"Z"s Dead, Baby

Band: Zebrahead

Country: USA

Notable Album: Phoenix

Favourite Song: Mike Dexter Is A God/Role Model/Asshole

I'm going to start off with the music section, and then all the ooey-gooey lovey-dovey stuff down at the bottom.  This is going to be great.  Oh yeah, there's also a special surprise near the end of this post!  GO READ IT.


So today's band is Zebrahead!  Many people will be like WHAT NO WAY ZEBRAHEAD ISN'T SKA OR SKA-PUNK and I tend to agree with you.  They're really cool though, an interesting mix of pop-punk and rap-core - but they did have a couple ska-punk tracks on Phoenix, which is why I chose them for today.  Also, there are like 3 bands IN THE WORLD that start with the letter "Z" and none of them are ska bands. So bear with me, I did my best.  Zebrahead have been around for a while, and they most recently released an album called Panty Raid, which is a full cover album of female pop songs.  Their rapper, Ali, rapped for Reel Big Fish's cover of Unity on their live DVD, and they've toured with bands like Less Than Jake, Green Day (back when they were cool), and Goldfinger.


Phoenix was released in 2008, and was Zebrahead's last full-length before Panty Raid.  It's a mix of pop-punk, rap-core, and even has several ska-punk tracks (which is AWESOME)!  I think it's my favourite Zebrahead record, but I'm sort of going through them in reverse-chronological order.  Only time will tell what the verdict is for the other albums, but at the moment this is a great CD.  They sort of remind me of Limp-Bizkit-Meets-Reel-Big-Fish-Meets-Some-Other-Pop-Punk-Band and that is totally fine with me.  Unfortunately, I have no good stories to tell about my life and this album yet, but those will come eventually.  These guys are great, buy the album here and support them if you can.


Mike Dexter is a really fun skanking track.  It comes as a surprise after a slew of punk and rap songs, but it's definitely a welcome surprise.  This is what I like about pop-punk bands - since they pretty much automatically get great recording deals, the ska they record sounds impeccable.  Also, the pop-punk genre has a very limited chord set, and this works great when writing ska.  Almost every time, you get a great-sounding, catchy and dance-y song that they'll be embarrassed about recording but that doesn't matter.  Mike Dexter is just that - a simple, well-recorded track (with some added keys just for good measure) that's just a ton of fun to listen to.


OK!  That's it for Mitchell's Ska Blog.  It's been one crazy year - starting, then stopping.  Then starting again.  Then finishing.  I suppose that's how it goes for everyone's first time.  Writing a blog, I mean.  DON'T BE SO OFFENDED, THAT'S NOT MY FIRST DIRTY JOKE ON HERE.


It feels good in a weird way to finally be done this.  I know I wasted a lot of time in the middle, but this still feels like an accomplishment. I told myself that I'd only move on to something new if I had the dedication to finish this blog and I think I've achieved that.  It feels cool that I actually could (sort of) find a band for each letter of the alphabet - it was a lot harder than I thought it would be.  I was able to listen to albums I hadn't heard in a long time, and it reminds me why I love this music in the first place.  I've never really analyzed or thought about music in this way before (or at least, I've never talked about it like this), and it's been a challenge to describe exactly what I like about particular bands or songs.  It's usually a feeling that can't be put into words, but I did my best and this is what showed up.  Ska is a genre that gets a lot of ridicule, and lots of it deserves that.  But I think each of these bands deserves the credit they got - they are what makes the world of ska diverse, unique, and always interesting.  Each of these bands brings something of their own to the proverbial ska table, and they each deserve equal recognition.


I hope everyone had as much fun reading these posts as I had writing them, and that year in the middle?  Let's just forget about that and all stay friends.  This is not the end of my internet presence, however!  I have been working like a secret agent these past few days, setting up my brand new website over on WordPress AND IT'S LIVE NOW!  It's going to contain all the stuff I like to talk about - music, movies, concerts, photography, and (of course) myself.  I'll be moving these posts (well, at least the 2011 ones) over there so if you missed any, you can check there or here to read up on ska bands.  Or go back to the beginning and read them all over again!  Watch my literary skills progress from silly to articulate-silly.  It's quite gripping.


But if you want, you can just head over to my brand new blog here!


Anyways, that's all for the Ska Blog.  Thanks to everyone who read this bad boy, and thanks to the bands who re-tweeted when I wrote posts about them.  This was a ton of fun, I really hope you enjoyed yourselves.  James is being rude so I'm going to go beat him up.

"Y" oh "Y" do I only have "Y" albums and no artists?

Band: Chris Murray

Country: Canada (currently lives in USA)

Notable Album: Yard Sale

Favourite Song: Everything'll Be Alright

Guess what.  This is my second-last post on here.  Sad, right?  Only sort of.  I have been setting up a new blog in the background and it's looking pretty cool so far - no one knows where it is yet, but over the weekend I will launch it and you can all be like OH MY GOD MITCHELL ROCKS.  That is what your reaction will be.  Identical for everyone.  It's gonna be great.  So hopefully you'll all get to check that out later this weekend, but for now it's time to wrap things up!


