In Defense of Ska
301 episodes - English - Latest episode: 7 days ago - ★★★★★ - 76 ratingsSka no longer needs to be the butt of every joke. IDOS is flipping the narrative on this style of music that they love dearly.Hosts Aaron Carnes (author of "In Defense of Ska") and Adam Davis (Link 80, Omingone) chat with people in and outside of the ska scene to tell its stories, show its pervasiveness in culture, and defend it to their last dying breath.
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Episodes
In Defense of Ska Ep 101: The Uptones (Eric Din and Paul Jackson)
December 21, 2022 11:00 - 1 hour - 95.4 MBThe Uptones made big decisions--spontaneously. This is how guitarist Eric Din describes the group's career. Formed in 1981 in Berkeley, California as young teenagers in love with all things 2 Tone ska, The Uptones took the bay area by storm IMMEDIATELY with packed shows with lines out the door. They got their songs into heavy rotation on the radio by walking into the station and handing the DJs their demo recordings! But the band could never land a contract. Some of that could have been due ...
In Defense of Ska Ep 100: Who inspired the Beat Girl? (with Joanna Wallace director of Blue Beat Baby)
December 14, 2022 11:00 - 1 hour - 65.1 MBWalt Jabsco, the iconic dancing ska guy logo that came to symbolize the Specials and 2 Tone ska, was inspired by a photo of Peter Tosh from his '60s ska years. The Beat Girl, which the English Beat created as a logo for their band (though also came to symbolize 2 Tone ska) was inspired by a photo of a woman dancing with Prince Buster in 1964. Very little was known about the woman in this photo. Recently, Joanna Wallace, long-time ska fan and operator of Miss Upsetter Designs decided to learn...
In Defense of Ska Ep 99: Kyle Shutt (The Sword, Doom Side of the Moon, Ten Betty Zane)
December 07, 2022 11:00 - 1 hour - 80.2 MBMetal-heads know that Kyle Shutt is a shredder. It's clear in his band, The Sword's music. Even non-metal-heads that played Guitar Hero knows that he can shred, and have likely played along to his guitar licks on "Freya." But Kyle also has ska roots. At age 15, he played trombone in the Hobbs, New Mexico Christian ska band Ten Betty Zane. When he was 17, he took a 24 greyhound bus ride to see Blue Meanies play a free show in Chicago. And in Austin, he was part of the Blue Meanies (And MU330)...
In Defense of Ska Ep 98: John DeDomenici (Jeff Rosenstock, Bomb The Music Industry, Arrogant Sons of Bitches, The Inevitables, Bruce Lee Band)
November 30, 2022 11:00 - 1 hour - 97.9 MBJohn DeDomenici has played the bass in many bands. But most notably Jeff Rosenstock's solo band and Bomb the Music Industry. He also played a whole variety of instruments in Arrogant Sons of Bitches. Today, we bring on John and throw every random and obscure question we can think at him. We talk about catching Covid in England, getting his own dressing room at the Gaslight Anthem Jersey show, drunkenly cutting his hand trying to open a bottle of wine, and joining Chris Gethard at Fest in a ...
In Defense of Ska Ep 97: Jay Vance (Blue Meanies, Skankin' Pickle, Captured By Robots, Teddy Bear Orchestra)
November 23, 2022 11:00 - 1 hour - 96.9 MB"Everything I do is out of necessity," Jay Vance tells us. He grew frustrated playing with Blue Meanies, then Skankin Pickle, and realized that the only way he was going to have a successful band with longevity is if he no longer played with other humans. So he built his own band called Captured! By Robots, where he is the only human member and the rest are robots. Today, Jay tells us about the early days of Blue Meanies (He founded the band!), his year in Skankin Pickle (As their third bas...
