In Defense of Ska

Hans Gruber and the Die Hards came out of the pandemic swinging and ready to take over the ska scene. The band formed in 2014 in Austin, Texas, went through some lineup changes (A big lineup change a few years ago!) and then released their excellent record, With A Vengence, in May 2022 on SPI Records. They want to get the word out and have been touring as much as possible. The group mixes ska with furious hardcore, cumbia, silly singalongs, and whatever else they feel like throwing in the mix. And they bring a stage show filled to the brim with bizarre antics that involve sock puppets, conga lines, copious guest horns and exercise classes. Today we speak with three members of the group: Chris Thompson, Rosey Armstrong and Kurt Armstrong. We talk about Die Hard lore, and whether the film is in fact a remake of A Christmas Carol. We talk about their long tours and the methods they employ to save money (Forage for nuts in the forest, get free cheese from members of The Best of the Worst). We also talk about Kurt's blackeye and why the band members are the undisputed Gods of Dairy. We also talk about the squirrels in Adam's backyard and Christian rock groups like Lust Control, DC Talk, One Bad Pig and Rich Mullins. We talk about Hans' experience being on the Ska Parade tour a few years back. And they talk about The Slackers, Slackfest and missing veggie trays. Plus we talk about a very controversial topic: Kurt's underwear Support the show

Jon Wurster started playing drums in Superchunk in the early 90s. He currently plays drums in The Mountain Goats and with Bob Mould. He also famously played the character Ronald Thomas Clontle on The Best Show with Tom Scharpling and declared that Madness invented ska! And Jon certainly jokes around about ska a lot, but when he was a teenager, he really loved the 2 Tone ska bands like The Specials and English Beat. He was also a big fan of The Hooters during their early 80s ska phase. And more recently, Jon skanked and played tambourine on stage during the infamous Ska No Children incident. (Sad Snack opened for The Mountain Goats in San Francisco and played their ska cover of "No Children.") We bring Jon on today to talk about ska. He tells us that he used to practice drums to the Dance Craze soundtrack. We talk about his connection to the band Dead Milkmen. (Amongst other things, he booked their first show!) We discuss his nickname Johnny Earthshoe and we talk about two key shows he attended with The Police. (The Specials and Rhoda Dakar were at one of them) He also tells us about missing his high school prom for The Meatmen, Ska band The Pressure Boys' connection to Superchunk, and we try to figure out the name of the ska artist that was featured on a DVD he owns (It turns out it was King Django)  Support the show

IDOS PATREON EXCLUSIVE EPISODESupernova 2023 was an incredible experience! Amazing bands and just a lot of great people hanging out at the festival. It was the first time that we (both Aaron and Adam) got to experience this awesome festival. But also, we were heavily involved with the festival.For September's bonus episode, we discuss our Supernova experience with an after-the-fact conversation and a few field recordings from Supernova.Sign up to the In Defense of Ska Patreon to listen to this EXCLUSIVE episode! Support the show

In 2011, long time Southern California ska trumpet player Eitan Avineri had an idea. He wanted to blend traditional Jamaican ska with big band jazz. He assembled a crew of all the best players in LA's traditional ska scene, as well as some of his jazz friends, and re-arranged his favorite Skatalites tunes in a big band style. He called the project Western Standard Time Orchestra. And their first album was called Big Band Tribute To The Skatalites (Vol 1)Though Eitan would later discover that he wasn't the first person to form a ska orchestra, Western Standard Time Orchestra would be a particularly vibrant band, steeped in ska and jazz in equal measures. Now over a decade into the band's existence, they have a brand new Christmas record that releases on November 3rd. To talk about it, we bring on Eitan and Aggrolites' vocalist Jesse Wagner, who sings lead vocals on the record. We discuss, at length, LA's trad ska scene and its various players that helped give birth to this cool project. And we talk about how WST tour, record and function as a massive 15-30 piece band. We also talk about the various LA trad ska bands that built the foundation the group grew from: Jump With Joey, Mobtown, Yeska, Hepcat, The Allentons, Kingston 10, See Spot, Ocean 11, Rhythm Function and others. We also talk about the role of Steady Beat Records and Chris Murray's Bluebeat Lounge. Also, skinhead fights, Christmas music, how Jesse can croon so well without making it sound cheesy, and we learn that Gogol Bordello has been using LA trad ska drummers in the group for the past decade! Plus we discover that Jesse Wagner used to be a child/teenage actor!  Support the show

Bill Stevenson is a punk rock legend. He's the drummer/only consistent member of The Descendants. He played in Black Flag, All and he owns/operates punk-friendly recording studio The Blasting Room. And while most bands that roll through The Blasting Room are punk, Bill has worked with several ska bands, including Mustard Plug, Kemuri, Suicide Machines, Less Than Jake and Big D and the Kids Table. Today we dig into Bill's connection to ska! But we talk about so much more, including recording techniques, pre-show stretching techniques, nightmare tour stories, major label stories, Conan O'Brien stories, Joey Ramone stories, and he tells us about his special drink. Also, I mention an obscure Fort Collins group called The Bob Hollister Band to see if Bill has ever heard of them. Plus he gives us an update on how Milo's been doing since the heart attack. And he answers drum question by Omnigone drummer Justin Amans.  Support the show

The Loving Paupers have a brand new album out. Ladders! Who are the Loving Paupers you ask, they are an amazing band that plays "Melancholy Roller Skating Rink Reggae," according to Jump Up Records's Chuck Wren. And you know what, he's exactly right. So today, we have on their guitarist/songwriter Jorge Pezzimenti. But we have so much more to talk about than just Loving Paupers' new Victor Rice produced album. We dive deep into Jorge's ska past with 90s ska-punk band The Decepticonz (as previously discussed on the Patrick Stump and Jamie Woolford episodes), as well as his time in DC's one and only Pietasters. We even touch on his 80s cover band The Legwarmers and some of his side projects, like the infamous Jorge and the Landladies record Monobound. We also talk about the influential role that MU330 had on The Decepticonz, Too Hep Records (This Aren't Two Tone, Metalliska), and we learn which song The Legwarmers were playing when the police shut down their show at the Kansas House in 2001 (Hint: it was "Eye of the Tiger") We also talk about the time Jorge was arrested just before a Pietasters gig, how the Pietasters once backed soul icon James Brown, and he tells us some important Jamaican records like Desmond Dekker's Music Like Dirt and The Heptones Night Food. Catbite gives The Loving Paupers a shoutout in Bearded Gentlemen, we learn how Tango music informed Jorge's song "Let's Not Rewind These," and find out whether the Decepticonz had an oboe player in the band. Plus we devote a little time to 2000s-era hipster bands with weird stylized names. All caps, no caps, weird letter in the center capped for unknown reasons. It's all there!  Support the show