It's obviously very hard to find XYZ bands, and I've been cheating - yesterday I did "X" songs, and today I have to do a "Y" album.  But I'm a punk rocker and I know that rules are meant to be broken.  So here I am, breaking rules.  Isn't this exciting?


Chris Murray is a Canadian musician, although he currently resides in California.  He played in King Apparatus, an awesome Toronto ska band, but they broke up and he moved on to a solo career.  He has released several full-length albums and a whole bunch of self-recorded, 4-track EP's.  He's also recorded albums for The Planet Smashers, and did a whole CD with the Slackers - Chris had lead vocals and the Slackers backed him (that is a sweet album).  Chris has also played shows with The Specials, and even played harmonica for Prince Buster back in 2003!  Needless to say, he has made a substantial impression on the ska scene.


Yard Sale is Chris' newest album, released in 2009, and it's actually a collection of unreleased tracks that have been recorded over the years.  There are lots of guest appearances on this album - the Slackers, the Aggrolites and even the Skatalites accompany Chris here and there throughout the album.  As with his other recordings, the lo-fi quality has this intimate, almost campfire-y feel to it.  This is a great album to listen to when you want to relax and enjoy the sunshine.  There really should be a lot of sun when you listen to this record.  And a beach if you have one.  Or if you're close to one.


Everything'll Be Alright is the first track off Yard Sale, and it features Chris, his guitar, and the Skatalites backing him.  The song is all about feeling good about yourself and your surroundings and, even if things look bad, knowing that you can get through them (even if you need your friends for support).  It's so great to hear some upbeat music that matters, instead of the silliness that a lot of 3rd-wave ska seems to evoke.  Chris is a quality musician - he can not only write catchy songs, but knows how to write the lyrics that fit them.  Everything'll Be Alright is a prime example of how his musicianship and penmanship go together hand-in-hand.


Well now!  That was a lot easier to do than yesterday!  I don't know if I'll be able to do "Z" tomorrow, but check back anyways for a farewell message and possibly a link to my new blog!  Pick up Yard Sale here, and have a happy second-last night!

Really? X? This was a mistake.

So.  There are no ska bands that start with X, and I have no ska albums that start with X either.  So this was quite the challenge.  In my entire collection of 12,000 songs (yeah that's right - twelve THOUSAND), I have 5 songs that start with X, and 2 of them are ska songs!  So I'm gonna quickly talk about each of them, because neither are my favourites but they're still great songs.  So read on.  Open your mind to the possibilities.  Jedi stuff like that.

The first song is called X-Factor, and it's by a band called The Porkers.  They're from Australia which is super cool - they're the first Australian band on here!  Probably the last as well.  Oh well.  I don't know if they're still around (they were in 2008, it seems) and they're not one of my favourite bands, but every now and then I put on a Porkers track just to hear something different.  X-Factor is off their album Hot Dog Daiquiri, and it's actually not a song I listen to very much.  I have it on now, though, and it seems to be pretty good.  Some pretty cool horn shots, a great walking bass line, and Pete Cooper's thick Australian accent all make this a pretty enjoyable track overall.  I also recommend Swingin' Like Tiger Woods and Too Big For Your Boots as other great Porkers tracks.

The other song is by a band I listen to much more frequently - it's a song called X-Mas Card and it's by MU330.  Dan Potthast, who I talked about for the D band, is a really interesting musician - he writes songs that are so unique, you just have to hear them to understand.  X-Mas Card is a little different, slower and sadder and a bit less complicated, but it still showcases the unique sound that MU330 always had.  This song is off the album Crab Rangoon, which was still during MU330's "crazy" days before they released Ultra Panic.  Ultra Panic was actually my favourite album, but Crab Rangoon still had some cool songs, like Good Homes and Ireland (this version is Dan playing solo but the crowd loves it!).


Anyways, that was ridiculous.  Y is going to be much easier.  Maybe.  GOODNIGHT!

W is Double-Vee, not Double-You - the French had it right all along

Band: Walk Off The Earth

Country: Canada!

Notable Album: Smooth Like Stone On A Beach

Favourite Song: Rock Me Away

This is the return of Canadian bands on the Ska Blog!  I think this is the first Canadian band I've blogged about since resurrecting this bad boy a few weeks ago.  So let's celebrate together!


Yay! Celebrations!


Wasn't that a fun celebration?  I certainly had a blast, hope you did too.  And now on to the good stuff.


Today's post is slightly sad for me, in a way.  I used to have a very good friend who loved Walk Off The Earth, and I have fond memories of going with her to see a few of their shows.  Unfortunately, we aren't in contact with each other anymore, which is too bad, but I suppose things like that happen from time to time.  People drift apart, life goes on, ska is awesome - those are all facts that we just have to live with.