In Defense of Ska Behind The Curtain: When did Fest become so SKA? A Post-Fest Debrief w/ Brent Friedman (TEASER)
November 18, 2022 11:00 - 9 minutes - 8.67 MBFor November's BONUS episode we talk about Fest. Specifically how it became SO ska. To do that, we speak with the man that books most of the Bad Time Records bands AND got Against All Authority to reunite: Brent Friedman To listen, sign up for the In Defense of Ska Patreon 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 clos...
In Defense of Ska Ep 96: The Aggrolites (Jesse Wagner, Roger Rivas)
November 16, 2022 11:00 - 1 hour - 86.3 MBThe Aggrolites have zero ska songs. Sure they play with a lot of ska bands, but their genre is REGGAE, specifically "Dirty Reggae." That means it was influenced by late 60s skinhead reggae, and given a modern, aggressive punk rock edge. The band formed in 2002, immediately appealing to the hardcore skinhead and rudeboy crowd. But in 2007, when they appeared on Yo Gabba Gabba (And performed the E.K. Bunch's classic reggae song "Banana") they gained a much wider audience. Today, we tell the ...
In Defense of Ska Ep 95: Ryan Seaman (I Don't Know How But They Found Me, Falling In Reverse, The Eyeliners, I Am Ghost)
November 09, 2022 11:00 - 1 hour - 62.2 MBFive days after Ryan Seaman graduated from high school, he hit the road. His gig: drumming for The Eyeliners on Warped Tour 2002. This was just the beginning for Ryan. He'd go on to play in Fairview, Falling In Reverse, I Am Ghost, and I Don't Know How By They Found Me. That last band played Ellen and Jimmy Kimmel. But before any of this, Ryan was a ska-punk kid going to as many shows in Salt Lake City, Utah as he possibly could. On today's episode, we chat with Ryan about his SLC ska-punk ...
In Defense of Ska Ep 94: Chris Gethard (New Jersey is the World, Beautiful Anonymous, The Chris Gethard Show)
November 02, 2022 12:00 - 1 hour - 63.3 MBThe Chris Gethard Show was supposed to start like normal, but the audience had their own idea. They shouted "Eat More Butts" at Chris to a degree that he couldn't start his show. The musical guest, Jeff Rosenstock, even gave them a musical accompaniment. For 15 minutes, the show descended into madness. But Chris also didn't fight it because he knew that this would be great TV. Having grown up in the DIY punk scene, he was aware that this type of chaos was where a show's best moments would be...
In Defense of Ska Ep 93: Stop The Presses (Ali Culotta, Danny Portilla, Karole Alexander)
October 26, 2022 10:00 - 1 hour - 64.3 MBNew York's Stop The Presses were all set to hit the road hard in March 2020. The day they scheduled to leave, New York went into lockdown. So instead, they hunkered down and made an excellent pandemic record, Got It, released on September 29 on Jump Up Records. The group showcases their uniquely dreamy and washy ska-pop sound, rooted in an aesthetic that takes its vibe from the 1960s-1980s, in all its reverb and space echo-y goodness. On today's episode, we interview three members of Stop T...
In Defense of Ska Behind The Curtain: What Makes a Good Band Name (Teaser)
October 22, 2022 10:00 - 13 minutes - 12.1 MBFor October's Patreon exclusive bonus episode, we talk about SKA BAND NAMES. You know, that thing that everyone makes fun of. Well, over here at In Defense of Ska, we decided it was time to have an impartial evaluation of every major ska band's name. We brought on our editor, Chris Reeves for this conversation. And we even judge our own band names too, just to be fair. Sign up to the IDOS Patreon to listen! If you’d like to support us and listen to early access, ad-free episodes with b...
In Defense of Ska Ep 92: Kevin Lyman (Vans Warped Tour)
October 19, 2022 10:00 - 1 hour - 64 MBIn 1995, promoter Kevin Lyman launched The Warped Tour. The first year's lineup was an eclectic mix of bands from the 90s (including No Doubt and Sublime). In subsequent years, it gained a reputation as a punk rock festival, though the lineups always remained diverse. And ska was always a component, even during the 2000s and 2010s. Some years, Lyman booked a bunch of ska bands. 1998 included The Specials, Hepcat, Pietasters, Skavoovie and the Epitones, and more. On today's episode, we talk ...
