Anyone into Ska?

[NinjaPoodle]

I found a online station to listen to which is nice. I'm curious though who else likes Ska.

If you're not sure what it is, (per wiki) Ska is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1950s, and was the precursor to rocksteady and reggae. Ska combined elements of Caribbean mento and calypso with American jazz and rhythm and blues. It is characterized by a walking bass line accented with rhythms on the upbeat. In the early 1960s, ska was the dominant music genre of Jamaica and was popular with British mods. Later it became popular with many skinheads.

Music historians typically divide the history of ska into three periods: the original Jamaican scene of the 1960s (First Wave); the English 2 Tone ska revival of the late 1970s (Second Wave); and the third wave ska movement, which started in the 1980s (Third Wave) and rose to popularity in the US in the 1990s.

Popular groups include Mighty Mighty Bosstones The Impression That I get and Gwen Stefani via No Doubt.

[AZTheta]

Yes, ska is very much in my rotation. I like the first wave best.

[ms_gwyn]

The early to mid 90s "bubble gum" Ska...popular bands kiled my love of Ska....

Its very hard to listen to any of my fav bands....like Madness....

But I do have to say that I like the Mighty Mighty Bosstones and their lead singer...Dicky Barrett, how can you not like someone with that name....Dicky Barrett

[DrPhil]

There is some Ska in the reggae thread: http://www.greekchat.com/gcforums/sh...ghlight=Reggae

[Kevin]

Ska probably isn't popular because of the kind of musicianship it calls for. Especially from the brass players (it's not improv, but kind of close? Certainly not something taught in your typical HS setting). And then there's the fact that few people want to pay what it costs for a 10-12 person band.

Economically speaking, it'd be tough to start a Ska band if anyone expects to be paid what they're worth.

[sigmagirl2000]

Ska is hard for musicians because of the accented beats 2 and 4 instead of 1 and 3. My high school had a ton of Ska bands in the late 90's. Some were great. I should go digging for some old school mix tapes now....

[Kevin]

That doesn't sound like it'd be that big of a deal.

But thanks for making Ska make a lot more sense to me!

Accents on the offbeats... so obvious.

--as a fiddle player, this is one of the few genres I've never played.

[NinjaPoodle]

Originally Posted by DrPhil

One of my favorite genres. What are your favorite reggae songs? Who are your favorite reggae artists?

You can include ska, rocksteady, dancehall, and other style derivatives.

Originally Posted by DrPhil

There is some Ska in the reggae thread: http://www.greekchat.com/gcforums/sh...ghlight=Reggae

Ah! I missed that! Thanks!

[NinjaPoodle]

Originally Posted by Kevin

Economically speaking, it'd be tough to start a Ska band if anyone expects to be paid what they're worth.

I'd agree. I think it may be just do it for the love of the music.

[XAntoftheSkyX]

I love ska. While I prefer the 3rd wave, the 1st and 2nd get love from me too.

QUOTE=Kevin;2275626] And then there's the fact that few people want to pay what it costs for a 10-12 person band.

Economically speaking, it'd be tough to start a Ska band if anyone expects to be paid what they're worth.[/QUOTE]

Lest we forget bands like Operation Ivy, Rancid, NOFX (they have some ska songs), Leftover Crack, etc that are 4 person bands.

If anyone is looking for modern good ska, I would suggest Boston-based Big D and the Kids Table for a more rock-oriented sound (though they have gone into what they call the stroll genre recently), and the Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra (seen here with punk band 10-Feet) for a more jazz/big band background.

Now I heard a rumor YEARS ago, was that at the advent of ska and later reggae/rocksteady/dancehall was that Jamaican musicians were listening to the jazz radio stations from New Orleans, and trying to emulate that sound with traditional song styles. But due to distance/distortion, the downbeats sounded like upbeats, which is what gives ska and the later genres it's upbeat and bouncy sound. Anyone can confirm/debunk this rumor?

[sigtau305]

Originally Posted by ms_gwyn

The early to mid 90s "bubble gum" Ska...popular bands kiled my love of Ska....

Its very hard to listen to any of my fav bands....like Madness....

But I do have to say that I like the Mighty Mighty Bosstones and their lead singer...Dicky Barrett, how can you not like someone with that name....Dicky Barrett

I have both Mighty, Mighty Bosstones, Madness and one of the best ska groups from the late 70's - early 80's: The Specials on My Spotify rotation.