Marshall on guitar at Maxwell's Music House
Waterloo, December 2010

In any case, Walk Off The Earth hail from Burlington, ON - a very sketchy place, according to WOTE.  If you own their second album, My Rock, you'll know that in B-Town you have to carry a Gat - whether it be in your leg pouch, or your waist pouch, or your shoulder pouch - just remember that it has to be in a pouch nonetheless.  Walk Off The Earth has now released two full-length albums, and have been steadily releasing super cool covers of songs for the past few months.  They've recently done a cover of the Backin' Up song, and that song Magic that has Rivers from Weezer in it.  That song rocks.  Both versions.  I'm really impressed with the talent of the guys in WOTE - it's not every day that you see a ska/reggae band perform music with ukuleles or beatboxing (and I think Gianni uses a gun for percussion in one of their YouTube videos!).  Needless to say, their musical creativity is incredible and I certainly hope to see much more from these guys.




Smooth Like Stone On A Beach is WOTE's first full-length.  It has a lot more tracks than their second album, and showcases a much more diverse collection of musical styles.  They do everything from ska to pop to rap to a beachy-reggae cover of Rage Against The Machine's People Of The Sun.  It also features the original versions of 100 Proof Life and Broke, which both were re-recorded for My Rock.  This album was given to me at a Johnstones show at the Chili Pepper years ago - it was my first time seeing them and I only knew Rock Me Away, but we had a great time skanking up their set and being amazed that a bassist could also drum and play the guitar!  I had actually been supposed to see them the November before, opening for another Johnstones show at Port Mansion, but I had to work and we were late and they were done.  It was sad.


Rock Me Away is without a doubt the best song ever by Walk Off The Earth.  Sure, it's only got 2 chords and the lyrics are a little bit less than family-friendly, but this was the song that brought me to WOTE, and this is the song that keeps bringing me back to their music.  I can remember listening to Rock Me Away on their MySpace, just getting totally pumped for the show, and then going and experiencing it live for the first time - what an awesome two-and-a-half minutes that was.  The song is a perfect blend of laid-back-yet-danceable ska rhythms, quick slap bass lines, and enough quirkiness to keep the song exciting.  You can hear how much fun they're having, you can imagine the way it would be performed live, you know that if you wanted to you could cover it but it would never be as good - all of this is why Rock Me Away is still the best Walk Off The Earth song out there.  I can guarantee that if you like to be happy, you will like this song.


OK enough rambling from me for one night, gotta go stock up on food in case Canadians actually start living in igloos after this snowstorm.  Buy the album here, and we'll see what happens for the "X" band tomorrow.  Oh what an adventure this shall be.

One Week Left!

Band: Vanzetti Crime

Country: USA

Notable Album: Unity

Favourite Song: Gimme Gimme Gimmick

Today is a very exciting day!  If everything goes well this week, Friday will be my very last posting on my Ska Blog!  OK maybe you are thinking "OH NO MITCHELL WHYYY WE LOVE YOUR BLOG SO MUCH" but calm yourselves.  I'm not leaving you.  I have a grand vision of making a very elaborate blog - with multiple sections, some for photography, a concert review part, miscellaneous mind rambles, and so on and so forth.  But I need to finish this list of bands before I can move on to such bigger and better things, so this week will be a long, drawn-out goodbye of sorts - yet also a really boring beginning to all good things to come.


As a side note, I bought new headphones today!  They will ship here soon, and they will be make ska sound even better that it already does.  If that's even possible.  Which it is.


OK so on to today's band!  Vanzetti Crime is a now-defunct band based out of Salt Lake City, Utah.  They are an anti-racist, anti-sexist, anti-homophobic (and, with all great "anti's," also anti-government) band that only ever released one full length album, Unity.  They describe themselves as follows: 


Vanzetti Crime = Against All Authority + Suicide Machines + Operation Ivy


and that is the perfect description of their music and lyrics.  They have the aggression and political ideals of both AAA and the Suicide Machines (well, the good Suicide Machines albums anyways), but keep their ska tracks in line with Operation Ivy's simple but catchy sound.  One thing I have to comment on is the contrast between lyrics and music.  For the most part, Vanzetti Crime do not sing - they yell or scream  But the music is recorded in such a way that the screaming and yelling is offset by the bounciness and complete carefree-ness of happy ska-punk.  It's weird, but it works.


Unity was the first and last full-length album by Vanzetti Crime.  It was recorded in 3 days and boasts an impressive 18 tracks.  That number is slightly misleading, however, as many of the tracks clock in under 2 minutes.  But that's not necessarily a bad thing - as is the case with many ska & punk bands, it takes years to polish a sound so the first record isn't ever a band's greatest piece of work.  This is just as true for Vanzetti Crime - the music is a little scattered and the recording quality isn't that great, so it's nice that the songs change up quickly to prevent listeners from getting fed up with any given song.  So yeah.  It's good.  Listen to it.


Gimme Gimme Gimmick is my favourite track on this album, but it's closely followed by Population: Addicted & Confused.  Both of these tracks have sort of strange-sounding verses, but it's the chorus that really make them stand out.  On Gimme Gimme Gimmick it's the combination of a wicked walking bass and the call/answer vocals that make it a great song to listen to.  The verses fly by, leading into the chorus that's really easy to sing along to - and that's why it's my favourite track for the album.  Gimme Gimme Gimmick is also a great showcase of the weird bouncy ska / angry yelling contrast I talked about earlier, so I hope you give it a listen and support the local ska scene!


