In Defense of Ska Ep 76: Josh Jurk (School Drugs, Awful Waffle, Uncle Peckerhead, The Jurks)

Earlier this year, when New Jersey ska band Awful Waffle decided to reunite for the Ska Mom Memorial show, they needed a drummer. So they called up School Drugs frontman Josh Jurk to see if he'd fill those shoes. He was reluctant to play ska drums--he didn't have a lot of experience. But paying tribute to Leslie Brown (ie Ska Mom) was important to him so he said yes.

Today we talk with Josh, whose ska credits also include playing bass on one Best of the Worst tour, starring in the Slapstick-themed scene of the horror film Uncle Peckerhead, and going to a lot of ska shows at DIY venues like Pine Lake Park Log Cabin in Jersey (Which his mom booked out!)

He talk about the time he saw iPod era Bomb The Music Industry at Pine Lake Park Log Cabin, how TikTok celebrity Grav Master Hash became Awful Waffle's hype man, and we go into detail about the ska mom memorial show, which also featured Hub City Stompers, Catbite and Sammy Kay. 

We also discuss his pre-screaming vocal routines, why he decided to manage his depression through therapy, and he tells about the time he showed up to a venue on tour to find a metalcore band lifting hella weights in preparation for their show. 

If you’d like to support us and listen to early access, ad-free episodes with bonus content, check out our Patreon! 

If you like our theme song, go download the EP Lives by Slow Gherkin. They wrote the opening and closing songs for our podcast. You can get both tunes from their Lives EP. Also, check out Dan P and the Bricks two LPs. They provided the mid-roll ad transition music. 

Support the In Defense host Aaron Carnes by purchasing a copy of his book, In Defense of Ska. The 2nd, expanded edition of In Defense of Ska will release in Oct 2024. 

Co-host Adam Davis has a band called Omnigone. Their latest record, Against The Rest released on March 31, 2023. 

The In Defense of Ska editor Chris Reeves runs a record label called Ska Punk International. They have new releases coming out all the time.