This week, we connect GWAR to ska. And this is a fun connection because GWAR's founding guitarist Steve Douglas is the current guitarist for the Australian ska band The Resignators. Yes, that's right. Steve is a ska musician with a GWAR past. Steve gives us many hilarious and jaw-dropping GWAR stories, including the early days in Death Piggy (the band that preceded GWAR), incidents with cat shit-filled pinatas, real cow's blood on stage, and how local Richmond, Virginia artist Hunter Jackson and his film Scumdogs of the Universe helped to shape the band's aesthetic. He also talks about playing with the Butthole Surfers, Scream (Dave Grohl's old band), and Operation Ivy. But we also talk about ska. Steve not only talks about his band The Resignators, but some of the other important Australian ska bands of the past two decades, like Melbourne Ska Orchestra, The Bennies and The Porkers. As well as the annual festival Ska Nation. Plus we of course discuss former IDOS guest and Australian comedian Aaron Gocs, who hung out with Catbite on their recent trip to Australia. Steve also tells us about the punk and ska scene in Richmond, Virginia back in the 80s and 90s, including bands like Burma Jam, The Good Guys, Avail and Lamb of God. We also talk about The Caribs and the theory that they--an Australian ska band--helped create the ska groove back in the day.Plus we discuss Mustard Plug (who barely left Australia before Covid) and UK ska band Death of Guitar Pop who The Resignators recently toured with over in Australia. And we talk about Supernova International Ska festival...a lot!  Support the show

Does rapper/podcaster Open Mike Eagle like ska? Well, when I brought up Fishbone, he immediately said that he loved the song "Unyielding Conditioning." Great! Now that that's out of the way, this week, we talk about a whole lot of other topics with the great OME including AJJ, They Might Be Giants, MF Doom, Adventure Time, and he has a fantastic Angelo Moore story!  With AJJ specifically, we discuss what it's like to tour with the group, how he exercises on the road, and Adam even forces him to choose between Sean and Ben! We also go deep into OME's all-time favorite band They Might Be Giants, and discuss every moment he's referenced their music in his own songs. And he tells us about what it was like to be a judge on the "I Left My Body" video contest. Plus, we determine whether "Boss Of Me" is a ska song or NOT! We cover a range of other topics, including his long friendship with Hannibal Buress (And how Hannibal once beat him at a rap battle contest), The Pixies, famous people he's mentioned in his songs (Peter Dinklage, Marc Maron, Joe Rogan, Jon Lovitz) and whether they're aware that they were mentioned. And Tim Robinson's show I Think You Should Leave gets brought up--of course. Adam even makes OME choose a favorite sketch!Plus we finally decide once and for all if punching nazis is a good or bad thing (hint: It's good)  Support the show

We continue on with our new PATREON-EXCLUSIVE series: I Worked At Asian Man Records. Another brave soul, Lazlo Happenstance, confesses to us Behind The Curtain what it was like to work for the one and only Mike Park. And this episode gets JUICY! Make sure you're properly hydrated before you click play on THIS episode!Go to www.Patreon.com/indefenseofska to listen to the entire episode NOW! Support the show

The time has finally come! We have landed an Aquabat on the In Defense of Ska podcast. Not just any Aquabat, but EagleBones Falconhawk! Or as he's known when he's not busy with his superhero duties, Ian Fowles. We get into the Aquabats! history with Ian, including his personal story with the group, the mythology of his character and what it was like to work on Yo Gabba Gabba! and The Aquabats! Super Show! Many names were dropped in this conversation, including Weird Al Yankovic, Jack Black, Greg Hawkes (The Cars), Puddles Pity Party and Jesse Hughes (Eagles of Death Metal). We also dig into Ian's history as a musician. He was a founding member of Death By Stereo. He quit the group to go on his Mormon Mission. When he returned, they were signed to Epitaph. We talk about how Michael J. Fox or rather Marty McFly's guitar scenes in Back To The Future inspired him to take up the guitar, what it was like to tour with Rancid, and we discuss his mustache phase! Plus we ask Ian he likes ska. You may not want to know the answer!  Support the show

Artist Sam Grinberg started interning with The Simpsons in 2014. It turned into an actual job shortly after--a dream job! He joins us today to discuss the popular show, its possible ska connections and his own history with the genre. He's got a lot of history with ska. Sam grew up in New Jersey and used to go see tons of bands like Streetlight Manifesto and local legends Awful Waffle. He even drops some super obscure local ska band names on us like Stolen Oregano, Explosive Sheep, and The Nerd Who Ate St. Louis. Sam has also done a lot of artwork for ska bands. A short list includes Catbite, Kill Lincoln, Less Than Jake, Save Ferris, The Holophonics, the Too Hectic comps on Pay Attention Records (By Phil Lucas-Smith of Ska Punk Daily) and more. (He even did art for the Hella Mega Tour, which featured Fall Out Boy). Plus Sam talks about his other artwork like the Scumburbia series and his infamous "How To Skank" comic. We also learn how Sam got a job at The Simpsons, how he defines his art style, and how many tattoos people have gotten of his artwork. He talks about seeing Fatter Than Albert, Bomb The Music Industry and going to many shows at The Starland Ballroom and the Stone Pony. Plus he talks about going to the "It's a Ska World After All" at Disneyland. And we learn that one of his art teachers was Gary Panter, who created the characters for Pee Wee's Playhouse. And we discuss ska bands with Simpsons references and the ultimate Simpsons-themed metal-core band: Okilly Dokilly. A jam-packed episode! Support the show

The UK has a long history of producing interesting, eclectic ska bands. And this tradition continues to this day. Today we bring on Popes of Chillitown, an excellent UK band that formed in the early 2010s and just released their 4th record, Take A Picture. The band mixes ska, punk, metal, grime, hip-hop, drum n bass and anything else they feel like into catchy, energetic tunes. On Take A Picture, they go a little heavier and get even more diverse than any prior record. We talk about a lot, including British sketch shows like The League of Gentlemen and The Young Ones. We talk about the influence that rave culture and hip hop has had on the UK's ska-punk scene, and we dig into the Household Name Records era bands like Capdown, King Prawn, and Sonic Boom Six. We also talk about iconic UK venues New Cross Inn and The Underworld. We talk about how The Popes like to kill time on tour in the van (Reading religious texts and playing the ukulele?), we discuss new UK bands and artists like Pook, Bar Stool Preachers, The JB Conspiracy and The Skints, and we get the full story on the band's biggest song, "Wisdom Teeth." Plus, we learn what Onion Tea is!  Support the show

Reel Big Fish was one of the biggest ska-punk bands in the late 90s. Their success was launched by the success of their single "Sell Out." In 1997, the song started to explode while Reel Big Fish was on tour as the opening act for Let's Go Bowling and The Cherry Poppin' Daddies. Midway through the tour, they were promoted to headliner. To this day, Scott still feels weird and kind of guilty about it. But there have been a lot more weird moments during Reel Big Fish's career, which Scott shares with us. Like the time they opened for KISS at an amphitheater, then immediately left the venue to open for Skankin' Pickle in a small Inland Empire club. We also talk about how strange it was for Reel Big Fish to travel all over the world. (He includes a particularly funny story from their trip to Russia). Not to mention the time their tour bus blew up--they were almost inside when it happened. Plus Scott talks to us about interviewing random people in Times Square about ska for the documentary Pick It Up - Ska In The 90s. We also talk about his acting roles in the We Are The Union music videos for "You're Dead / Vampire Ska" and "Make It Easy." (And what it was like to kill Brent Friedman on camera!) We also discuss what it was like to recently meet The Slackers' frontman Vic Ruggiero for the first time, the influence of Fishbone on the Reel Big Fish, making a cameo in the film BASEketball (by South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone) and how Aaron Barrett and Scott's funny on-stage banter started as something antagonistic between them. Plus we dig deep into the fantastic record Cheer Up and learn a lot about "Drunk Again" and "Average Man," two songs Scott wrote. And Crumbl Cookies. We definitely talk about Crumbl Cookies. Support the show