The album is legally free here, so download it and expand your knowledge of underground ska!  Letter W will be up tomorrow, and then it's going to be Challenge Time to find XYZ bands!

Hello :)

I'm at home, spending time with the family and stuff, so I'll start again on Monday.

YAY FAMILY

I Want "U" To Know The Power Of The Underground

Band: Union Jack

Country: France (I KNOW RIGHT)

Notable Album: Tales of Urban Freedom

Favourite Song: Non-Commercial Activity

I have no exciting things to use as an introduction, so today is strictly music.  Actually that's a lie. I watched Death Race 2 tonight.  Don't ever watch it.  What a piece of garbage.  If  I could un-watch a movie, it would be that.  Or the Human Centipede.  Actually, I'd rather watch Death Race 2 than the Human Centipede.  But just don't watch either one.  Seriously.  Ever.  They're gross.  Moving on to things that won't give me nightmares.

This is at KOI Fest.  But for Anti-Flag.

How cool is this?? A French ska-punk band that also raps and uses turntables!  I first heard about Union Jack a few days before KOI Fest this past September and although I didn't get a chance to see them perform, I was able to pick up their album - lucky me!  This is a super cool band, a very unique mix of ska, punk, and hip-hop, but it's really the use of the turntables that make them stand out.  




Tales of Urban Freedom is Union Jack's first and, currently, only full-length album.  The use of sampling and scratching vinyl on almost every track make this album super cool to listen to.  Although they're a French band, the lyrics are almost all in English.  That being said, the French accents make many of the lyrics hard to understand anyways, but if you can get past that you'll catch your feet tapping in no time.  There aren't really any super fast songs like most ska-punk bands, but the aggression of a ska-punk band is there - it's just used in a different, more controlled way.  In this case, it's the way the two lead singers share vocal duty - it's almost like a call/respond sort of deal.  It would be really cool to see these guys perform live - watching them call the lyrics back and forth to each other would be quite the sight to see.


Non-Commercial Activity is a sweet track off this album.  It's slow-ish but doesn't get boring - just keeps going in a steady skanking rhythm.  I don't know where the quote came from at the beginning, but it goes really well with the song and sets the tone for the rest of the track.  The title is very obviously a poor translation, but that's to be expected with a foreign band.  So get over it and love this song.  Other great songs from this album are Some Hope, Take Action! and a cover of the Clash's Guns Of Brixton.


Support Union Jack by buying their album here, and stay tuned as I try to find a ska band that starts with "V" for tomorrow!

"T" Time!

Band: The Toasters

Country: USA

Notable Album: One More Bullet

Favourite Song: What A Gwan

I'm tired, this will be short.  Apologies for not writing last night again - I went to perform at an Open Mic Night a few blocks down from my house so my evening was spent quickly learning music, eating pizza, being scared, and then quickly performing music and sleeping.  It was a fun night though, so it was worth missing a post.  But I bet you're all like "NOOOOOOOO MITCHELL WRITE MORE STUFF ABOUT SKA BECAUSE I LOVE SKA AND WANT TO READ YOUR HILARIOUS AND WITTY POSTS" so I'm back.  Just for you.  My loyal readers.  You're welcome.


So today's band is one that I had a chance to see back in October.  I didn't see them, though, because I was still 18 and they were all like "NO this is 19+ only" so I walked around Nuit Blanche fuming.  That's right.  I'd rather go see a ska band at the Horseshoe than see Nuit Blanche.  Wanna fight about it?  Anyways, I didn't get to see them and I was sad, but I ended up having a lovely time seeing Downtown Toronto covered with interesting exhibitions.


The Toasters hail from New York City, and they've been a band for over 25 years - although their lead singer Rob Hingley is the only remaining original member.  They were one of the first bands to bring in the "3rd wave" of ska, although their style stays true to the 2-Tone and traditional ska sounds.  They've released 9 full-length studio albums, and have continued to tour despite a ridiculously long musical career.  Rob Hingley also ran Moon Ska Records until 2003, and when it went under he founded Megalith Records - I think Megalith is still in operation today.  The Toasters, although not groundbreaking in any way, has featured some pretty impressive musicians - listen to the solos on many of their songs and you'll hear what I'm talking about.  That's one of the problems with ska, especially 2-Tone and onwards - the musicianship isn't at the forefront with the popular bands (with certain exceptions, of course), so the only times that musicians can express their true talent is through the solo.  The Toasters have taken this to heart, however, and write songs that push past the barriers of ska and enter into reggae, blues, swing, and even the occasional country cover song.  They helped push us into the 3rd wave of ska while staying true to their roots, and that's why it's important that they get recognition.