In Defense of Ska Ep 91: Obi Fernandez (Westbound Train, The Inevitables, Day 19)
October 12, 2022 10:00 - 1 hour - 81.5 MBIn 2006, Boston ska band Westbound Train played the Summer of Ska tour, followed by the Fall of Ska tour. Between the two tours, they played with Suburban Legends, Big D & The Kids Table, Voodoo Glow Skulls, Reel Big Fish and Streetlight Manifesto--all ska-punk bands. Westbound Train plays traditional ska, rocksteady and early reggae, with a hint of soul. The group, which formed in 2001 in Boston, has always been a ska band out of time. Not only did they form after the 90s ska boom, but the...
In Defense of Ska Ep 90: Eugene Hütz (Gogol Bordello, Everything is Illuminated)
October 05, 2022 10:00 - 1 hour - 86.5 MBGogol Bordello plays a mix of different genres (Punk, Romani folk, Latin rock, polka), though hints of ska can be found all over their songs. Frontman Eugene Hütz calls it "ska without doing ska" and says he almost doesn't think about the ska elements since he sees ska as so closely linked to punk music. But on Gogol Bordello's latest album, Solidaritine, the ska elements are more overt than ever before. The reason: their new drummer Korey "Kingston" Horn has an impressive ska resume (Aggr...
In Defense of Ska Ep 89: Shawn Harris (The Matches, The Locals)
September 28, 2022 10:00 - 1 hour - 83.2 MBThe Matches played catchy pop-punk in the 2000s, a time when catchy pop-punk bands could be top 40 pop stars. They worked their asses off, were courted by major labels, but never reached pop stardom. Though the band did mean a lot to a ton of people. They built community around their music and made sincere connections with their fans. And they have ska roots. The band formed in 1997 as The Locals. Inspired by Rancid, they originally played a blend of punk rock and ska-punk. They also looke...
In Defense of Ska Behind The Curtain: IDOS Tour Diary TEASER
September 23, 2022 10:00 - 7 minutes - 7.13 MBThe first official In Defense of Ska tour was a huge success. We traveled along the west coast with Mustard Plug, Buck-O-Nine and Omnigone. Aaron Carnes opened the show with a reading from his book, In Defense of Ska. We got to meet many of YOU wonderful people and dance to SKA music every night! We also kept an audio diary of the tour. Listen now! But THIS is just a teaser. If you'd like to hear the entire episode, sign up to our Patreon. It is quite the JOURNEY! If you’d like to support...
In Defense of Ska Ep 88: Folly (Arben Colaku and Jon Tummillo)
September 21, 2022 10:00 - 1 hour - 86.3 MBAfter the '90s, skacore got a lot heavier. One of the reasons for this was Sussex, New Jersey band Folly, who took the heaviest elements of hardcore, metalcore and mixed it with ska. They also did so in a way that emphasized the genres similarities, as opposed to their differences. Though the band struggled to find a significant audience in the 2000s, they would find that years after they broke up, not only did they have an obvious impact on newer, younger bands, but they suddenly fit in wit...
In Defense of Ska Ep 87: Chris Cresswell (The Flatliners, Hot Water Music)
September 14, 2022 10:00 - 1 hour - 76.6 MBToronto, Canada had a raging ska scene in the mid-2000s. It included ska bands like Hebrew School Dropouts, Suzy Jacuzzi and the Hottubs, and Five Across The Eye. It also included PUP singer Stefan Babcock's former ska band Stop Drop N Skank. But there was one band, The Flatliners, who would go on to sign to Fat Wreck Chords and make a name for themselves in the punk scene. But when they started, they played intense ska-punk. A brutal, aggressive mix of Suicide Machines, Kid Dynamite, Agains...
