Has them..

Yeah, fuck it. Ill stick to it. Im majoring in ebonics.

You don't have to tell ME about The Aquabats...I have 30+ shows fit snugly under my autographed Classic-style belt. Despite what they say, The Aquabats were undeniably a "true" ska band back in the day, started by guys who openly loved ska music (and continue to play ska music in GOGO13), but now The Aquabats try to disavow that part of their career by saying they were just "poking fun at the scene", which fans know is pure BS. Can't blame 'em. I don't think they're going back to their ska "roots", though. At least I hope not...the whole reason I became a rabid Aquacadet was because of "Charge!!" and "Floating Eye". I haven't listened to "Fury" for years. In my opinion, they're far better now than before.

SL, now, WERE intentionally over-the-top. That's not a *bad* thing, that's their schtick. One could view it as a type of joke, somewhat like what The 'Bats are now purporting to have done back in the '90s. Doesn't make them less of a ska( punk) band, but, again like The 'Bats, over time they grew into a different type of music that fits them a lot better than ska did.

Both bands have strong roots in the Orange County ska scene, but neither of them took the music or scene very seriously, and neither have a predominant focus on playing *ska* music anymore. If MC Lars had some kind of background in ska or recruited a band like Reel Big Fish for the backing music, it could be seen as a genuine loving tribute, but as it stands, all the elements point to a parody. Perhaps a loving parody, a love like how one loves an ugly dog, for instance, but a parody nonetheless.

Second part will be answered later.

I may be guilty of a wee bit of braggadocio, for...well, see....you are...several years older than myself. So, no, I was not around for ska in 1994, either. Yes, I'm an idiot, but my sentiments remain unchanged:

True: my tastes in ska music more or less peaked around 1998 (I have no issue with the Top 40 bands of that time, AT that time), but all I've ever done is *HOPE* the genre could get better and continue to grow. Instead, it's regressed, and in a way that neither contributes to the distortion-less Toasters-y third wave I grew up on (and enjoy the most, as the skinny ties in my closet would suggest), or in the more experimental and genre-bending vein of groups like Fishbone, Pickle, Slow Gherkin, Meanies or even fuckin' Oingo Boingo. Here in Orange County, time froze and it seems like nobody's been able to take 'Turn the Radio Off!' out of their Sony Walkmen.

I'm a pro-evolution kind of guy: I listened to both 'Fluent in Stroll' and 'Strictly Rude' a few weeks ago and was blown away by how excellent they were. And, I have to admit, I do like Streetlight, but only when they're NOT tethered by the limitations of their "ska" label...when they bust out the jazz and folk influences, they're REALLY good. How is it that these two bands, revered as they are among those who wear the checkered Vans, have absolutely NO impact on how young ska bands write music? Why do these bands all still look to the tired pop-punk-with-horns formula? I support Big D and Streetlight, and any new bands that want to push the boundaries of what ska music is capable of (though still sticking to the basic musical structure of the genre, which is where I exclude Streetlight)...for the most part, it's the fans that are bringing it down.

Of course there's a part of me that pines for the days of yesteryear (that I was never present for), when there were ska bands in every major city, DIY ska 'zines available at the local record shop where you picked up your special orders for Moon Records albums, and if you weren't wearing a suit...well, you just weren't cool enough to go see the Dance Hall Crashers open for Undercover S.K.A. and Let's Go Bowling at Skippy's Brew-n-Stew. Yeah, those were the days........I think.