In a brand new PATREON EXCLUSIVE In Defense of Ska series, we speak with former employees of Asian Man Records to get the DIRT on Mike Park. It gets juicy behind the curtain. Our guests feel comfortable spilling the tea because Mike Park IS NOT a Patreon Subscriber so he'll never hear this!This month, we chat with Skylar Suorez who worked at Asian Man from 2005 - 2011. Skylar's other big claim to fame is that he discovered AJJ!!!!!To listen to the ENTIRE episode, sign up to the In Defense of Ska Patreon! Support the show

The first CD Sadie Dupuis saved up her own money to purchase was "Let's Face It" by The Mighty Mighty Bosstones. The first concert she begged her mom to take her to was No Doubt. And on a recent NPR segment, Sadie talked about the huge influence The Selecter's Pauline Black had on her. Pauline, through example, taught her that music could be a political toolThese days Sadie plays in the indie-rock band Speedy Ortiz, and she also releases music under the moniker Sad13. But she hasn't forgotten about her love for ska. In fact, she makes a plea to JER for a Sadie Dupuis / Skatune Network collaboration. (Hopefully, you're listening JER!) We also get into a lot more, like how Sadie's parents worked at record labels in the 70s. Her mom worked at the UK ska/reggae label Rock Steady Records. We talk about how The Specials' "Ghost Town" is a perfect song, we discuss the ska leanings of 100 gecs. And she talks about sending an AIM message to I Voted For Kodos. We also talk about booking MySpace tours, Sinéad O'Connor, and her love for Weezer. (Her favorite non-album track is "Blast Off!!"). We also talk about a ska band Sadie played in when she was a kid called "Walker Exists." They had no bass player! (She also mentions the ska band that Kevin Bacon's kid used to play in.) We talk about her songwriting process, fostering dogs, and get into the 2 Tone ska influences on the Brit-pop genre. But most importantly, she tells us her AOL and AIM screen names from back in the day. They both are ska-related. Be sure and check out Speedy Ortiz's new album Rabbit Rabbit, which releases on Sept 1! Support the show

This week we explore Ska-Jazz. Specifically, we talk to Fred Reiter (aka Rocksteady Freddie), the band leader of the New York Ska-Jazz Ensemble. And we aim to understand the difference between the jazz-influenced traditional ska sound and ska-jazz. Fred gives us a simple explanation and a more complex technical explanation. But Fred also talks about his entire personal history in music: He studied jazz in high school--clarinet, flute and saxophone. He played the sax in a variety of bands including the N.Y. Citizens, The Scofflaws and The Toasters. New York Ska-Jazz Ensemble started as a recording project, but he soon realized there was a demand for it on the live circuit. The band continues to play. To this day they have played in 37 different countries. Fred also tells us what it was like to be a part of the legendary Skavoovie tour in 1993 (The Special Beat, The Selecter, The Skatalites, The Toasters), what it was like to share the stage with Coolie Ranx, how the German band The Busters helped get the New York Ska-Jazz Ensemble to Europe, and what it was like to back ska legend Laurel Aitken in the 90s. Plus we discuss various elements of jazz, and why the elitism of the genre he experienced in New York may have influenced him to play in ska bands. Support the show

While it's an undeniable fact that most musicians have ska roots, Tom May of The Menzingers has an entire, elaborate ska past. Before forming The Menzingers in 2006, Tom spent a solid 4 years playing in the Scranton, Pennsylvania ska band Bob and the Sagets. During the early 2000s, Bob and the Sagets (and another band, Lester) were the big local ska bands in Scranton. Tom speaks to us this week about Bob and the Sagets. We talk about the Scranton scene, including venues like Cafe Del Sol and Sessions Skatepark, as well as other prominent bands from the scene (Including Tigers Jaw!). But we also discuss The Menzingers and search for signs of ska, which includes a cover of The Specials' "Gangsters" they used to do, an old song called "Dark Side Of The Poon," and Tom joining Worriers on stage to play ska guitar for their cover of Rancid's "Old Friend." We also talk about playing with ska/reggae producer Curtis Irie (ie Irie Idea), how Against Me influenced The Menzingers' sound, touring with Jeff Rosenstock, meeting Brendan Kelly for the first time at Fest, his feelings on The Hard Times' Menzingers articles and getting to see Catbite for the first semi-recently. Plus he talks about some of the most amazing DIY shows he's seen back in the day, including Frank Turner, Gaslight Anthem and Paint It Black. And, as a special treat, Tom explains to us what the Receipt Scam is!  Support the show

The Dead Milkmen were odd ducks in Philadelphia's 1980s  hardcore scene. They played really fast, but with a clean guitar channel, and wrote satirical--often strange and very imaginative--lyrics. It felt like they were almost a ska band. And in fact, they did have a few ska songs in their set like "If You Love Somebody, Set Them On Fire," "Little Man In My Head," "Gorilla Girl," and a cover of The Specials' "A Message To You, Rudy." Today, we bring on Dead Milkmen guitarist Joe Genaro. We talk about the band's relationship to ska, Joe's love for The Specials, The English Beat, Philly locals The Hooters, Operation Ivy and what it was like to play a LIVE 105 radio event with Skankin' Pickle (Along with Duran Duran and Carter The Unstoppable Sex Machine.) We discuss their recent cover of Heaven 17's "(We Don't Need No) Fascist Groove Thang," which they turned into a ska song, the influential role of Dead Kennedys' In God We Trust, Inc, Joe's love for Dr. Demento and Weird Al (And how excited he was when he heard himself played on the Dr. Demento show), Why they mentioned drummer Jon Wurster in the song "Stewart," and we breakdown the recording of Big Lizard In My Backyard, and discuss some of the weirder promotional events Dead Milkmen did when "Punk Rock Girl" broke, including a bonkers performance on Club MTV with Downtown Julie Brown. Plus we discuss the band's excellent new album, Quaker City Quiet Pills, which was released on June 9th. Support the show

I don't know if you've heard, but there is a book on Asian Man Records/Mike Park in the works! And the author of the books is none other than Mike Huguenor, guitarist for the Jeff Rosenstock band. He's also played in Hard Girls, Shinobu, Classics of Love, and a bunch of other bands.The book isn't expected to release until 2025, but Mike gave us a sneak peak of this work in progress!If you want to get some juicy tidbits about Mike's upcoming Asian Man Records book, sign up to the In Defense of Ska Patreon NOW and listen to the entire episode.Support the show

