Ska is a genre of music. Generally speaking, ska is rock/punk music with horns, but it's actually a little more complicated than that. KariFullOfGoo, Reel Big Fish fanatic, defines ska as "cracked out jazz laced with punk... the music that makes me tap my feet, bob my head, and skank my big [butt] off." Ska is a type of music that combines styles of rock, punk, reggae, and jazz. It is a very upbeat and energetic form of music that incorporates horns such as trombones, trumpets, and saxophones with standard rock instruments like lead guitar, bass guitar, and drums. Lead guitar usually plays fast, clean, undistorted off-beats in the verses and heavier distorted riffs in the choruses. Bass guitar parts are almost always extremely difficult with an emphasis on scalar patterns and fast walking lines. Ska drum parts are fast, complicated, and syncopated. Horn parts for ska are usually fast, energetic, and happy consisting mainly of eight notes and syncopated rhythms in major keys. Ska appeals to me because of it's difficulty and light-heartedness, plus it's fun to play.
Ska......Who is it?
There are tons of ska bands out there in the world, but here are some of my favorites.
Reel Big Fish
sorry this pic isn't up-to-date...imagine Tyler where Tavis is
Reel Big Fish from Orange County, CA is my favorite ska band. Scott Klopfenstien - trumpet/vocals, Tyler Jones - trumpet, Carlos de la Garza - drums, Aaron Barrett - vocalists/guitarist, Dan Regan - trombone, and Matt Wong - bass make up the six-piece band. The horn section has been pretty unstable since the band started, with star trumpet player Tavis Werts leaving recently, but hopefully the lineup is secure now. The band's newest album is set for release June 25th in the U.S. Reel Big Fish was the first ska band I ever heard, and I've been hooked ever since.
The Mighty Mighty Bosstones
The Mighty Mighty Bosstones have been around for a long time. They are an eight-piece band from Boston, MA consisting of: Dicky Barrett - vocals, Joe Gittleman - bass, Roman Fleysher - sax, Chris Rhodes - trombone, Tim Burton - sax, Lawrence Katz - guitar, Joe Sirois - drums, and Ben Carr - bosstone (dancer/skanker). The Bosstones first full-length release came in 1990 and they have another one due out next month.
The Aquabats
The Aquabats are an extremely wacky band from California. They are an eight-piece (at least) high energy, goofy ska band. With songs like Cat with 2 Heads! and Giant Robot-Birdhead, how could they be sane? Your guess is as good as mine as to who is in this band. All I know is that the lead singer is Christian Jacobs and Travis Barker of Blink182 used to be their drummer. Their horn section consists of 2 trumpets and a sax...I think. This band has great feel-good songs and frankly, they're hilarious. If you don't like The Aquabats, you need to lighten up.
Less Than Jake
Less Than Jake is a six-piece extremely punk ska band. The band is composed of Chris - vocals/guitar, Roger - Bass, Vinnie - drums, JR - sax, and Buddy - trombone. Their music is fast and heavy and the vocals are harsh and crass. The horns have a jazzy style with an often abrasive tone. Less Than Jake is definitely hard-core ska. These guys mean business.
The band I'm in
Left on Red
Left on Red is the official ska band of Smithville, TN. We're currently a five or six piece looking for a guitar player. The band consists of ??? - guitar, Adam Loring - bass, Barry Cantrell - drums, Amanda Winchester - trumpet, Craig Watson (that's me) - trombone/vocals, Joseph Greek - trumpet, and Steve Anderson - part-time trumpet. Steve currently lives in KY and comes down to Smithvegas for shows. Right now we do mostly covers (just putting everything together), but our most popular original song Jerry's Way is gonna make a comeback. For more info and band bios, check out the Left on Red Page. If you're in the area and can sing, email me. superbone99@hotmail.com