Is Ska Dead?

[kevteop]

My ringtone is currently Leon Silveras' "Want Me Cock", so no, ska's not dead here at least.

I often go out busking old ska tunes with a guitarist (acoustic guitar, double bass, harmony vocals) and we are always well received by a massive range of ages.

Check out the now defunct great Canadian ska band King Apparatus. They had a couple of albums in the early 90's with great basslines. I still listen to them today.

Singer Invalid Link Removed is still playing roots reggae and ska in and around L.A. .

I saw Chris Murray touring with Mouthwash, Random Hand and The Skints a couple of years ago, he was really good. Incidentally the Skints are a very talented young band, worth checking out if you haven't heard them yet.

 

[phangtonpower]

I've seen the Skatalites Twice Tokyo Ska paradise just went through the town I live in now, but didn't go :/ That Russian never heard of, but pretty dope!

 

[Matthijs]

Saw the skatalites only once, but they're pretty special.

There's lot's of stuff like that Russian Ska coming from eastern europe. It must be the perfect antidote to all that gloomy macho metal that's so popular over there too.

 

[robbotbass]

I just picked up less than Jake's 2006 album IN WITH THE OUT CROWD and I was blown away (and the reason why I started this post). Funny thing is I found it at the local dollar tree dollar store in a bin mixed in with Paris Hilton and Kenny G cd's. It was only a buck.

 

[JoeVictim]

Skatalites - Guns of Navarone - YouTube Kings of Ska. I saw them on "their last tour". I was even interviewed by hellcat records, they were going to make a video about it. (circa96)


Invalid Link Removed This band freaking rocks too. More rocksteady than ska but still good. They actually opened the show for The Skatalites on that tour. Basslines are so infectious.

But yes, I think Ska is dead in a sense that it will never be as big as it was in the mid to late 90's when every ska band had a video in MTV2 rotation. Ska is dead the same way punk is dead. But I still listen to both and enjoy finding good bands of the genres.

 

[pbassnut]

I dig ska, too ... the whole two-tone thang. The English Beat and the Specials are my personal favorites. Horace Panter is a good one to listen to and learn ska bass from.

 

[punkinfantry]

the record company's gonna give me lots of money and everything's gonna be...alllllllllllright!

 

[pacojas]

i miss Ska...

especially "The Selecter"!

 

[i_got_a_mohawk]

From Edinburgh:

Bombskare
Bombskare - YouTube

Big Fat Panda
Big Fat Panda - Terror On The Streets - YouTube


Glasgow:

Amphetameanies
Amphetameanies - Say Something Special - YouTube


Look around, I'm sure you'll have some local ska bands still playing too. We still have plenty of the bigger old school UK ska bands touring, Madness, Bad Manners, The Beat, Selector, heck, even The Specials were playing recently.

On a more punk based ska bender, saw Capdown recently (on their 4th or 5th 'Farewell' tour) and there are some acts like Random Hand on the way up through the ranks. There's some of the more rap orientated stuff too, with the likes of Sonic Boom Six.

 

[iamlowsound]

I saw the last FIF show in Colorado (well not the last if your post is true) Epic show!

I was at their forth last show in Buffalo, it was amazing.

lowsound

 

[HolmeBass]

Ska isn't dead. I just started playing with the ska/reggae/rock band I used to play with in college, in the 80's, again after an 18 year hiatus.

 

[CntrlScrtnizr]

Ska is not dead. It just smells funny.

Beat me to it...

 

[pica]

I grew up listening to ska bands like English Beat, Madness, Selector, The Specials, The Bodysnatchers etc. That to me was ska. I haven't heard anything like that in a long time. Of course I'm not real familiar with any modern ska bands. So I'd have to say ska as I knew it has been gone for a while.

P.S. If you can find it check out the 2-Tone collection called "A Checkered Past". F****n awesome.

 

[xxjazzbassist]

Ska is NOT dead because FIVE IRON FRENZY has returned from the grave!!!

 

[Smallmouth_Bass]

This one is really good! Great chorus. Maybe a little long for a ska song, but otherwise really fun.

Well, since you like the Mongol800 vid I posted, here's another goofy Japanese song. I've been told it's ska, but it seems more like a fusion of ska, pop, hip-hop, and rap. No clue what to call it.



It may be classified as "just having a horn section".....

 

[mikerophone]

i typed a big thing about genre semantics, and realized i was just being a total douche, so i deleted it. mainly i just want to give a nod to Streetlight Manifesto and Bomb the Music Industry! for expanding the scope of the genre.

 

[joebar]

i think amy winehouse was keeping it alive to some degree.