Fred Armisen loves ska. He's brought it up on multiple Tonight Show appearances. Portlandia famously did the Bart Ska-mpson skit (with guest Matt Groening), and he performed a ska song in one Saturday Night Live sketch (with Bill Hader and Katy Perry). So, we brought Fred on the podcast and discussed all things ska. He had a lot to say on the topic. We talked about his love for 2 Tone ska bands (The Specials, The Selecter, Madness, English Beat, Bad Manners, The Bodysnatchers). But we also talked about the US ska bands he got to know in the 80s and 90s while he played drums in Chicago punk band Trenchmouth. We talked about Fishbone, Skankin' Pickle, Gangster Fun, Slapstick, Let's Go Bowling and more. We also talk about ska in Latin America, which he learned about during his multiple trips to Santiago, Chile, while filming Los Espookys. We talk about the larger movement of punk/New Wave bands that dabbled with ska XTC, The Clash, The Members, Joe Jackson) or stemmed from ska bands (Fun Boy Three, Fine Young Cannibals, General Public) and we talk lovingly about Chicago's famous indie venue, Fireside Bowl. I also tell Fred about a rumor I heard that Cap'n' Jazz were the first band to play Fireside and he votes on whether it was true or not! We also talk about how dumb band fights can get, the influencing role that Alan Myers (Devo), David Barbarossa (Bow Wow Wow), Topper Headon (The Clash) and Clem Burke (Blondie) had on his drumming style, and he takes a moment to mourn the loss of Specials lead singer Terry Hall, which hit him hard.Plus, we decide the perfect number of bands to have on a bill. Listen and find out! Support the show

Philadelphia hardcore band Soul Glo put out one of the best records of 2022: Diaspora Problems. It made it on many "best of" lists, Jeff Rosenstock tweeted about how amazing it was and the band My Chemical Romance invited Soul Glo to open for them. But, what we've learned as the group have transitioned from a DIY punk band to being one of the names constantly referenced in the current hardcore reconnaissance is that they like ska. So we brought on bassist GG Guerra to discuss the genre. He talks about his love for Arrogant Sons of Bitches, specifically their landmark record, Three Cheers For Disappointment. We also discuss Folly--Soul Glo singer Pierce Jordan participated in a cover of Folly's song "Broken" with members of Catbite, We Are The Union, The Best of the Worst and Gouge Away for 2 Minutes to Late Night. We also talked about Soul Glo's love for JER. GG assures us that at some point in the near future, we can expect a JER/Soul Glo collaboration. We talk about so much more. Ska Against Racism, GG's Choking Victim tattoo, GG's old ska band, signing to Epitaph, how the film Whiplash inspired the idea for the video for "Jump!! (Or Get Jumped!!!) ((by the future))" and we dig deep into the recording of Soul Glo's Diaspora Problems. Plus Adam reveals the name of Atomic Garden Recording Studio's owner Jack Shirley's old ska band!PickinnputtinPickinnputtin-Music and golf with guests from both worlds. Weekly podcast featuring...Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify Support the show

Bad Operation played their first show ever in October 2021. It was packed, with an enthusiastic crowd. But a lot led up to this moment. The band formed in 2019 as a side project for the members, with the intention of them playing a single show. That show, scheduled for March 12 2020 never happened thanks to the pandemic. As much as that sucked, they did suddenly have a ton of time to record music. In Dec 2020, they released their excellent debut album and blew many minds!Today we bring on two members of Bad Operation: Greg Rodrigue and D-Ray. Though Bad Operation is a new group, the members have an interesting and expansive history with ska, like their time in the mid-2000s New Orleans ska scene with bands like Fatter Than Albert, Samurai Deli and Angry Banana. We also talk about Greg and D-Ray's label, Community Records, their ongoing festival Block Party, the iconic NOLA venue Big Top, and Greg's spot Hey Cafe.We also break down several samples on their debut record that includes The Impossibles, Mike Park, Blue Meanies, The Specials, Sublime and Jackie Mittoo. We talk about how Jeff Rosenstock's label Quote Unquote and Mike Park's label Asian Man inspired Community Records. Plus we discuss the new Bad Time Records Wavebreaker release with songs by Bad Operation and Mighty Mighty Bosstones bassist Joe Gittleman. Here's a link if you want to hear the playlist for "Sell Out," Greg's ska cover band mentioned during the show. Support the show

The Mighty Mighty Bosstones had the biggest ska-punk hit of the '90s. Their song "The Impression That I Get" was huge and made them legit stars for a while. But they were a band that earned it. They got their start in the 80s, signed to Taang Records in 1989, got a major label deal in 1993 and released several records before hitting it big with their 1997 record Let's Face It. Not to mention, they were a huge influence on the sound of US ska-punk in the 90s. Today, we talk to The Mighty Mighty Bosstones' bassist Joe Gittleman (aka the Bass Fiddleman). He tells us stories from the Bosstones year, working at SideOneDummy in the 2000s, producing Big D and the Table's "Strictly Rude" record, playing in Gang Green and he gives us his side perspective regarding The Bosstones' breakup last year. He also talks about playing Lollapalooza in 1995, quitting drinking, and Bouncing Souls covering his song "Lean On Sheena" from his other band Avoid One Thing, and how the song ended up being one of the Souls most popular songs. We talk about Brian Fallon and Gaslight Anthem's landmark record The 59 Sound, playing Warped Tour and the significance of seeing Fishbone play in the 80s. Plus we talk about Joe's upcoming Wavebreaker release on Bad Time Records with the great Bad Operation. You're going to want to grab a copy ASAP!  Support the show

Eugene Robinson was at many iconic hardcore shows in the 80s--as a musician (He played in Whipping Boy), as a journalist, and as a fan. The scene was not always a pretty place. He's been in enough fights that he wrote a book about it. Fight: Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Ass-Kicking but Were Afraid You'd Get Your Ass Kicked For Asking.  But Eugene's latest book details his hardcore years and it's another mouthful. A Walk Across Dirty Water and Straight Into Murderer's Row: A Memoir. So we brought him on to tell his punk stories. This is easily the most intense episode of In Defense of Ska. There are many violent stories, including the infamous Misfits show in San Francisco in the early 80s where the band hurls homophobic slurs at the crowd and then Paul Caiafa (aka Doyle Wolfgang von Frankenstein) nearly kills a kid. Eugene tells this and other stories in graphic detail. We also talk about Dead Kennedys and SSD in Staten Island, Bad Brains' famous 3-day run at CBGBs, Whipping Boy's first show ever (opening for Circle Jerks), and the time Eugene got jumped on his way to see The Clash film Rude Boy. He also tells us how his love for The Specials inspired him to go to college at Stanford, how he made a lot of money arm wrestling a group of guys and how he went to high school with the members of early New York dance/ska band Urban Blight. Plus we talk about his band Black Face which he did with Black Flag bassist Chuck Dukowski, and how Ian MacKaye (Minor Threat, Fugazi) tried to get them to change the name to Black Velvet because "Black Face is a fucked up name." Eugene explains why he didn't take Ian seriously (Hint: It's because he wrote "Guilty of Being White.")  Support the show

PATREON-EXCLUSIVE BONUS EPISODE!This month we give you a bonus episode about emo!Why? Because Adam and I don't know a lot about emo, and there are some pretty major parallels to the story of ska and the story of emo. Besides, a lot of the new wave of ska bands were influenced by emo, so it makes A LOT of sense for us all do do our homework on emo! To do that, we brought on an emo expert! Andrew Sacher, editor at Brooklyn Vegan! This is a must-listen episode!To listen to this episode in its entirety, sign up for the IDOS Patreon!Support the show

