The Best Music You’ve Never Heard Of

Ska is dead. That is a phrase that, ironically, every person who listens to ska knows. If you haven’t heard of ska, or how dead it is, then that could just be a testament to how true it is. Ska is not dead. It’s thriving in an underground world of happy angst and flailing peace signs. It’s a contagious genre of music that has survived and evolved for decades. And now, there are new bands to carry the flickering torch.

So, first of all, what the heck is ska? Ska is a genre of music that originated in Jamaica in the 40’s and 50’s, which was known as the first wave. It was the most popular music of its time there, until Bob Marley came along and everything went reggae, simply tweaking the ska formula. Ska was no longer the music of Jamaica. Then, in the late 70’s, due to large amounts of immigrants from Jamaica, English “ska” bands started popping up, blending old school ska influences with catchy and dancy British pop. This was the second wave. Bands like The Specials, The Selecter and Madness had black and white members and sang about equality and economic problems and all the social issues of England in the 70’s and 80’s, charting #1 hits in the UK. Then, ska came around in America. Acts like Reel Big Fish, The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, No Doubt, Sublime, and The Aquabats sprang out of the woodwork, some landing bonafide radio hits. The third wave was underway, but it didn’t last. By 2000, most of those 90’s bands were broken up or simply just not popular anymore. Since then, ska has been in the musical basement, far removed from the mainstream.

For most, that’s the end of the story. But that’s not the end of the story. Ska survived. There are still ska bands around, mostly local acts that tour on a strict diet of do-it-yourself, and most cities around the US have ska scenes. Denver, Salt Lake City, and Las Vegas are known around the west coast to have the most loyal fan bases, but this is mostly due to the bands in each of these cities. Las Vegas’ Be Like Max is one of the most hard-working bands in the country, with a complete DIY attitude. They put on crazy shows and tour across the country. Charley Fine, the lead singer of the band, described their music as “faster and with more energy” than other brands of ska. They are planning on having a massive tour this summer, with hopes to tour Japan soon. That might sound crazy, but to Charley, it isn’t so far out. “What’s stopping us? Saving money for six months? That’s no reason to not do it.”

So what makes ska such a fun scene for all those young ones these days? Well, it is a scene like no other. The music can go from fast, white-knuckle punk to slow, mellowed-out reggae in an instant. This causes shows to have an interesting group of people. A fan base that preaches love and, above all, just having a good time. As Austin Tegtmeier, the bassist of Be Like Max put it, “it’s a very easy scene to get into and feel comfortable” in. And that applies all around the country. Sam Benavidez, drummer of Berkeley-based ska band Skandalism named the ska-punk connection across the country as “very welcoming to an outsider”, which is great for bands that are trying to put together a tour.

So ska is still hanging on. But it is also showing signs of growth. More DIY acts like Survay Says, The Last Slice, The Anchorage and Show Me Island are touring, pushing forth the hazy and difficult to define fourth wave. Austin points out that it is “definitely bigger now than when we started”. Sam pointed out that the East Bay ska scene has grown nicely in the past few years, with consistent shows like Ska Nights at Gilman Street leading to a “mini wave; a ripple, in the Bay Area”, as Sam called it.

Ska may never make it back to its radio hayday, but that’s ok. Ska is surrounded by people that care deeply about it, and to have a genre of music only being played and listened to by people that love it so much is pretty special. It’s pure. Being underground doesn’t mean the music is worse. Austin thinks “the fact that it’s underground (makes it popular)”. If you think that doesn’t make sense, then you might be catching on.

photo taken by Jesse Hudson (jessehudson.net)