In Defense of Ska Ep 86: Against All Authority (Danny Lore, Joe Koontz, Spikey Goldbach)
September 07, 2022 10:00 - 1 hour - 99 MBIn 1992, Hurricane Andrew ravaged South Florida. Prior to the hurricane, bassist Danny Lore was playing in the punk band Grover Snatch. But the hurricane caused some members to move away. Rather than replace them, he decided to start a new ska influenced punk band: Against All Authority. For months they practiced acoustically--there was no power in South Miami for a while. And as the band got going, they booked their own shows at the Kitchen Club in Coconut Grove. No one else would. Besides,...
In Defense of Ska Ep 85: Turner Sparks (Lost In America, Double Happiness)
August 31, 2022 10:00 - 1 hour - 76.2 MBComedian Turner Sparks has a new comedy album out on September 30th. It's called Double Happiness. And yes, it's no coincidence that it is literally the same title as Slow Gherkin's debut album. Turner was a huge ska fan growing up. And he wanted his record's title to give a wink to the ska scene. In fact, not only did he attend wild ska shows in Sacramento at Capitol Garage, BoJangles, El Dorado Saloon, and the Crest Theater, but he also had his own band: Fat Kids On Mopeds. Oh and one of ...
In Defense of SKa Behind The Curtain: Ska in Comedy w/ Brandie Posey & Ian Fidance TEASER
August 26, 2022 10:00 - 9 minutes - 8.26 MBLots of comedians love to make fun of ska. And TV shows are now required to have at least ONE ska joke per season! But what do comedians that ACTUALLY LIKE ska think of all these ska jokes? We brought on the two MOST SKA comedians out there right now! And both have been on the podcast before: Brandie Posey and Ian Fidance. Now listen to them AT THE SAME TIME! This is only a teaser. To hear the entire episode, sign up for our Patreon Do it now! What are you waiting for? Don't you want to s...
In Defense of Ska Ep 84: Victor Rice (The Scofflaws, New York Ska-Jazz Ensemble, Easy Star All-Stars, Firebug)
August 24, 2022 10:00 - 1 hour - 95.8 MBVictor Rice studied music at Manhattan School of Music intending to be a New York City session bass player. That is until he got talked into joining The Scofflaws in 1988. From that point forward, he became immersed in the world of ska. In fact, after doing a fantastic job producing The Scofflaws' first album, Bucket started hiring him to produce Moon Ska albums. He produced Skavoovie and The Epitones' Ripe, The Pietasters' Oolooloo, The Slackers' Better Late Than Never and The Adjusters' Be...
In Defense of Ska Ep 83: Vi Viana (Gutless)
August 17, 2022 10:00 - 1 hour - 68.7 MBEarlier this year Vi Viana released her first ska song in years. The song, "Burning The Bridge," (by her band Gutless) is a serious song about coping with trauma and abuse and features Jer on horns. One of the reasons she wrote the song was to push back on people's (false) idea that ska is silly music. Vi has been a fan of ska since she was a child. She was born and raised in northeast Brazil. Her mom introduced her to the music via The Specials and Brazilian bands like Os Paralamas do Suce...
In Defense of Ska Ep 83: Vi Viana (Gutless)
August 17, 2022 10:00 - 1 hour - 53.4 MBEarlier this year Vi Viana released her first ska song in years. The song, "Burning The Bridge," (by her band Gutless) is a serious song about coping with trauma and abuse and features Jer on horns. One of the reasons she wrote the song was to push back on people's (false) idea that ska is silly music. Vi has been a fan of ska since she was a child. She was born and raised in northeast Brazil. Her mom introduced her to the music via The Specials and Brazilian bands like Os Paralamas do Suc...
