SkaSource.com

BigMikeyDread ReggaeRadio is a monthly ska music podcast originating from the U.K. that is downloaded by listeners all over the world. The podcast plays like a ska-themed radio broadcast that mixes up songs from over 50 years of Jamaican music. According to the podcast’s website, there are over 45,000 listeners each month. The music played varies between, “…Mento, Ska, Rocksteady, Early Reggae, Roots Reggae, Dub, Dancehall, Modern Roots, Ragga and a whole heap more” according to the website’s podcast summary.

I listen to a lot of different podcasts, and must say that this is one of the more professionally-produced shows I’ve heard. BigMikeyDread is definitely a natural at the DJ thing, and after listening for several minutes, you’ll think you have the radio on (minus the commercials) instead of a podcast. Host Mike Murphy’s occasional commentary over the music can be a bit intrusive, but overall his enthusiasm for, and knowledge of, ska music is both entertaining and informative.

Definitely good music to have on while blogging about ska music. Check out the BigMikeyDread Reggae Radio website by clicking here.

Tags: Ska Reviews by admin
No Comments »

New Brunswick’s Hub City Stompers plan to release a new CD, titled “Ska Ska Black Sheep” this spring, on Stubborn Records. The band’s website promises six new songs, plus dub versions of HCS favorites. If you haven’t heard their music, you can pick up their latest release, “Dirty Jersey” directly from Megalith Records.

HCS will be playing lots of east coast gigs throughout the spring, check out show dates here. Definitely try to check out their live set, as it’s full of energy and these guys know how to bring the music to the stage.

Tags: Ska General by admin
1 Comment »

If you are curious about the history of ska music, which dates back to the 1950’s, here are a couple of websites worth checking out. Backy Skank has a nice article called “Ska for the Unitiated” that traces the history of ska music back to its pre-ska roots, with information about how Jamaican culture, as well as jazz, mento and the Jamaican music industry influenced the birth of ska. The article even includes a ska bibliography for those interested in further reading.

The BBC’s website has a brief yet interesting history of the 2-Tone movement’s beginnings in Coventry, England.

For something a bit more multimedia, check out this YouTube video which is a powerpoint-style clip accompanied by some classic ska sounds.

Now that you have boned up on your knowledge of ska music, head on over to the Wikipedia ska entry and help beef up the page by adding to it. Just make sure to include citations along with your facts.

Tags: Ska General by admin
No Comments »

If you haven’t heard them, you’ve probably at least heard of them if you are paying attention to the ska music scene these days. Chicago’s Deal’s Gone Bad are one of the bands that has decided to stay the course of more traditional soulful ska rather than speed up the tempo and hit the distortion pedal. In my opinion, it’s difficult to be successful playing this style of ska, for two reasons – 1. You may not immediately appeal to listeners who are unfamiliar with ska music’s extensive timeline and evolution. 2. It’s more difficult to write fresh, quality songs due to the fact that you’re tapping into a musical niche that has been performed for over 40 years by musicians the world over.

On the other hand, if you can flex some musical prowess and find ways to inject creativity and originality into more traditional ska, you can really stand out amongst the crowd -especially when playing at festival-type shows (and what ska show is not booked at a “ska fest”?) full of young bands still trying to hash it out.

If you like your ska in the vein of Skatalites, Hepcat and Aggrolites, you’ll find 2007’s “The Ramblers” a necessary addition to your ska music collection. The album mixes ska and reggae with a strong dose of good ol’ soul and delivers on every track. My favorite – Track 7 – “Rough and Ready.”

Tags: Ska Reviews by admin
No Comments »

Tickets go on sale today at 10:00 am PST for the upcoming Bad Manners gig at Hollywood’s Key Club on Sunday, March 30. The cost is $18 advance – not too bad a price for the opportunity to see a classic 2-Tone era ska band.

Friends of mine saw Bad Manners last time they were in San Diego, and said they put on a really good show. It’s been years since I last saw them, but they never fail to impress!

Tags: Ska General by admin
No Comments »

If you want a good laugh, check out the GIGMasters website, where you can hire a ska band to play at your next big event. Be sure to read the paragraph on the main “Ska” page, where you can learn tid-bits of revisionist ska history such as, “The Eric Deans Orchestra (perhaps the most famous ska band) came onto the scene, and ska music had officially been born.”  Funny, in the listings for the cities I checked out, I didn’t see even one actual ska band for rent.

Tags: Ska General by admin
No Comments »

The Canadian music website Exclaim! has posted a favorable review of the latest Buck-O-Nine album, “Sustain” in its “No Future” section for punk reviews. Read the brief yet informative review here. Be sure to scan the No Future archives for reviews of other ska bands such as The Toasters (One More Bullet).

Tags: Ska General by admin
No Comments »

In this article posted at SkaSummit.com, one attendee of the recent Three Floors of Ska show in Hollywood, CA, expresses frustration with anti-third-wave sentiments. Apparently The Hub City Stompers have a song called “Ska Train to Dorkville” and its aim is to criticize modern ska.

According to the poster, the HCS song both lampoons and criticizes the third-wave ska movement. Now, I was at the show, but unfortunately did not see their entire performance, and missed this song. The HCS style of ska tends to straddle the line between more traditional ska and two-tone, and judging by their lyrical content and the faster tempos of some of their songs, I have to think that “Ska Train to Dorkville” contains an element of “tongue-in-cheek.”

Read more about it here.

Tags: Ska General by admin
1 Comment »

Hello, and thanks for visting the site. I hate those “under construction” images and messages, but yes, unfortunately this is currently under construction as I work on getting some actual content posted.

The purpose of this site is to provide all kinds of information about ska music and bands – mainly focusing on bands that are currently active. I plan on publishing interviews, articles, reviews, and eventually some multimedia content such as music, video and podcasts, with RSS feeds to come as well!

After consulting with an expert on web design, I decided to convert this fledgling site into a blog so that I wouldn’t have to spend lots of time editing HTML just to get content posted. This means using a pre-packaged template via WordPress, at least for now, but will allow me to focus on content rather than design.

I’m looking forward to providing quality ska music content, so hopefully you will find this site informative and entertaining.

Tags: General Information by admin
No Comments »