ROUND 2!

Band: New Riot

Country: UK

Notable Album: Riot.Sleep.Repeat.

Favourite Song: Days Like These

Happy New Year! I KNOW I KNOW IT'S BEEN ALMOST A YEAR AND I'M SUPER EMBARRASSED but I have been inspired. I don't know how or when, but yesterday I got a Twitter account and today I felt like starting this ol' thang up again. Maybe it's because mom and dad make up 50% of my followers and I don't want to let them down. Maybe it's because I need creative stimulation now that I'm not at school for a term. Maybe it's because I have absolutely nothing better to do. Who really knows? I certainly don't.

So hey there! How have you been? Long time no ska. Actually that's a lie - I've been to at least 15 ska shows since I got back from Saskatchewan (did you know I went to Saskatchewan all summer? And Banff. And the arctic. It was rad.) including seeing The Specials' 30th Anniversary Tour in Toronto and winning tickets to see The English Beat the next night but being 2 kool for 2 nights of 2Tone ska. Also I had no one to go with.

This is sort of a test - I have an urge to expand my online presence but until I make the blog that I have in mind (which will consist of many things, not just ska posts, but mainly ska posts) I want to see if I have enough dedication to finish this. So come along on this magical journey... who knows where we'll end up?

New Riot formed out of the ashes of Fandangle - who put out my favourite album of 2008. They released a demo (with an awesome re-recorded I'm High) in 2009, and we saw their full-length Riot.Sleep.Repeat. in early 2010. If you liked Fandangle, you won't be disappointed with New Riot - 3 to 4 chords, real loud brass, walking bass lines, and all the sing-along choruses you can handle. Some may say that the music is all the same, and those people (I have to grudgingly admit) are right. HOWEVER New Riot does the "same thing" really well, and I highly recommend this to any 3rd-wave ska-punk fan.

This was my first summer album of 2010. I can remember taking my brother to the Avondale Dairy Bar, getting our ice cream (too much ice cream was consumed before I went on that trip), and then sitting on top of the car with all the windows down - listening to the album and waiting for a boat to go under the Welland Canal lift bridge. We must have listened to that album every day before I left. The music is great, but I was surprised and slightly disappointed by the way it was recorded. The distorted guitars are as expected - loud, powerful, perfect - but the clean sound for the offbeats is totally muted. That's what I wanted to hear! I think the music would be much more skankable (IT'S A WORD) and enjoyable if the offbeats were easier to hear. Maybe they'll read this and record the next album differently.

I have a mix CD of my favourite Fandangle and New Riot songs - most of the tracks from R.S.R. are on it. But my favourite track on the album is definitely Days Like These. It's perfect - 3 chords, not too fast, not too slow, and I love the saxophone that pops up in the chorus. Anyone who likes 3rd-wave ska-punk is going to like this track. It's re-recorded from New Riot's Blood Sweat And Beers EP from 2009, but I don't notice any real differences (minus the absence of post-performance silliness at the end of the album version). Days Like These is the second-last track on R.S.R. but I highly recommend listening to the rest of the album first and then going OH MY GOD MITCHELL IS RIGHT THIS IS THE BEST SONG ON HERE right near the end. It'll be like a fun surprise. Plus one song after like a less-awesome encore.

You can buy the album here (I did!), and stay tuned for letter O! Hopefully tomorrow.

Ohhh Boy...

Band: Mustard Plug

Country: USA

Notable Album: In Black & White

Favourite Song: "Hit Me! Hit Me!"

So. It's Thursday. Last update? Last Wednesday. Ouch. LET'S IGNORE THIS ok? Let's just pretend I actually started my WHOLE blog a full week later than I really did... so last Wednesday is now yesterday and I'm still on track. DEAL.

Ok, so today's band is brought to you by the Letter "M!" I had a hard time choosing this band because I actually have I think 6 "M" bands that I really like and so it was a toss-up. But I chose Mustard Plug because they are not as obscure as Mouthwash or Morning Glory, and not as well-known as the Mighty Mighty Bosstones. Good middle ground. Good talk. Mustard Plug hails from Grand Rapids, Michigan, and have been playing third-wave ska-punk since 1991. Their band is as old as I am! You can usually find them on the Ska Is Dead tour, alongside bands like The Toasters and Catch 22. Their music has legitimately evolved for the past while, and In Black & White really blew my mind when I heard it for the first time. I don't really know how to explain it... but I think the evolution of their music is very audible on this album - if you liked them before, you'll love them after you hear this!