In Defense of Ska Ep 82: Horacio Blanco (Desorden Público)
August 10, 2022 10:00 - 1 hour - 88.6 MBIn the 80s, when Horacio Blanco was only 14 years old, a friend showed him a poorly dubbed cassette of The Specials' debut album. Even though it was hard to make out, when "A Message To You, Rudy" came on, his mind was blown. What is this music? In no time, he and his friends vowed to show everyone they knew in their hometown of Caracas, Venezuela ska music. First in the form of minitecas (mobile sound systems) and then form their newly formed band, Desorden Público, which would become Venez...
In Defense of Ska Ep 82: Horacio Blanco (Desorden Público)
August 10, 2022 10:00 - 1 hour - 68.3 MBIn the 80s, when Horacio Blanco was only 14 years old, a friend showed him a poorly dubbed cassette of The Specials' debut album. Even though it was hard to make out, when "A Message To You, Rudy" came on, his mind was blown. What is this music? In no time, he and his friends vowed to show everyone they knew in their hometown of Caracas, Venezuela ska music. First in the form of minitecas (mobile sound systems) and then form their newly formed band, Desorden Público, which would become Venez...
In Defense of Ska Ep 81: Chas Palmer-Williams (Lightyear)
August 03, 2022 10:00 - 1 hour - 92 MBIn the late '90s, a new ska-punk scene was bubbling up in the UK that would last until the mid-2000s. This scene would be defined by groups like Capdown, Sonic Boom Six, Adequate Seven, Five Knuckle and the record label Household Name Records. One of the earliest groups to form in this scene was a band from Derby called Lightyear--and they were the craziest groups from this scene. Defined by copious on (and off) stage nudity, Morris dancing, pantomime horses and never-ending pranks and she...
In Defense of Ska Ep 80: Jake Matter (Ska or Nah, Grey Matter)
July 27, 2022 10:00 - 1 hour - 63.3 MBJake Matter thought it was a good idea to start tweeting at celebrities to see if they liked ska or not. Surprisingly, quite a few answered. While most said yes, some did not, like Converge, who told him "Fuck No!" This exchange went viral and earned the Ska or Nah Twitter account 3,000 new followers in under 8 hours, and an article in Loudwire. Several of the people that Ska Or Nah has tweeted at have been on this very podcast, and their responses have served as part of our research for t...
In Defense of Ska Ep 80: Jake Matter (Ska or Nah, Grey Matter)
July 27, 2022 10:00 - 1 hour - 49.4 MBJake Matter thought it was a good idea to start tweeting at celebrities to see if they liked ska or not. Surprisingly, quite a few answered. While most said yes, some did not, like Converge, who told him "Fuck No!" This exchange went viral and earned the Ska or Nah Twitter account 3,000 new followers in under 8 hours, and an article in Loudwire. Several of the people that Ska Or Nah has tweeted at have been on this very podcast, and their responses have served as part of our research for t...
In Defense of Ska Behind The Curtain: Punk Podcast Summit TEASER (Unscripted Moments: A Podcast about Propagandi, On The Impossible Pod, As You Were: A Podcast About Alkaline Trio)
July 22, 2022 10:00 - 15 minutes - 13.9 MBOn this special BONUS episode, we chat with a trio of punk podcasters: Greg Soden (Unscripted Moments: A podcast about Propagandhi), Cheska Colombo (On The Impossible Pod), David Anthony (As You Were: A podcast about Alkaline Trio) To listen to the entire episode, sign up for the In Defense of Ska Patreon at www.patreon.com/indefenseofska 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 dow...
In Defense of Ska Ep 79: AJJ (Sean Bonnette & Ben Gallaty)
July 20, 2022 10:00 - 1 hour - 68.5 MBFolk-punk duo AJJ was playing Mama Buzz Cafe in Oakland when they were approached by a guy named Skylar Suorez who was angling for some free records. Skylar told the Phoenix group that he worked at Asian Man Records. The group was excited at the prospect of being on the same label that released groups like Ten In The Swear Jar, Shinobu and copious ska albums. Shortly after, Asian Man signed them. On this episode, we bring on Sean and Ben from AJJ and dissect their ska roots. Ben is a much ...