Only a handful of bands made up the 2 Tone era of ska in late 70s England. Today, we bring on Rhoda Dakar, the singer of The Bodysnatchers, an all-female ska band that released 2 singles on the 2 Tone record label before breaking up. The band also recorded a few Peel Sessions and were featured on Dance Craze. Though short-lived, The Bodysnatchers were an important band and are still loved by many to this day. Rhoda also sang on the Specials' song "I Can't Stand It" (A really cool duet with Terry Hall), and was part of Jerry Dammers' Special AKA project. Their In The Studio record took 2 years to record. Rhoda tells us about "I Can't Stand It" and what it was like to work on In The Studio. (It was no fun!) We also talk about Rhoda's pre-Bodysnatchers years of being a punk kid and seeing Iggy Pop and Lou Reed, becoming friends with The Sex Pistols' Paul Cook and Steve Jones, and how she tried (and failed) to sneak into a Roxy Music concert in 1973. She tells us what it was like to work with The Interrupters on their most recent record, how she finally got to perform at the Brixton Academy Theater and the role that The Pogues' Shane MacGowan had in her joining The Bodysnatchers. She talks about writing "Ruder than You" with scenester Gaz Mayall (son of British blues legend John Mayall), playing on the Seaside Tour with The Specials and the Go Go's, and we talk about the legacy of her song The Boiler.  Support the show

You probably know our next guest for playing keyboards with Catbite. But Esteban Flores has played with a ton of ska bands, (live or just recording on some tracks). We're talking somewhere in the range of 80 groups! The point is that Esteban is THEE keyboardist of ska, so he needed his own episode. We talk about the many bands he's played with like Matamoska, The Steady 45's, The Bandulus, Mr. Kingpin, The English Beat, We Are The Union and The Interrupters, and how he played in 8 separate bands one year at Supernova. We also talk about one particular band he wishes he could play with, Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra (His all-time favorite ska band). Esteban then gives us a lesson on how to play traditional ska/reggae on the keys and even explains what "the bubble" is. Esteban also tells us why he thinks the East LA ska scene is the best in the US. We talk about the time he (and this scene) were featured on a Fox News 11 segment, and we talk about the Ska Wars festival that is a major part of this scene. Esteban also gives us his top 4 craziest tour stories (Which involve car accidents, breakdowns and theft). And we also talk about his personal history as an immigrant that moved to the US at age 3, and how he benefited from the DACA program as a Dreamer. Plus, Esteban brings up Brent Friedman a few times for no apparent reason! Hey, maybe he's a big fan?  Support the show

Bedouin Soundclash are a household name in Canada, The UK and other parts of the world. But in the US, they are a lesser known group. They formed in 2000 in Ontario, Canada and scored the big hit "When The Night Feels My Song" in 2004. The song made it to Radio 1 in the UK and got airplay on The Edge radio show in Toronto. Not only did "When The Night" launch their career, the song developed a life of its own.  It was everywhere. You could hear it in grocery stores, on TV ads and on kids shows. Years later, some Bedouin Soundclash fans were surprised to learn that this was one of their song since it was the soundtrack to their childhood. Bedouin took a hiatus for a decade, and returned in 2019 with the record Mass. But in 2022, they released their best record of their career (And one of the best ska albums of the 2022), We Will Meet In A Hurricane. We talk to Jay Malinowski and Eon Sinclair about this wonderful record and their interesting career. We also discuss the new albums' guest contributors: Aimee Interrupter (The Interrupters), Marcia Richards (The Skints), and Kathryn Calder (New Pornographers). The band talks about what it was like to open for No Doubt, Slightly Stoopid and to play the Vans Warped Tour twice. And they tell us some experiences of playing the Victoria Ska & Reggae Festival. We also talk bear sightings on their "Walk Through Fire" video shoot, working with Bad Brains' Darryl Jenifer on their early records, Jay's struggles with addiction, and what it was like for him to lose his voice at the Leeds Festival in 2006 and have the entire crowd sing for him. Plus we talk about Waffle House, a lot. Adam schools us all with Waffle House facts and Jay tells us a story he's never told before that involves tripping on mushrooms in a Waffle House and being terrified.Support the show

Scowl is one of a handful of new hardcore bands blowing up at the moment. And, more importantly, they are a band with ska roots. Specifically, their bassist Bailey Lupo, who used to play bass in San Jose ska-punk band The Caps (or CAPS). So, we brought them on to get all the deets on their ska past. Bailey told us about packing records at Asian Man Records as a teen. (They begged Mike Park to release the Scowl record in 2020, but he passed). Bailey talked about recently meeting JER in Gainsville and vowed to our audience that, one day, Scowl would collaborate with Skatune Network. And they talked about the bands that influenced The Caps: The Specials, Choking Victim and a whole slew of surf bands. But we got even deeper and talked about the late 2000s/early 2010s San Jose punk scene they came from and talked about legendary groups like Leer, Hard Girls (featuring Jeff Rosenstock's guitarist Mike Huguenor), Monstrauss (Who played ska & grunge ie Skunge), Matsuri, Stickup Kid and Point of View. And of course, we had to talk about San Jose's weirdest punk venue, Nickel City. Hyper Ska artist Eichlers wrote a song about the venue on their sophomore record. We also talk about touring with Limp Bizkit, what it was like to have thousands of kids show up to their Real Bay Shit shows, seeing Laura Stevenson at a backyard BBQ in San Jose, and we discuss the horrible Punknews comments they sifted through every day. Most importantly, we talked about Adam and Aaron's old band, Gnarboots! Support the show

Dance Craze recently got re-issued in the UK. So we figured it was time to give it another watch. Adam had never seen Dance Craze. I've not only seen it several times, but I interviewed several people involved with its creation.We got together and watched the film and said all of our thoughts! Hear what we had to say.If you want to watch the film along with us, here's the link. Start it when we say! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HT77dnsFkikSupport the show

In the early 2000s, Jamie Stewart wanted to go to Vietnam. They brought a rubber baby doll with them to take photos while they were there. One of those photos became the cover for Xiu Xiu's excellent A Promise album. But, for this trip to happen in the first place, Jamie needed to raise some money. For 8 months before they left, they recorded as many punk and ska bands as they could (One of the bands was Short Round). This isn't the only time that Jamie has intersected with ska. Another band they recorded, Firme, lent them their horn section for the Knife Play record. One of their old 90s bands, IBOPA (Indestructible Beat Of Palo Alto), played with a lot of ska bands since they were a fun horn-driven band (Ska was an influence, but not a style they played). Another one of their bands, Ten In The Swear Jar, released a record on Asian Man Records, and Pitchfork made a point to talk about ska in the review, despite there being NO ska on the album.We talk about all of this with Jamie, and so much more. We discuss the time period when they worked at Streetlight Records, how they discovered ska and reggae on KPFK on Sundays, how their 2nd concert ever was Pato Banton and Tippa Irie, and how they briefly played bass in a dub band. They also tell us about the time GG Allin jumped on stage and demanded they "plays some blues." They tell us stories about The Cactus Club. They tell us why Deerhoof is an amazing band. We learn who Richard Snakedick is.  We discuss what it was like to perform a balloon solo as the opening act on AJJ's 2021 tour, and we find out why they once blurted out "Fred Flintstone's Lucius Dick." Plus, Jamie sings for us a Weird Al-style parody song they wrote when they were a teenager. Just imagine The Grand Illusion by Styx, but it's The Grand Fart! Support the show