Mustard Plug and the Planet Smashers performing together
Ska Fest at the Phoenix, October 2010 - good night of ska

In Black & White is Mustard Plug's newest album, although it was released back in 2007. I remember listening to the album for the first time while playing Quake III at home on my computer - I just put it on repeat and listened to it over and over. I probably learned most of the lyrics that night! This album is simply awesome - I think what gets me the most is that the horns don't get annoying! That was a problem I had with Mustard Plug's earlier releases, on all the albums except this and Pray For Mojo, the horns got super annoying super fast. I don't know if they were a tiny bit out of tune or what, but what I DO know is that I can only listen to a few songs at a time from their older music. Also, Pray For Mojo is weird because it was released in 1999, but Yellow #5 came out in 2002, and I STILL prefer Mojo. Whatever. Music is crazy sometimes. The other thing that got me about this album was the drumming. In all their releases, I always felt as though the drumming was kind of... soft? On In Black & White, though, the drums are loud and powerful, and quiet down when they need to. But they always provide a strong and forward-moving backbeat that really help each song move along. The one negative thing I have to say about the album is about the similarity of tempo across the tracks. I would venture to say that all the tracks are withing 20bpm of each other, and so at some points you may think you're listening to one track, while you're actually 3 or 4 tracks past it. But that's the only thing I don't like about this album - it's just all-around awesome.

"Hit Me! Hit Me!" is In Black & White's third track, and a super song off this album. It's short, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but it does exactly what it was made to do - be as skankable as possible! The chord progression is somewhat original, little drum fills add a fun flair to the track, and the tempo is perfect - not too fast as to inhibit the ability to skank, but not as slow as a reggae or original ska song. Absolutely perfect for everything from toe-tapping, to head-bobbing to full-out skanking and singing along! Other awesome tracks from this album are "Who Benefits?," "Over The Edge," "Something New," "You Can't Go Back," and "Puddle of Blood."

Grab this album here, and I will try my very best to have "N" up for tomorrow as to not break this chain of posts. Again.

I AM SO BAD AT THIS

Band: Los Furios

Country: Canada!

Notable Album: Run Devil Run

Favourite Song: "Landslide" (No link for this song, SAD)

This is ridiculous - I can't find a way to remember to do these! So sorry for forgetting 3 days in a row - but here is yet ANOTHER Canadian band, Los Furios! These guys play a wicked latin-infused blend of ska and reggae, and really stand out from many other ska bands. They hail from our West Coast, over in BC, and have been playing music since about 2000. Their lineup has changed over the years, and I'm pretty sure they re-recorded a bunch of stuff - I knew about this band about 5 years ago from a song called "Bodybag" and then forgot about them, but last year when I found them again, "Bodybag" had been re-recorded! I would assume that they didn't just re-do that one song, but I could be wrong.

Run Devil Run is Los Furios' most recent album. Each track is very original, not only in content, but in the music as well. Los Furios has once again done a great job of trying to stay away from "traditional" ska and punk-rock chord progressions - and when they do fall into that trap, their unique style of playing at least makes it SOUND original! The one complaint that I have about the album is in the lyrical content. Sometimes, and ONLY SOMETIMES, I think the lyrics are a bit lame... almost as if they just needed something to use as a rhyme and didn't really think about if it went with the rest of the idea or phrase. Other than than, the music has kept me entertained for a few months, and I just picked up another one of their albums, Warning Shot, the other day!

ALL OF THE TRACKS THAT I TALK ABOUT TODAY CAN BE FOUND ON THEIR MYSPACE PAGE, EXCEPT FOR "LANDSLIDE" :(

My favourite song on this album is "Landslide," although my all-time favourite Furios track is "Bodybag." "Landslide" is a more mainstream, poppy-ish track, but still really fun to listen to. The chromatic-ish horn line and the harmonic singing make this a great song, no matter if you even like ska or not! "Bodybag," on the other hand, is a wicked ska/reggae mix. The original version was a lot slower but now it's fast and powerful, with the horns blaring a lot harder than before! The other standout track for me from Run Devil Run was "Playing With Fire." Although the beginning sounds like a ripoff of Sublime's "Caress Me Down," SIT THROUGH THAT PART because the rest of the song is awesome!

You can buy the album here, and remember, the Canadian music scene ALWAYS needs your help!

I Missed Another Day...