In Defense of Ska Ep 79: AJJ (Sean Bonnette & Ben Gallaty)
July 20, 2022 10:00 - 1 hour - 88.9 MBFolk-punk duo AJJ was playing Mama Buzz Cafe in Oakland when they were approached by a guy named Skylar Suorez who was angling for some free records. Skylar told the Phoenix group that he worked at Asian Man Records. The group was excited at the prospect of being on the same label that released groups like Ten In The Swear Jar, Shinobu and copious ska albums. Shortly after, Asian Man signed them. On this episode, we bring on Sean and Ben from AJJ and dissect their ska roots. Ben is a much ...
In Defense of Ska Ep 78: Dunia Best (Agent 99, Dunia and Aram, Brave New Girl, Dubistry, Rude Girl Revue)
July 13, 2022 10:00 - 1 hour - 72.6 MBDunia Best was a member of the very first incarnation of The Slackers. And after she left the band, she took a song she'd hope would be a Slackers song, "Walk," and started playing it acoustically. A friend suggested she could start her own band. That band, Agent 99 (1993-1995) played all over New York with No Commercial Value (Scott Sturgeon's first band), The Slackers, as well as punk and funk bands. Though Agent 99 was short-lived, many great musicians came through, like Ara Babajian (T...
In Defense of Ska Ep 77: Jon Daly (Those Who Can't, Kroll Show, Bob's Burgers, Big Mouth, Family Guy)
July 06, 2022 10:00 - 1 hour - 68.4 MBRecently, comedian Jon Daly noticed there was a cruise line with some 90s ska bands as its entertainment. It got him thinking...what if ska came back, and it was from a ska cruise. This silly thought inspired him to write the song, "Bring Back Ska," which is featured on his new musical comedy album, Ding Dong Delicious. This isn't Jon's only run-in with ska. He also played Skaat, the lead singer of Skaffirmative Action, on the TV show Those Who Can't. His band is played by members of The A...
In Defense of Ska Ep 76: Josh Jurk (School Drugs, Awful Waffle, Uncle Peckerhead, The Jurks)
June 29, 2022 10:00 - 1 hour - 77.2 MBEarlier 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...
In Defense of Ska Behind The Curtain: Interviewing the Ska Kids
June 24, 2022 10:00 - 3 minutes - 3.62 MBWhat's it like to be raised by a ska parent? We ask co-host Adam Davis' kids and find out. Give a listen to this month's bonus episode with Thomas and James Davis. This is only a teaser though. If you want to hear the entire episode, sign up for our Patreon. You will have access to the entire episode and a bunch of additional Patreon-exclusive content. 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...
In Defense of Ska Ep 75: Brandie Posey (Lady to Lady Podcast, The Worst Year In My Life, Pick It Up - Ska in the '90s)
June 22, 2022 10:00 - 1 hour - 72.8 MBComedian Brandie Posey has been evangelizing about ska as long as people have been listening to her speak. In fact, some of her earliest comedy influences came from watching Reel Big Fish and Less Than Jake goof around during their shows. The comedian, who is celebrating her 14th year in comedy, regularly performs at Fest, co-hosts the popular Lady to Lady podcast, and has an album out on cassette called Opinion Cave. On today's episode we discuss Ronald Reggae, the ska playlist she made fo...
In Defense of Ska Ep 74: Mephiskapheles (Andre A. Worrell, Michael Bitz, Greg Robinson)
June 15, 2022 10:00 - 1 hour - 83.4 MBLast year, Loudwire published an article with the headline, "Satanic Ska is a Real Thing That Actually Exists." The satanic ska band they were referring to was New York-based Mephiskapheles. And the band has existed for over thirty years. But mixing ska music and tongue-in-cheek Satanic imagery is only one attribute that distinguished the group from their 90s ska peers. Their music was unlike any other group. On their debut album, God Bless Satan, they mixed traditional ska drums & Skatalit...
