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Ska emerged in the early '60s as a precursor to reggae by Jamaican musicians influenced by the New Orleans R&B that reached the island over radio. Early bands from this movement including Skatalites and Toots & The Maytals developed the distinct rhythms and arrangements now associated with the style. In the late '70s the music saw a revival in England when young British acts fused the recent sounds of punk rock with the style. Ska revivalists featured racially integrated lineups and bold political statements. The lead group from this time was The Specials, who formed the independent label 2-Tone. The scene cultivated by The Specials included Madness, The (English) Beat and The Selector.
Ska music saw it's third wave begin in the mid to late 80s with bands that further further mixed punk rock with the 2-Tone sound like Fishbone, The Mighty Mighty Bosstones and Operation Ivy. Furthermore a strong roots ska scene was emerging in New York City with The Toasters and Moon Ska Records. The style's popularity peaked in `96 with bands like Rancid, No Doubt, Sublime, Goldfinger, Reel Big Fish and the Bosstones all making huge waves in the mainstream. While the popularity of the style has waned over the years, a small but devoted group of bands like The Slackers and The Planet Smashers have carried on the style into the new millennium. Artists with releases on this label:
Fox Trotsky, The Aquabats, High School Football Heroes, Hot Stove Jimmy, Lightyear, The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra, Cellphish, Public Access, Babylon Circus, Suburban Legends, Slightly Stoopid, Razbari Sumthing, Big D and the Kids Table, Ska Weekend 2006, Reel Big Fish, Stuck Lucky, Lee Scratch Perry and the WhiteBellyRats, Los Furios, Buck-O-Nine, The Arrogant Sons of Bitches, The Specials, Victims of Circumstance, Circle City Ska Fest Recent ReviewsRecent NewsThe Mighty Mighty Bosstones playing Sunfest in West Palm Beach, Florida. The Mighty Mighty Bosstones are playing this Saturday, May 3 at 9pm at Sunfest in West Palm Beach, FL. Other acts scheduled to play the 5-day festival include: The Tossers, The Academy Is..., Scary Kids Scaring Kids, Good Charlotte, Ozomatli, Matisyahu and Morris Day & the…Sonic Boom Six: "The Ruff Guide to Genre-Terrorism" In anticipation of their upcoming UK tour with Big D and the Kids Table, we've got a stream of Manchester's Sonic Boom Six recent album, The Ruff Guide to Genre-Terrorism. The band fuses ska, punk and elements of hip hop and reggae into their…Toasters (Europe) The Toasters have announced a European tour kicking off tomorrow in Belgium. The tour will feature Guitar/vox: Buck (of course), Drums: Jesse Hayes (ex westbound train), Trombone: Greg Robinson (ex mephiskapheles), Sax: Neil Johnson (Planet Smashers), and Bass: Andy Pearson (Special Beat, Rankin Roger, Skaville UK) The band continues to support One More Bullet and their new DVD, Toasters - CBGB OMFUG Masters: Live June 28, 2002: The Bowery…Less Than Jake tour dates with the Swellers, Mustard Plug, Goldfinger, Big D Less Than Jake have announced many more tour dates this summer as they continue to support their recent set of Reissues. Along with the previously announced shows with Goldfinger, the band will be touring with Big D and the Kids Table, Suburban Legends, Mustard Plug, The Swellers and…Mighty Mighty Bosstones to release "Don't Worry Desmond Dekker" 7-inch Smash and Grab Records have announced plans to release a new 7-inch single for "Don't Worry Desmond Dekker" from the The Mighty Mighty Bosstones with the B-side being the original unreleased version of "Another Drinking Song". The label is planning a full screen printed package with an edition limited to 500 hand-numbered copies. 250 on Blue Vinyl, 250 on White. You can check out the single and art…Terry Hall confirms Specials reunion tour in the works UK ska legends The Specials will reunite for a tour later in the year. Frontman Terry Hall spoke to the BBC on Sunday. Hall commented: Well we're still trying to put dates together, but hopefully September/ October time. We need to spend the Summer rehearsing... I think it's taken me 30 years to realise we could do it really well. Can the band relive past glories without descending into parody? Hall stated "you do it with dignity or don't do it at all,"…Mikey Dread (1954-2008) Dub reggae legend Mikey Dread passed away this Saturday. He was 54. The influential musician and produer was diagnosted with a brain tumor half a year ago. Dread, born Michael Campbell in Port Antonio, Jamaica, first made waves as the host of the overnight JBC radio show Dread At The Controls. The pioneering show was the first Jamaican radio program to focus on then-underground reggae music. Dread championed the cause by playing…Matt Wixson posts four new tracks Solo ska musician Matt Wixson has posted new songs. Included in the four is a dub/reggae cover of "House Of The Rising Sun." You can check them out at…A look at upcoming relations and Less Than Jake test press winners You're the lucky reader of the 31st edition of the Punknews.org Vinyl File. This column aims to keep you informed with upcoming releases as well as spotlighting interesting releases, your favorite bands' own collections and labels with a history of vinyl releases worth talking about. As always, Vinyl File is brought to you by Ben Conoley. This week we are excited to bring you the winners of our Less Than Jake test pressing contest. We've also got new on new releases from Paint it Black, Isis and Flight of the…An interview with Vinnie Fiorello of Less Than Jake and a chance to win a Less Than Jake test press You're the lucky reader of the 30th edition of the Punknews.org Vinyl File. This column aims to keep you informed with upcoming releases as well as spotlighting interesting releases, your favorite bands' own collections and labels with a history of vinyl releases worth talking about. As always, Vinyl File is brought to you by Ben Conoley. This week's Vinyl File features an interview with Less Than Jake lyricist/drummer Vinnie Fiorello. Last week we took a look back through some highlights from the band's extensive vinyl… |