One More Bullet was recorded in commemoration of the Toasters' 25th anniversary as a band.  Released in 2007 as their first album on Stomp Records (founded by Matt Collyer of the Planet Smashers - yes, it's a Canadian label!), I picked it up in December of that year.  I can remember driving in to Toronto a few days before Christmas, listening to this album all the way there and back.  It was awesome - the first album I subjected my family to on our trip to Lake Placid the following March as well.  I'm proud to say that I know almost all the words to this incredible album, and I have no shame in singing them at the top of my lungs.  When no one else is around.


What A Gwan is the first track off this album, and a perfect way to start things off for the rest of the record.  The horn riff is catchy, the sing-along chorus is easy to remember, and the rhythm is perfect for skanking.  Rob's voice is pitch perfect and there's great toasting in the bridge and finale.  Ska needs more toasting in upbeat songs!  This is a great hype-song - a track that will get you moving up and about no matter how you were feeling before.  Other great tracks from this album are Where's The Freedom, Run Rudy Run Redux (a redo of Run Rudy Run from their Skaboom! album), Bit & Pieces (a Dave Clark 5 cover), and One More Bullet - not to mention the Blues Brothers Outtro (if you haven't seen the Blues Brothers you won't get this but that's cool.  You'll just be missing out).


I very highly recommend this album to anyone who's interested in 2-Tone, 3rd wave, or ska in general - there's something here for everyone.  Buy the album here, and check them out at a show soon! Well, not too soon.  Their only Canadian date right now is Vancouver.  We'll see what happens.


It's after midnight.  This still counts as the post for January 26.  "U" BAND UP TOMORROW!

Sorry Again

Played music down at Maxwell's Music House for Open Mic Night, got distracted and didn't make time for this.  MY BAD. Nap time, post tomorrow.

STAY TUNED FOR THE LETTER "T"... WHO WILL IT BE?

S is for Ska! (Thank you Conor for your awe-inspiring mastery of the English language)

Band: The Slackers

Country: USA

Notable Album: Better Late Than Never

Favourite Song: Run Away

CONOR IS RIGHT, I AM JEALOUS OF HIS WIT AND MASTERY OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE.  Take a look at the hilarious title of this post and see for yourself just how unbelievable his literary skills are.  Yesterday was quite the adventure - went to Cambridge for fun (weird, right?), played some music (a lot less scary than Saturday), and went to a really weird dance that scared the crap out of me but everyone else liked so that was cool.  Then it was sleep time so I missed a day - but things are back on track, life is calm, and ska prevails once again.  So let's continue this magical journey of letters and bands and music.


NOTE: Half of bagel, cheese, turkey, dijon mustard, Frank's hot sauce, horseradish, and other half of bagel makes a yummy sandwich, according to James.  This may become another extremely disjointed and distracted post.  Laugh if you can.  Follow along if you can.  You probably can't.


Today was a tough decision - ska-punk or traditional-style ska?  It was a choice between Subb (great Canadian ska-punk, check 'em out) and The Slackers, and I've been mulling it over all day.  I had the distinct honour of seeing Subb's final Ontario show in London a few months back, accompanied by my trusty sidekick Metal Conor.  It was a great show, and I was able to take a few moments to talk with J-F afterwards - I don't think I've ever met a more humble musician.  He was so appreciative of people like us supporting the local scene that the concert has stuck with me as inspiration, reminding me that the whole music scene hasn't sold out yet - there's hope if we start to care and support the honest musicians.  For that very reason, I almost feel guilty for choosing The Slackers over Subb, but there's been so much ska-punk lately that Royal City Riot yesterday and The Slackers today just feel like a good way to shake things up.  I'm crazy like that.  What will I do next?  Who knows - I just live on the edge.

Glen Pine singing for the Slackers
E-Bar, Guelph, October 2010

So today's band is The Slackers.  I had the privilege of seeing them play in Guelph back in October - what an incredible show.  They didn't even have to try to pump the crowd up with stage antics (the Johnstones come to mind) - the simple fact that they are true musicians, make quality music, and love the music they play makes it fun enough for anyone.  By the second song (Watch This), the entire crowd was bouncing and the girls were already being told to stay off the monitors - no dancing allowed up there.  It was a great night, and it's a very special treat to see a ska band that is made up of such incredible talent.  The Slackers have 2 lead vocalists, and both have unique voices - Vic Ruggiero (also keyboard master) has the coolest New York accent you'll ever heard, and unlike most singers it doesn't disappear as he sings, and Glen Pine (also trombone extraordinaire) has an incredibly powerful, pitch-perfect voice that is perfect for the ballads that they sometimes play.  Alongside some sweet sax grooves, a great trad-ska drummer, some really sweet bass lines, and great skanking offbeats, the group that makes up the Slackers aren't one to joke about.


Better Late Than Never is the Slackers' first full-length album, although many members were in a ska-punk band called The Nods (who had one full-length) slightly before.  As a first record, it's very well produced - in my opinion it's actually better produced than Redlight, which came out a year later.  I find it very easy to sit and listen to the entire album all the way through, something that I can't do for a few of their later ones.  I like most of the songs on the album, especially the original version of Sarah (which was re-recorded for their split with Pulley in 2004).  The horns are tight, the music is a cool mix of jazz, ska, and reggae, and it has a really cool overall "retro" feel.