In Defense of Ska Ep 73: Dane Roberts (Victoria Ska & Reggae Festival)
June 08, 2022 10:00 - 1 hour - 59.1 MBIn the summer of 2000, ska was on the decline in the US, but up in Victoria, Canada, it was as popular as ever. Local promoter Dane Roberts--who'd been throwing ska shows for a few years--decided to throw a full-on ska festival. It was in part a tribute to Mathew Bishop, the man that introduced him to ska (he'd died from a mountain climbing accident two years earlier), and it was Dane's final college assignment. If the festival made money, he passed. If it didn't, he failed. The first year...
In Defense of Ska Ep 72: John Darnielle (The Mountain Goats, The Extra Lens, The Comedians, The Bloody Hawaiians)
June 01, 2022 10:00 - 1 hour - 71.7 MBWhen ska band Sad Snack recorded a ska version of The Mountain Goats' beloved "No Children," Mountain Goats singer-songwriter John Darnielle got so excited, that he invited the group to open for them at their San Francisco show. It was all hands on deck for Ska No Children. And during Sad Snack's performance, John and other members of the group got on stage and skanked. It was clear that it wasn't his first time skanking. And indeed, he went to many ska shows and skanked during his formati...
In Defense of Ska Ep 71: Bruce Lee Band (Mike Park, Jeff Rosenstock)
May 25, 2022 10:00 - 1 hour - 69.8 MBDuring Skankin' Pickle's run, Mike Park had so many songs, he tapped Less Than Jake to record an album with him. He called it The Bruce Lee Band. This record was released in 1995. A decade later, The Bruce Lee Band returned with Beautiful World, this time backed by RX Bandits. But then, nearly a decade later, The Bruce Lee Band became a solid group with Mike Park, Jeff Rosenstock, Dan Potthast and Kevin Higuchi (Though Mike Huguenor was involved in the two 2014 records). They've put out sev...
In Defense of Ska Behind The Curtain: Live Shows During Covid
May 20, 2022 10:00 - 6 minutes - 6.21 MBOn May 13, Adam performed a killer set inside the Ivy Room in Albany, CA, main support for Voodoo Glow Skulls. He brought me up on stage to dance for the duration of one song (The only time I was mask-free inside the venue). The next day I found out I was exposed to Covid a few days earlier. On this very special episode, I take a Covid test and read the results LIVE as they come in. Also Adam and I talk about the Voodoo show show and the complexities of playing live music in the era of Cov...
In Defense of Ska Ep 70: Blue Meanies (Billy Spunke, Sean Dolan)
May 18, 2022 10:00 - 1 hour - 106 MBIn the late '90s, someone asked Blink-182's Tom DeLonge if he wanted to go see The Blue Meanies perform. Both bands happened to be in Australia at the same time. His response: "Are they still scaring kids?" The answer was obviously yes, so Tom passed. The Blue Meanies formed in 1989 in Carbondale, Illinois by Jay Vance, who would later start the avant-garde project Captured By Robots. The Blue Meanies started as a Fishbone-style party band, but when they relocated to Chicago a few years lat...
In Defense of Ska Ep 70: Blue Meanies (Billy Spunke, Sean Dolan)
May 18, 2022 10:00 - 1 hour - 81.2 MBIn the late '90s, someone asked Blink-182's Tom DeLonge if he wanted to go see The Blue Meanies perform. Both bands happened to be in Australia at the same time. His response: "Are they still scaring kids?" The answer was obviously yes, so Tom passed. The Blue Meanies formed in 1989 in Carbondale, Illinois by Jay Vance, who would later start the avant-garde project Captured By Robots. The Blue Meanies started as a Fishbone-style party band, but when they relocated to Chicago a few years la...
