-O-Nine’s Jon Pebsworth, Jonas Kleiner, and Tony Curry, who tells us about their mindblowing and hilarious experiences on the road. 

There were some surprises in there too, like their time on the road opening for Primus, and then later touring with Smash Mouth. Neither of those tours went great. But they certainly led to some funny stories. 

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