Run Away is the second track from the album, and also my favourite one.  I can only find a sample, but it's a sweet song - you can find a full live version on YouTube.  It's a cool reggae song with a really catchy horn line, deep powerful bass, and an awesome 2-chord chorus that you can't help but sing to.  I highly recommend plugging in headphones or a good set of speakers when you listen to the song - the bass is extremely low, but powerful once it's amplified.  I have vivid memories of driving along the Trans-Canada Highway, listening to this song on my way to film some stuff in Fort Walsh this summer.  I had to stay in Maple Creek for the night (the town that flooded like mad over the summer) and this was the song that brought me into town (I listened to my Slackers mix CD twice).  That evening I wandered around town, ended up going to a local movie shop and talking to the owner for like 2 hours - we talked horror movies and he actually offered me a job!  I can remember that drive though - singing along, sipping an Iced Capp (now I want one), wearing some extremely stylish sunglasses, and enjoying the drive into Maple Creek as dinner time approached.  Then I ate dinner and it was even better.  It's a good song too, listen to it.


OK It's been 2 hours and I should be napping.  Hope you enjoyed my essay of stuff that really doesn't matter that much.  Support these great guys and buy Better Late Than Never here, and I also hope you check out Subb's music here.  Letter "T" will be up tomorrow night - NAP TIME.

Sorry

Too much going on tonight, will post tomorrow. Nap time.

"R" Ya Ready? (Insert pirate joke here... seriously - I love pirate jokes)

Band: Royal City Riot

Country: USA

Notable Album: Coast To Coast

Favourite Song: Myrtle Avenue

I've been up for 10 hours and I'm exhausted.  Luckily, my pun-making skills stay sharp no matter what my state of mind, and so the title for the blog is yet another representation of exquisite wit.  Are you bored of my letter puns yet?  If not, good!  If so, I'm just going to pretend you love them.  Does anyone even read this?  I feel scatterbrained tonight.  Must have been the pumpkin pasta (I KNOW RIGHT? IT'S A THING! WHO KNEW?) and the carrot soup - too many veggies in one meal and things can go very wrong.  Anyways, ska time.


I was very tempted (almost pressured!) to write this blog post for Reel Big Fish, but I figured that they were probably too well-known to write about them.  That's the same reason why I wrote about Los Furios instead of Less Than Jake for the letter "L."  Still, I highly recommend taking a moment to listen to Trendy by Reel Big Fish and appreciate how awesome they are.  But Royal City Riot takes the spotlight this evening for their album Coast To Coast.  This is the second album from these Long Island skankers, and it's significantly different than their first - but not in a way that's easy to describe.  I suppose it's a more mature sound (too much maturity talk recently, it makes me feel immature) more than a distinct change, but in any case it's a very impressive album.  Tight horns, some sweet keys, a good mix of swing-ska, trad-ska, rocksteady, smooth reggae, and Jesse's distinctively superb singing voice all make this album a real treat for the ears.  A few of the songs start to sound similar after a while, but if you can get past that, then this is a great album for any ska or reggae fan.


As a side note, It's now 11:30 and this is all I've written.  I started at 10.  I am ridiculously distracted tonight.


Myrtle Avenue was an easy choice tonight for this album, but it's definitely not the only song I like on this album. It's a toned-down, reggae track that has a very interesting feel to it.  Jesse sings about life in Long Island, and how he's torn between the serenity outside of New York and the bustle and business within it.  Myrtle Avenue a great track to listen to in any mood - it's not too fast, not too slow, just a ballad to a place that will always be considered home.  It's interesting how a song like this can be applicable to anyone, even though we may not come from Long Island or New York.  There's a hint of nostalgia - a hope that living there now will be like it was in the past, or that there's a chance to relive the memories that were created there - and anyone who comes back home after time away will understand that (I know I do).  There's comfort as well - sort of like a return to the known after years of new experiences - and it's this sort of "returning home" idea that really makes the song what it is.  For anyone who wants a calm, almost soothing song to listen to, then Myrtle Avenue's the song for you.  If you want some great upbeat ska, check out The Rhythm or Fire.  From their other album (Whatever You Please) you can listen to Where You Been, The Extra Mile, or Too Tight for some great tracks.


It's 12:15.  I'm going to take a nice long nap now.  Letter "S" will be up tomorrow night - come back then!  Or come back earlier and read my other posts.  Or comment on this and tell me what you think.  Or buy the Royal City Riot albums here.  Or also nap like me.  Really, the possibilities are endless.

There Was No "Q" Band...

Band: Mad Caddies

Country: USA

Notable Album: Quality Soft Core

Favourite Song: Polyester Khakis

OK I don't have and couldn't find a ska band that starts with the letter Q so I have decided to do a Q album instead!  For those of you who now hate me for breaking the chain, I feel a deep shame in my very core for letting you down - but get over it and read this anyways.

They played at the Opera House in
November 2009.  Jealous?