Aranivah didn't dance when she was a punk teenager living in El Salvador. It wasn't till years later after she immigrated to New York that she fell in love with ska, cumbia, soul music, and dancing to these genres. With no formal training, she discovered that she was really good at it. But she wasn't just good at moving her body. She made it accessible to other people. Her videos dancing to ska and other subgenres soon went viral on TikTok and Instagram. She used this online popularity to create dance classes. Today, we speak with Aranivah. We talk at length about the ska bands that speak to her personally. In particular, we break down a YouTube video she made that namechecks Prince Buster, Inspecter 7, Akatz, Vieja Skina, Bad Manners, Desmond Dekker, Decibelios, Laurel Aitken, Ska Cubano and Skalariak. Some great ska tunes! We also talk about her formative years as an El Salvadorian punk, we talk about her experiences immigrating the New York at the age of 17, the Brooklyn Rocksteady / Dirty Reggae scene in the 2000s that turned her on to the genre here (The Hard Times, The Far East, The Forthrights, The Frightnrs), and we talk about what led to her starting Dance Culture By Aranivah. We also talk about her dancing in a Hub City Stompers video, how she approaches social media, and she even tells us all about a really cool reggae club she visited in Mexico last year called Cultural Roots.  Support the show

Chicago would become a major ska town in the 90s as the home of Jump Up Records, Slapstick, and Fireside Bowl. But before any of this took off, there was Heavy Manners, a Chicago ska/reggae band that formed in 1980. Within a few years, Heavy Manners were the biggest band (of any genre) in town, but they weren't able to create the same kind of passionate following outside of Chicago. So, in 1984, they threw in the towel. Today we speak to Heavy Manners lead singer Kate Fagan. Before forming the band, she released the underground hit single, "I Don't Wanna Be Too Cool," which has become a sought-after punk collector's item. On Feb 24, 2023, Captured Tracks Records put out a long-awaited reissue of "I Don't Wanna Be Too Cool," along with several previously unreleased Kate Fagan tracks.We talked about Heavy Manners and Kate's work with Rock Against Racism in Chicago. (She once booked Patti Smith at an event!). We talk about Heavy Manners getting to open for The Clash, The English Beat and Peter Tosh--they eventually cut some tracks with Tosh and Bob Marley's engineer Dennis Thompson. And we talk about some of Heavy Manners' famous fans like filmmaker John Hughes, actor John Cusack, and Ministry's frontman Al Jourgensen. We also talk about Chicago's overall music scene in the 70s and 80s, Kate's musical, The Kissing Concept, and discuss some great non-religious Christmas songs. Lots of opinions!  Support the show

Welcome to our 116th episode, the one that TRULY matters. This conversation is what everything has led to...where host Aaron Carnes interviews co-host Adam Davis! We did this in our first episode, but in this episode, we go so much deeper. Adam's band, Omnigone just released an incredible album called Against The Rest on Bad Time Records. So we brought on Adam (Not a co-host this time!) along with Omnigone/Blast Bandits bassist Barry Krippene, and drummer Justin Amans (Also from Kitty Kat Fan Club). During this conversation, we talk about Omnigone, Adam and Barry's old band Link 80, Adam and Aaron's old band Gnarboots and find out which Nirvana songs Adam sang at his high school talent show. I read Adam an unpublished 2014 Gnarboots interview he did for the San Francisco Chronicle, we discuss a blog post Adam wrote for Please Don't Hang Out In Front Of The House and Adam explains the importance of applying Tiger Balm to his nether regions before a show. We also talk about how Anthrax inspired Adam to be in a band, why Catbite's name is good and why so many old punk rockers bum Adam the fuck out. Plus, Justin has a soothing message for Mike Park as he prepares himself to listen to this episode.  Support the show

 Is 2023 the year ska comes back? Oh I know, you've heard that one before. But it does seem like there's some great things happening in ska in 2023, and we thought we'd talk to one of the leaders of the new ska scene (JER of Skatune Network and We Are The Union!) about what this all means for the future of ska!We originally released this episode in Jan 2023 exclusive to our Patreon subscribers. Many of them suggested we release this one to the public since it was SUCH A GOOD CONVERSATION! So here it is! If you like this type of content, consider signing up for the In Defense of Ska Patreon.  Support the show

The Hooters were most known for their handful of rock singles in the 80s: "And We Danced," "Day By Day," "All You Zombies," to name a few. There is a reggae-tinged to "All You Zombies." Earlier versions of the song were more overt because when they formed, The Hooters were one of the US's first ska bands. Today we sit down with Hooters' members Rob Hyman and Eric Bazilian to talk about their ska years in Philadelphia. The group got a lot of local radio play with their cover of The Skatalites' "Man on the Street." We also discuss their first rendition of "All You Zombies," which was another crowd-pleaser during these years. Their history with ska is expansive. Rob tells us about visiting Jamaica in the 60s as a teen and hearing Eric Monty Morris' "Sammy Dead" on the radio and immediately deciding he needed to track that record down. We also dive deep into a very unusual and interesting time for the band in the 80s when they collaborated with Cyndi Lauper on her "She's So Unusual" album. We discuss such favorites as "Time After Time" and "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" and hear about all the ska and reggae elements that started out on this record in the demo phase (Some of those elements remained!) The band confirms for us that Cyndi loves ska. And of course, it wouldn't be a proper episode of In Defense of Ska if we didn't ask a fellow Philly band about Catbite. And no surprise, they are besties!  Support the show

Chris Farren doesn't know a lot about ska, despite his claim that he "practically invented modern ska guitar playing." However, he IS an amazing ska podcast guest. We discuss the various ways his non-ska career has intersected with ska and ska people. We also just wanted to hear Chris' amazing stories! Chris starts by reading us his texts from TikTok celebrity Mike Park. We also learn what it was like for Chris to collaborate with Jeff Rosenstock. Chris tells us about sharing a Cameo with Brian Fallon, performing on the Chris Gethard Show. And, Chris tells us the one, single ska album he owned back in the day. You will never guess which one it was. (Hint: It was The Aquabats' Myths Legends, and Other Amazing Adventures Vol 2). We also learn why best-selling author Dan Ozzi takes Chris' press photos (And also photos of Chris in front of Glenn Danzig's house). We also talk about Chris' iconic Smiths t-shirt (As seen on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon), The Cup (ie the greatest piece of merch ever invented), we hear his Martin Starr/hip hop story, and we learn why Chris took down his Born Hotline after 2 years! Plus Chris updates his "How to be a punk celebrity" Vice article for inquiring punks in 2023.   Support the show