In Defense of Ska Ep 69: Pook (Pookout Records, Beat the Red Light, Redeemon, Lightyear, The Filaments)
May 11, 2022 10:00 - 1 hour - 87.9 MBThere was a big ska revival in the UK from around 2000 to 2005. Pook was playing music back then, but when the scene started to crater, he kept on playing. He would even fully realize his vision of combining extreme metal with ska, which you can hear in his groups Beat The Red Light and Redeemon. We're talking Sepultura and Lamb of God style metal mixed with ska. Pook also runs a record label called Pookout Records. It started as a means to distribute records into the UK but has since beco...
In Defense of Ska Ep 68: Coolie Ranx (Pilfers, The Toasters, Grand Theft Auto IV)
May 04, 2022 10:00 - 1 hour - 67.9 MBIn the early '90s, Coolie Ranx had his eyes set on being a dancehall star. That is until a friend dared him to audition to be The Toasters' new vocalist. He got the gig, and off to Europe he went (Though, a little uncomfortable with the Mohawk, spike-studded punks that came to these shows). He quit Toasters, but eventually came back and joined the group just before they did the Skavoovee tour, along with The Special Beat, The Selecter, and The Skatalites. At the time, Coolie was so entrenche...
In Defense of Ska Ep 68: Coolie Ranx (Pilfers, The Toasters, Grand Theft Auto IV)
May 04, 2022 10:00 - 1 hour - 88.1 MBIn the early '90s, Coolie Ranx had his eyes set on being a dancehall star. That is until a friend dared him to audition to be The Toasters' new vocalist. He got the gig, and off to Europe he went (Though, a little uncomfortable with the Mohawk, spike-studded punks that came to these shows). He quit Toasters, but eventually came back and joined the group just before they did the Skavoovee tour, along with The Special Beat, The Selecter, and The Skatalites. At the time, Coolie was so entrenche...
In Defense of Ska Ep 67: Brian Fallon (The Gaslight Anthem, The Horrible Crowes, Lanemeyer, Molly and the Zombies)
April 27, 2022 10:00 - 1 hour - 63.1 MBLast year, singer/songwriter Brian Fallon tweeted that Slackers lead singer Vic Ruggiero is "one of the greatest songwriters and lyricists of our time." This isn't the only time that Brian tweeted about his love for ska during the pandemic. We've seen him praise Mike Park, Catbite and express his love for New York band The Abruptors' ska cover of his song "Forget Me Not." On today's episode of In Defense of Ska, we dig into Brian's past and learn about how he discovered ska, why Asian Man ...
In Defense of Ska Behind The Curtain: The Weirdest Ska Band Ever? with Chris Ruckus (Dissidente) and Duck (Joystick) TEASER
April 22, 2022 10:00 - 8 minutes - 7.56 MBBefore Chris Ruckus was in Dissidente...before Duck was in Joystick....they played in the weirdest ska band of all time: Cryptorchid Chipmunk. Listen to our conversation with them about this peculiar ska band, where the performance was just as unhinged as the music. To listen to the complete episode, sign up for the In Defense of Ska Patreon 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 ...
In Defense of Ska Ep 66: Ara Babajian (The Slackers, Leftover Crack, Agent 99, Star Fucking Hipsters, The World/Inferno Friendship Society)
April 20, 2022 10:00 - 1 hour - 68.9 MBWhen drummer Ara Babajian joined The Slackers in 2003, Vic Ruggiero and David Hillyard had to teach him how to correctly play a traditional ska beat, which they did by handing him key records to listen to, and by singing ska beats at him. Ara wasn't new to ska. He'd played in several bands like Agent 99 and Leftover Crack. But The Slackers approached ska with a greater emphasis on hitting that Jamaican groove just right, so he had to up his game. He may have come to the band with little expe...