There's another part of me that's just burnt out on the mass of REALLY shitty ska bands living in the same city as I do, but most of my bitterness is driven by sadness rather than cynicism. The only bands that are showing to carry on "ska" music and drive its legacy are either punk-ska bands or experimental "post-ska" bands like Streetlight. Diversity was ska's prime quality in the '80s and '90s and a large reason as to how it accumulated such a massive, worldwide following, but nowadays, "ska" shows in the US that aren't either punk shows or orthodox reggae shows are hard to come by. When Bad Manners, The Toasters or Big D break up, where will I find that kind of music again? BTMI and Streetlight certainly won't help when I feel like dancing. Hell, if *Streetlight* breaks up, where am I going to find THAT kind of music again? What ska bands are there today that you can point at and say "THAT is the future of ska music", or "THEY are going to be the next ______", or "THERE is a band of great musical substance"? What bands are there supporting ska as a whole? Skankin' Pickle started a label. The Toasters started one, and helped organize ska festivals (as do Mustard Plug) and made ska newsletters. When was the last time Orange County had a ska festival? Months and months ago, and they're usually sponsored by the Ska Parade, who don't even play ska music anymore (or even EXIST anymore, I think). If it's not up to the bands, it's up to the fans: street team, organize events, blog/podcast about ska, BUY albums, GO to local shows, do ANYTHING...at least LISTEN to more ska music. How many self-proclaimed "ska fans" these days have not even heard of Moon Records? Or Jump Up Records? Maybe even Asian Man? When I discovered ska, I couldn't get enough of it, I looked at it ALL...these days, kids seem to download a few RBF albums and use their money to buy checkered Vans and suspenders. I'm not even exaggerating there. That's what's really put me out of favor with contemporary ska, a complete lack of motivation to play anything that hasn't been proven as profitable. No growth, no betterment. Just annoying "ska fans" (read: "punk fans who have Reel Big Fish on their iPods") who never fail to show a shocking lack of ignorance and unintentional disrespect towards a genre they supposedly love.

It's not a matter of me wanting to hear the music *I* want to hear, it's a matter of wanting to hear *ska* and preserve ska culture
(preserving '80s/'90s ska culture, that is...I'm sure there are PLENTY of pretentious trad fans who'd want to tear me to shreds much in the way I'm doing to third wavers right now). I was in Canada a few months back for the Victoria Ska Fest, and it was AWESOME. As they had never experienced the mainstream burst the US did, their scene and local bands continued to evolve into something totally unique and modern, though unquestionably ska. Some of their local bands had members that looked like they were in high school, yet they were all doing exciting, original takes on ska, influenced by everything from worldbeat/afro-funk to Clash-y punk and surf rock. If those oyster-suckin' Northies can do it, why can't So Cal? WHY CAN'T THE WHOLE COUNTRY?! Come on. The American scene is dead. It's in a slump, at least. Just because a good handful of bands from the genre's heyday continue to tour isn't a sign of vibrancy. KC & The Sunshine Band is still touring, that must mean disco is just as strong as ever!

I'm not "anti-fun". There's no rule that says ska has to be "fun" and "sunny" and "zany" and "a candy-colored rainbow of happy trumpets". It's just that I don't gleefully suck up everything ska-related as if it were some kind of life-giving ambrosia. All ska bands are not created equal. Just because I hate RBF and their particular brand of brass-tinged pop-ska doesn't mean I'm waging a war against happiness and other equally pleasant emotions. I want to dance to The Toasters, not mosh to Reel Big Fish. I want to skank rhythmically to The Planet Smashers and Bim Skala Bim, not pump my fists and flail to Streetlight Manifesto. You know why? Because I...am a ska fan. That's what I DO. I put on my tie and I dance. I don't "mosh" or "thrash" or run around in a little circle. I don't want any hardcore punk in there, I don't want any pop hybrid...I don't need no countryman fiddle, I just need that real cool sound: SKA. Not "ska punk", SKA. Try proving that's still going strong, and maybe I'll be less of a prick (though don't count on it).

Yeah, I always just figured have fun with whatever you do. I understand the whole concept of just showing up as you would just coming in off the street, but I also understand wanting to put some effort into it, too. Myself, I tend to just wear jeans, older shoes, and a tshirt, since I tend to like to dance and perhaps get in the pit at shows. No use in wearing something I care too much about that could just get ripped or something. If it wasn't so darn hot at most shows around here, I wouldn't mind wearing a nicer shirt or something if I felt like it, but that's rarely the case.

But yeah, I think my main point before was that unless your mom dresses you or something, it's rare that somebody doesn't ever put any thought into the clothes they buy, and that often translates into whatever their interested in or they want to portray about themselves and/or what occasion they have to buy it for, of course.