Before David J discovered David Bowie & T-Rex--the artists that inspired him to play music for a living--he fell in love with ska/rocksteady/reggae. As a young teen, David J snuck into skinhead clubs where he fell in love with reggae's deep bass vibrations, and got to see the slick fashion and vibrant dance moves associated with the subculture. Years later, he brought elements of ska and reggae into his band, Bauhaus. Today, we speak to Bauhaus bassist David J. And we go deep into reggae. He tells us which Trojan comp was the first album he ever owned, what it's been like to DJ in recent years and throw some reggae songs into his set ("to perplexed goths"). We talk about David's experiences with reggae and ska in the UK in the '70s and 80s. We also discuss the dub and reggae influences in Bauhaus music, and he tells us how influential Roots Radic bassist Errol "Flabba" Holt was on his bass playing style. David also tells us hilarious stories about meeting two of his idols in the 80s. Bauhaus met Iggy Pop during their first trip to New York in 1980 (Iggy heckled them, but later told them they were awesome). A few years later, they met David Bowie on the set of The Hunger. David tells us about his private moment with Bowie which he refers to as receiving some "Bowie Magic."   Support the show

Stranger Cole doesn't recall a time before he started singing and writing music; it was always a part of his life. As a teenager in Jamaica in the early 60s, he took several of his songs to record producer Duke Reid, who liked his songwriting, but not his voice. He had Eric Monty Morris sing Stranger's song "In and Out The Window." After the song became a hit, he let Stranger sing a few of his songs. The next two, "Rough and Tough" and "When You Call My Name" (With Patsy Todd) were also big hits. These songs are STILL well-known songs from this era. The hits kept on coming for Stranger with "Uno Dos Tres" (With Ken Boothe), "Bangarang" (The first recorded-reggae song), Yeah Yeah Baby (With Patsy Todd) and many more. This week we are honored to speak with Jamaican ska icon, Stranger Cole. We talk about his vast and fascinating history with music, which includes playing with The Skatalites, performing at the Sombrero Club (featured in the 1964 BBC documentary, This Is Ska), working with Duke Reid, and how he stumbled into singing the first reggae song.  We also talk about his move to Toronto, Canada in the 70s, where he opened the Kensington Market record store Roots Records. We talk about the recording of his debut LP, "Forward" In The Land Of The Sunshine, and we ask what it's been like traveling all over the world in recent years, and getting backed by young and eager, ska-studious bands wherever he travels. He also explains how doing "rewinds" makes for a better live show.  Support the show

Buffalo New York ska band The Abruptors formed in 2015 and came out the gate playing 2 Tone and trad ska grooves. They looked around and didn't see very many new ska bands in their region playing a similar style of the genre. That didn't bother them. They just did their thing. However, Mike Park noticed and immediately forged a relationship with them. They released their latest record, Noticeably Cheerless, on Asian Man Records on Feb 24. Today we talk with Abruptors members Mike Geraci and Toni LaMantia about their great new "upbeat bummer" record and get a sense of what the ska scene has been like in Buffalo. They had just opened for Sublime with Rome days before we recorded this interview! We also talk about their cover of Brian Fallon's "Forget Me Not" (His retweet of song was apparently his first--of many--tweets about ska), their friendship with Greg Soden (Host of Unscripted Moments: A Podcast About Propagandhi), how Chicago ska band Deal's Gone Bad completely influenced them and why the British ska band Hotknives are so awesome (and so underrated!) We also talk about the band's cool fashion sense, how shitty vinyl turnarounds pushed their album release back several times, and we dive head first into the group's history with wild stories about disgruntled former band members.  Support the show

Everyone loves Half Past Two! And as a fan of the band, you surely ADORE their lead singer Tara Hahn! But are you familiar with Tara's SECRET past? You will be if you listen to this special episode of In Defense of Ska that is available EXCLUSIVELY to IDOS Patrons!And if we do say so, this is our BEST bonus episode of In Defense of Ska TO DATE! You won't want to miss Tara's CRAZY stories from her previous life!If you'd like to hear the ENTIRE episode, sign up to the In Defense of Ska Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/indefenseofska Support the show

When Eric Daino formed The Holophonics in Denton, Texas in 2012, there weren't a lot of other bands in his area playing ska. That was fine with him. The group went hard regardless, recording originals and a ton of ska covers (18 covers albums in fact!). The vibe was goofy. They imagined exaggerated versions of Reel Big Fish and Less Than Jake as characters they were playing. That changed. The band no longer plays cover songs and doesn't want to be perceived as a goofy band. Their latest album, LAVOS, on Bad Time Records, really showcases this. It's an extremely personal, heartfelt record that deals with Eric's anxiety and trauma, and finds him grappling with his identity. Musically it's informed by RX Bandits, Thrice and Mars Volta--though still rooted in ska-punk. Today, we talk to The Holophonics singer Eric Daino. He walks us down the band's interesting history, while also shedding light on Denton's music scene, as well as the scene in Long Island, where he grew up. We talk about the band's many covers, which even included Luis Fonsi's "Despacito." (Their ska cover has over 2 million views!) Eric also tells us about the covers record that was their most sincere, a full album tribute to Jimmy Eat World's Clarity. We also get into detail about LAVOS. Eric talks about the trauma that informed the record, how therapy helped him process his pain, and how he used Chrono Trigger to help articulate it all in his music. He also tells us about the Ska By Skawest festival and which song he told the crowd is about "how we're all going to die." Tunes & TumblersA podcast pairing music & original craft cocktails. Cheers!Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify This Is An ExperimentThis Is An Experiment is where conversation and music meet, out of Los Angeles, CA....Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify Support the show

Beloved Australian comedian Aaron Gocs has appeared in the Netflix film The Merger, hosted videos for Vice and appeared in numerous Australian TV shows. But his roots are punk and ska. He discovered the music from Mighty Mighty Bosstones' hit single, "The Impression That I Get," but soon learned about local ska bands. His first-ever show was Melbourne-based punk (and sometimes ska) band The Living End and local Brisbane ska group Wiseacre. But soon, after diving into the music, he discovered Less Than Jake, who became his all-time favorite band. And he would follow them all over Australia when they'd visit, even if that meant he would get any sleep. Today we speak with Aaron Gocs about ska, Australia, and where these two worlds meet. We talk about Warped Tour's first venture to Australia in 1998, Aaron's favorite local ska program (Ska Trek, every Thursday at 8p!), why he's retired his skanking boots (And semi-retired from stage-diving), and his deep love for The Mountain Goats.We also discuss several Australian ska bands like The Resignators, The Porkers, Area-7, Allniters, and Strange Tenants. He explains what a "stitch-up" is to us. Plus we discuss some unique Australian food and animals. Cane Toads, anyone? We also find out what Mr. Bean had to do with Aaron getting kicked off of Twitter! Tunes & TumblersA podcast pairing music & original craft cocktails. Cheers!Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify This Is An ExperimentThis Is An Experiment is where conversation and music meet, out of Los Angeles, CA....Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify Support the show