Band: Keepin'6

Country: Canada!

Notable Album: Uncensored

Favourite Song: "Step Back"

So I am a lot more lame that I thought, even compared to the 3-day gap between posts a little while back - and I forgot to post again yesterday. Sorry... but here we are with letter "K!" Keepin'6 are a Mississauga ska-punk band that play a fusion of ska-punk and metal that keeps the scene refreshing, just when things get a bit boring. Uncensored was released in 2007 - I picked it up in 2008, and although they haven't released another album since, 2 years have gone by and I'm not bored of the music! The tracks are just as exciting as their live performances, which makes either way of listening just as entertaining! Although they are good friends with the Johnstones, their musical style are ridiculously different and with the Johnstones selling out as fast as a band can, these guys help me keep my faith in the future of ska and ska-punk.

Keepin'6 opening for the Johnstones and Mad Caddies
Opera House, November 2009

Uncensored is a quick, 11-track album from 2007. It's also the only full-length album that Keepin'6 has released, although at their last few shows I've heard some new stuff that didn't show up on their early split albums. So chances are that either the end of this year or the beginning of next, they'll have some fresh music for everyone to hear and enjoy! Each track on this album is an angry outburst at something or someone. But I don't think that should be a turn-off - in fact, it makes the music stand out a lot more than most ska-punk bands. I think ska and ska-punk have a large opportunity for "joke" music (much like our song "Delve") so when a band comes along with something of substance to say - no matter how angry it ends up being - I think it's always worth the listen. Especially in Keepin'6's case, when the music is also incredible, it's definitely of a quality that a lot of bands can't boast about!

"Step Back" is a super cool track, most notably for the way the guitar is played. It's strummed 6 times with each beat, with the accent on the 4th strum. This still gives it the offbeat feel, but there's so much more going on behind the accents that it's almost necessary to see it live just to understand! It's also a very short track - which is good, considering only 3 chords are used for the whole song. After about 2 minutes of the exact same thing it could get pretty boring, so the 1:51 mark ends the song. And if that's not enough for you, well, you can always listen to it again! Other tracks that I love from this album are "Scapegoat," "Forget It," "Handle It," and "TFY 634," which is a cool hip-hop kind of song.

The only negative thing I have to say about the album is that they didn't include their cover of Operation Ivy's "Yellin' In My Ear." That is definitely my favourite song by these guys, and if it had shown up on Uncensored then it would definitely be the top track. You can check that song out here - you won't be disappointed! Desmond Dekker's "Get Up Edina" is their other cover song, and it shows up on the Unity: A Tribute To Desmond Dekker compilation album.

Uncensored can be bought here, and supporting the Canadian music scene is ALWAYS A GOOD DECISION!

How Hard's A Johnstone?

Band: The Johnstones

Country: Canada!

Notable Album: Word Is Bond

Favourite Track: "Action"

Well well well - today not marks letter "J" for the blog, but also the FIRST Canadian band on here! The Johnstones hail from Ajax, Ontario, and are known best for their outrageous performances that go along with pretty ridiculous songs.

Julien, master keyboardist and trombonist

This was in Burlington at the Red Rooster, January 2011

Today's blog is a little different, because I'm promoting the album more than the band - since Word Is Bond, The Johnstones have lost their ska-punk edge and play a raw-ish pop-punk-with-horns style of music. Although it isn't bad music, knowing them for a few years as a ska-punk band makes it hard to accept the material from the Sex EP and onwards. I think I listen to 2 tracks from Sex and 3 from Can't Be Trusted - but I love most of the songs off Word Is Bond! One thing that has always impressed me about these guys is the musical diversity of the members. Changing vocal styles from rapping to singing to chanting in no time flat, Julien changing from keys to trombone sometimes in the same song, and Ryan singing, rapping, and drumming all at the same time (only the best musicians can do this), these guys make their music their own simply by the way they present it.

"Action" is by far my favourite track on this album, but it's followed closely by "Gone For A Long Time" and "Living In The Gutter." "Action" is the quintessential ska-punk track, featuring quick upstrokes, a wicked walking bass line, and horns everywhere! I bought Word Is Bond at SCENEfest back in 2007 and I was blown away by this song, and it was even better seeing it live the same night! all 3 tracks named above are wicked, and anyone who is new to the Johnstones will love them, and all the old fans will already know and (hopefully) love them!

Pick up the album here, and stay tuned for letter "K" tomorrow!