The Mad Caddies are a ska-punk band from the United States, and I have had the privilege of seeing them live once.  I was even so kind as to buy James one of their shirts since he pretended to break his arm and couldn't go to the show.  Stuart and Erin and I had more fun without him anyways.  The Mad Caddies play an interesting style of ska, that honestly sometimes reminds me of circus music.  But it means that it's easy to distinguish them from any other third-wave band that you might hear.  Their style has changed rather significantly over their career - starting off with fast silly songs, moving on to a nearly ska-less album, and then coming back with a great album of real smooth ska and punk.  It's interesting to listen to a band's discography and listen to them legitimately mature over several albums - other bands that come to mind are Bedouin Soundclash (until this most recent album, what a piece of garbage) and Big D & The Kids Table (also with a terrible recent album).


Quality Soft Core is my second-favourite album by the Mad Caddies.  My favourite is Keep It Going - a return in 2007 from the nearly ska-less Rock The Plank (the only redeeming track on RTP was Weird Beard - what a badass song.) and the not-so-awesome Just One More (but listen to Leavin'), and a progression into a much more lyrically and musically mature stance in the ska-punk scene.  But since Keep It Going is not by a Q band and does not start with Q, I am left with no choice but to exclude it from this blog. Quality Soft Core is the first Mad Caddies album.  It was released in 1997 and it's easy to tell that it's a debut release.  The music style is a bit scattered - weird time signatures, variations of standard chord progressions, a really strange guitar tone, and quick shifts from ska to punk to "circus" - but all wrapped up into one really unique album that's pretty entertaining to listen to.  It's definitely got the quirkiness and interesting musicality that the Caddies are known for now, but this album pushes the character of their band more to the front than it does for their music.  For whatever reason, Chuck decides to sing in a weird accent for a lot of tracks - which is fun but takes away from some of the musical enjoyment.  Despite the criticisms, I think it's a great starting point for a band that had to make their mark somehow in an underrated and somewhat generic genre - I highly recommend it to anyone who wants some fun, easy-to-listen-to ska in their collection.


My favourite song from this album is actually the first Mad Caddies song I ever heard.  In a time long ago, when the mystical powers of Pandora weren't blocked in the magical land of Canada, I typed "Less Than Jake" into the playlist bar, and Polyester Khakis was one of the first tracks to show up as a suggestion.  I can actually remember when I first heard it - it was my grandparents' 50th anniversary and we were at their house the day after the reception.  Not only were we there for their anniversary, it was also my birthday weekend (I got a ride cymbal!) and I was upstairs doing some schoolwork before we had a big family dinner.  That Monday, I went to school and listened to all the Mad Caddies music I could find online, and over the past few years I've grown my collection from just Polyester Khakis to their entire album collection.  The song itself is a really interesting mix of ska and punk, with a super catchy riff in the pre-verse.  The chorus is easy to learn, and it's even easier to get stuck in your head!  But luckily it's a good track - much better than getting something like Rihanna going "UMBER-ELLA ELLA ELLA EH EH EH" stuck for days (Is it there now?  Is Umbrella playing in your mind? Is it stuck on repeat? Do you hate me?  Don't hate - you know you loved that song at one point or another.).  So yes, it's a good song - weird, but good.


Buy the album here!  Or buy the better one, Keep It Going, here!  Or buy both here!  The possibilities are endless!  The R band will be easy but I have a busy day tomorrow - let's see what happens.  SEE YOU TOMORROW!

The Public Serpents!

Band: Public Serpents

Country: USA

Notable Album: The Feeding Of The Fortune 5000

Favourite Song: Hated By A Nation

This is unbelievable - 3 days in a row and things are still going smoothly!  Today's post will be short because I'm hanging with friends and jamming in a bit and I was late getting home from work.  Hopefully tomorrow will be back to more in-depth stuff but for now I just have to get this done.


SOOOOO Public Serpents hail from the You Ess Of Eh and play their own style of crack rock steady.  This means that if you didn't like Antimaniax or the Infested, you probably won't like these guys either.  But they take the letter P for today since I haven't talked about a crack rock steady band in a long time!  I think a few guys from Choking Victim might actually play in the Public Serpents but I can't say for sure.  I've owned The Feeding Of The Fortune 5000 for a few years and haven't listened to it in a while, but it seemed appropriate since they're a lot more obscure than the Planet Smashers (plus I bet a lot of people expected me to write about them - HAHAHAHA YOU'RE WRONG).


My most vivid memory that this album brings back is actually my trip to Saskatchewan.  The last time I listened to this album all the way through was on a 5-hour bus trip from Cadillac (population 500) to Regina before I headed off to Montreal (which was right before I headed off to the arctic. Told you my summer was rad.).  If you're a fan of Choking Victim, Leftover Crack, The Infested, or the Antimaniax, you'll definitely like these guys.  The recording quality of the album is similar to the Infested album in the sense that it's actually recorded fairly well, but it's missing a lot of low-end.  The music is angry, choppy, and surprisingly original for a ska-punk band, no matter what sub-genre you choose to put them into.  It's hard to hear what the singer says a lot, but the music more than makes up for the lack of clarity anyways - it's definitely an enjoyable listen if you're OK with some anger in your ska.