The Slackers formed in New York in 1991. The band, fronted by Vic Ruggiero, played a bit of everything. But eventually, Vic realized that they needed to focus, and suggested they stick with the ska and reggae tunes and drop the other stuff. It suited the band. Though The Slackers signed with Moon Ska and then Hellcat Records, they were always a smaller band during the 90s Ska Boom. That changed in the 2000s when ska became a dirty word and many of the bands broke up or changed their sound. The Slackers carried on and became ska scene leaders. And they continue to be so in 2023. Today we speak with Slackers frontman/keyboardist Vic Ruggiero. We go deep into Slackers' history and talk about their early years, the long journey to signing to Hellcat and we break down the song "Statehouse" from their new album. (Though the song dates back to 1998. Rancid played an early version of it called "Wrongful Suspicion" on their Life Won't Wait Album. Vic also fills us in on the short-lived Silencers project he had with Tim Armstrong, and even tells us why he quit Tim's other band, Transplants, after "only 10 seconds." Plus Vic tells us about the time he met The Wu-Tang Clan, which was one of the funniest stories ever told on this podcast. Not to mention, we even circle back to an early episode of this podcast and get Vic's memories of playing The Crack Shack in Tuba City.  Support the show

Austrian ska-metal band Russkaja came to the US for the first time in 2022 and opened for Flogging Molly. Every night on that tour, they blew tons of minds. The band, who formed in 2005, is a blend of many influences. They mix intense metal with ska, polka and Russian folk music. They sing in multiple languages and have members from Ukraine, Italy, Germany, Russian and Austria. The group is well-known in Austria. They are the house band for the comedy show  Willkommen Österreich. And they have several albums out on Napalm Records. Their latest, Turbo Polka Party, releases on February 3. Today, we speak with Russkaja's guitarist/songwriter Engel Mayr. We talk about the band's history and the Ska/Balkan music scene they emerged from (And outlasted). We talk about their biggest song, "Energia" (2013) and the excellent video that they made for it. And Engel even tells us which songs he wanted to cover for the new album but didn't get to. (Hint it's Psy's "Gangnam Style" and ZZ Top's "Sharp Dressed Man.") Plus Engel tells us how the band addressed Russia's war in Ukraine while they toured the US--it started a week before they came over!  Support the show

Is 2023 the year ska comes back? Oh I know, you've heard that one before. But it does seem like there's some great things happening in ska in 2023, and we thought we'd talk to one of the leaders of the new ska scene (JER of Skatune Network and We Are The Union!) about what this all means for the future of ska!To listen to the entire episode, sign up for the In Defense of Ska Patreon! Support the show

Supernova International Ska Festival started in 2013 as a house show that got so big, it was moved to a local brewery. Though it took a few years before it got the name Supernova, and that first show wasn't even a festival; just a kick-ass show with Chris Murray and King Django. Every year, Supernova has grown. 2023 is looking to be the biggest and best version of the festival to date with acts from all over the world like Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra, Fishbone, The Dualers, Don Letts, Stranger Cole, The Planet Smashers, Catbite, Out Of Control Army, and so much more. Today we talk about all things Supernova with co-founder Tim Receveur (He founded the festival with his wife April) and creative director Mike DeMatteo. We talk about the festival's history and dig into what people can expect at this year's festival. We also chat about some fun stories from Supernova's previous festivals. And there are plenty of fun stories there! We talk about Derrick Morgan's epic 2017 performance, 2020's quarantine edition (fundraiser for Alpha Boys School), and how Taylor Morden managed to film several interviews for Pick It Up - Ska In The 90s at the festival in 2018 during a storm. We also talk about Hepcat playing the festival (Their first east coast concert in decades!), the creation of the Rude Girl Revue and Tim lets us know how he managed to get Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra to headline this year's festival.   Support the show

Actor John Ross Bowie is best known for playing Barry Kripke on the hit TV show Big Bang Theory as well as Jimmy DiMeo on Speechless. But when he sat down to write his memoir, No Job For A Man (released in 2022), he focused a lot more pages to his formative shows going to punk, hardcore and ska bands in New York's vibrant live music scene than he did being on the set of these hit shows. Today, we speak with John and he surprises us with quite a few details about New York's ska scene in the 80s. We talk about seeing CBGB ska matinees, The Toasters, New York Citizens, The Boilers, Second Step and Bigger Thomas. And John also tells us about going to college in Ithaca in the early 90s, where he interviewed several musicians on his radio show, including Joe Gittleman of The Mighty Mighty Bosstones and Marc Wasserman and Robert Apollon Jr. of Bigger Thomas. We also talk about his band, Egghead meeting One Eye Open on the road, his love for The Ramones, The Dickies and The Toy Dolls, the hyper-specific and bizarre hardcore subgenre known as Krishnacore, and why Chris Gethard insists that John is his comedy mentor. And most importantly, John gives me advice on how to record the audio book for In Defense of Ska. Thanks for the pointers, John!  Support the show

Indie rock band Minus The Bear created a unique sound that blended a multitude of genres: math rock, emo, pop, prog, and yes, ska. Well, at least, the bass lines were informed by ska and reggae. Bassist Cory Murchy grew up obsessed with ska music. And when it came time to write interesting and moving bass lines, he often drew inspiration from the bass masters in reggae and ska bands. Besides, who plays bass better than ska and reggae bass players?Today, Cory joins us to talk about the secret ska influence of Minus The Bear. We break a few songs that lean the heaviest into ska territory ("My Time," Memphis & 53rd," "Pachuca Sunrise"), and we also talk about Cory's ska formative years growing up in Santa Fe, New Mexico. He even discusses his high school ska band, Soulskats.We talk about the impact seeing Mealticket live had on Cory, we discuss a few of the key New Mexico DIY spaces, and we talk about the Seattle indie rock scene that Cory joined when he got a little older (and its connection to Animal Chin)! We find out why Suicide Squeeze's David Dickenson has a "Cory Murchy" tattoo and we learn what ska tattoo Cory has on his body. And during the interview, Cory casually drops a huge reveal on us. His mom used to babysit Kurt Cobain!  Support the show

While still quite young and headstrong, Sammy Kay dove headfirst into the ska scene, doing touring work for The Skatalites, King Django, The Slackers and Westbound Train. He later played in trad ska/rocksteady group The Forthrights and then fronted his own group (featuring future members of Catbite): Sammy Kay and The Fast Four. In that time, he accumulated a lot of stories! Today we bring on Sammy to hear his tales. And he has quite the tales. He tells us about living with Vic Ruggiero, how he juggled working for so many bands at once, and how he helped to build a ska/rocksteady revival scene in Brooklyn in the late 2000s/early 2010s. Sammy gets deep and personal and talks about how he dealt with his addiction and how difficult that was. You don't want to miss this episode!  Support the show

World/Inferno Friendship Society was not a ska band. However, their punk cabaret sound was similar in spirit and they played with a fair amount of ska bands. They even toured with Blue Meanies and The Independents. Accordion/Keyboardist Franz Nicolay WAS a ska fan. When he moved to New York in the 90s, he saw many brilliant ska shows at The Wetlands. Later when joined indie rock group The Hold Steady, and continued to love the music wholeheartedly. Today, we talk to punk rock's number-one accordionist, Franz Nicolay. He explains why he once sent In Defense of Ska a message to inform us that he NEVER renounced ska. He tells us about discovering ska in the 90s and seeing many Moon Ska bands perform in New York. He also tells us many unhinged World/Inferno stories from the road. And he tells us what the other members of The Hold Steady REALLY think about ska! We also discuss Franz's excellent novel, Someone Should Pay For Your Pain, and he tells us why he often thinks about the unglamorous side of being a touring musician.  Support the show