It never ceases to amaze me how hard it is to choose a favourite song from the albums that I write about.  You'd think that after listening to these CDs over and over, I'd be able to choose a song that stands out - but I suppose that's what makes an album a good one.  If you have a hard time choosing your favourite because you like so many, then that's an album that did it's job.  If I had to choose one song (which I do, I know), I'd probably say Hated By A Nation is my favourite, but not by much.  Hated By A Nation is the second track on the album, and is more of a generic ska-punk song.  2 separate 4-chord progressions are all that make up the song - which is not a bad thing because the intensity that the song provides is really what makes it unique.  Brandon told me once that it sounded like a really angry little kids' song and to be honest, I can see what he means - it's a weird sort of happy angry yelling.  But the chorus is super intense, and the verse is perfect for angry skanking so I have to name this as my favourite track.  Other great tracks are Effigies Of Life, Death Of A Revolutionary, and The Feeding Of The Fortune 5000.


You can grab the album here - I now have the daunting task of playing music and finding a ska band with the letter Q for tomorrow!

"O" Man! (Or the Big "O," choose your pun)

Band: Operation Ivy

Country: USA

Notable Album: Energy (1991 Lookout! Records Re-Issue)

Favourite Song: Artificial Life

I'm on the bus home from work, and I'd like to celebrate this momentous day with you all.  Today is Day 2 of the Ska Blog's resurrection! And it's written the day after Day 1! This is quite the feat, but we'll see if I can keep it up until the end...


Anyways, today's band is probably a no-brainer for those of you in the know. I chose Operation Ivy for a few reasons. Mainly, they're AWESOME. I wish I could have been a ska kid in the early '90s, so I'd have a chance to see Op Ivy play a show - it would have been insane. Being in the crowd, watching Tim and Jesse singing and playing their music, singing along to Unity or Sound System or Artificial Life... what an experience that must have been. For those of you that don't know, Operation Ivy was essentially one of the first big 3rd-wave ska-punk bands. They formed in 1987 and disbanded in 1989, a month after the release of their first full-length, Energy. You'll hear covers of their songs everywhere - Reel Big Fish covers Unity, Green Day covered Knowledge, Keepin'6 covered Yellin' In My Ear, and even The Hippos did a cover of Freeze Up. There's even a full Operation Ivy cover album (in which some bands butchered songs, but it's still a nice gesture) that you can find pretty easily.  If you ask most current ska-punk bands about their influences, I can pretty much guarantee that Operation Ivy will pop up in the list. The members went on to do a whole bunch of different projects - Tim Armstrong and Matt Freeman went on to join Lars Frederiksen in Rancid, and Jesse Michaels eventually formed Common Rider.


NOTE: I am now home and watching 3rd Rock From The Sun with James as I write this.  I am fully prepared for the many delays this may cause.


The easiest collection of Op Ivy tracks you can find is the current issue of Energy.  It was originally recorded with 19 tracks, but Lookout! Records re-issued it in 1991 with 27 tracks - compiling their EPs along with the original Energy recordings.  Lookout! recently (well, in 2007) gave up their rights to the album and it was re-issued again on Tim's Hellcat Records.  It was re-mastered and put together in a funky little Digipack - who knows if it's worth it?  I own the 1991 re-issue, which has a really interesting recording quality - almost as if the CD version was recorded right from vinyl or tape. In any case, you'll have to get used to the pop and scratches and overall low-quality recording before you can enjoy the music.  Once you get past the sound, you can appreciate the music and lyrics and understand why so many bands were influenced by these guys. There's something really honest with the way the album goes together - a cool mix of punk and ska, many songs with a message but some that are just fun, and the odd off-time section that let's you know that it's all recorded honestly. It's like a live recording with a thousandbajillion-times better recording quality.  Jesse carries most of the vocals, but it's a real treat when Tim pipes up for a verse here and there.  For almost 30 songs, the album doesn't drag and the music stays relatively fresh all the way through - something that current ska bands have a hard time with!


I have a hard time choosing a favourite song from this album.  It's tradition for me to listen to the album that I'm writing about while I'm writing, and I'm taking moments to stop and sing along to most of these tracks.  Each song is really unique in a way that ska doesn't get much credit for.  If this was a year ago, I'd say it would be a toss-up between Sound System (who can resist a song about skanking?), Freeze Up, or Unity, but I think after another listen-through I'm going to say Artificial Life is my favourite track.  I'm getting goosebumps as I listen to it - it's actually possible to hear how much fun they're having, I think that's part of why I like it so much.  It's so easy to imagine seeing this song live, watching Jesse and Tim get pumped as the song starts up, hearing the crowd sing along to the 2-line chorus, Jesse crying "pick it up!"  Not to mention the fact that it's a simple and awesome ska-punk song - 3 chords (honestly, the whole song. Get over it, it's barely 2 minutes long.), a perfect skanking tempo, and some great choppy offbeats make this a really fun song to listen to.


You can grab the album here, and stay tuned for the letter P tomorrow!