WHAT KILLED SKA-PUNK??
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 29 มิ.ย. 2024
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What killed 90's ska-punk? Here's some of what I cover:
* How I discovered ska punk via Operation Ivy, Dance Hall Crashers and Citizen Fish
* When Mighty Mighty Bosstones' appearance in "Clueless," Rancid and No Doubt's "Tragic Kingdom" kicked off the ska-punk boom
* Why Dickey Barrett, Tim Armstrong and Gwen Stefani were so important
* The next wave of ska bands like Reel Big Fish, Goldfinger, Sublime, Save Ferris, Less Than Jake, MU330, Mustard Plug, Skankin Pickle, Voodoo Glow Skulls, Home Grown and Aquabats
* How it launched the career of John Feldmann, Fueled By Ramen, and how people like Ska Tune Network are keeping ska alive
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0:00 Intro
2:43 Operation Ivy & Citizen Fish
4:12 The Bosstones, Rancid and No Doubt
7:17 Goldfinger, Reel Big Fish and Sublime
10:02 The new ska fans
15:03 The fall of ska-punk
18:18 Ska-punk's legacy - บันเทิง
![Rancid - Ruby Soho [MUSIC VIDEO]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/GeFr4_CADp4/mqdefault.jpg)
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Can you do the shirts in Pink?
Hey man... Just figured I'd show you a scene that's really starting to get some traction in Northern Mexico and the south western US...
The king's of this scene are Fayuca
They have at least one record out... I remember doing lights for them at a few festivals whilst I was working for Independent Events (event company out of AZ)...
Very ska-punk influenced Mexican rock music...
Doesn't really have a name... But the common label these bands tend to give them selves is Hispanic Punk...
Vv stoner rock in the image... But not the sound...
Vv cool and creative stuff.
Not exactly ska... But deffo keeping the sound alive
Staaaahhhhhppppp
Peddle anything at us but Raid please
I'd legit be less bothered by you trying to sell us Christianity
Definitely purchase the 3rd Wave Ska Documentary. Very well produced. If you can find a physical copy, grab that one because it has even more interviews than just the doc itself.
Literally was the loner metal head kid that played trombone and then some kids asked me to be in their ska band...best day of my life! 20 years later, we just wrote a new album!
Fucking awesome!
Heck ya Blake! Shameless promo. *Check us out, The Scuba Kids at bandcamp*. 20 years later voted as one of the top three ska bands from Los Angeles. One of the more infrequent appearing ska acts, known for their wild long shows and diy ethics. Submitted for legendary status in the 818 San Fernando valley music scene. Played with bands Suburban Legends, Dan Potthast, The Huxtables, Rx bandits, Bomb the music industry, Left Alone, Forces of Evil and many others. There’s one historic Voodoo Glow Skulls show at the cobalt were TSK out sold VGS, putting the promoter into a position he had to steal the TSK show earning$ to pay his voodoo debt. TSK left the show with no money but months later promoter asks TSK to play a “save the cobalt show”.TSK declines and makes a troll post on the Fakebook event page calling out promoter, leading him to be blacklisted and put out of business shortly after. Many members of TSK are members of other bands or work as a touring member for a band or straight up their bass player is Wang Chungs drummer. Yeahhh that’s right, TSK’s bass player is straight up Wang Chungs drummer for their US casino tour circa 2011. The Scuba kids are dope, super underrated ska band and now their your new favorite ska band.... “TSK” the movie... copy paste that into your utubes search bar for a good ole’ ska laugh and some more ska history
Nice!
What’s your band name? I’m interested in some merch if you have it.
@@abiyoyo9831 heyy thanks for wanting to support! You can stream and and contact us for merch on our bandcamp! Thescubakids.bandcamp.com
As a Hispanic who loves ska and ska punk, the genre is live and well in Latin America
Glad to head that, many people seem to bash on that genre, especially in hardcore scenes, personally, I always loved it, I also heard a few French bands who made songs in French, English and Spanish, like Les Skalopes (unfortunately they only made two albums, the second, Ya vendra mi turno, is one of my favourites of all time)
I used to live in Chile and Ska was one of the most popular forms of music. you would see local ska bands performing every weekend across Santiago bars. Spanish band Ska-P would sell out big soccer stadiums.
Voodoo Glow Skulls were the best
Ska thrrrivessss in México! 🇲🇽
Los Skarnales are fucking legends in H-town.
Gwen Stefanie is a beast. I had free tickets to a No Doubt show.. so I went and was super impressed. She danced for 2 hours straight and then started doing 1 arm push ups while singing. She can't be human. She really deserves the crown she wears
Did you just say...one arm pushups?
That's insane!
They show that in the Don’t Speak video
Hahaha, not hard to do one arm pushups when you weigh 90 lbs, if Lizzo did it, then I'd be impressed.
I wont deny all that... but at this point is it even accurate to asociate her with Ska?
@@mrsleep0000 while singing?
When Bradley died, something dark swept over and seemed to sweep away the genre with it in my eyes. RIP Brad, Sublime for life 🤍
Real OGs remember “STRAIGHT TO YOUR FACE!!!”
Wiff tha troof!!
Widda TOOTH
B L E G H
Real ones hear it on the podcast
WITH THE TRUUUUUTH!!!
im fully behind a video about sublime
Absofcknlutely.....
Yeeees
Please
And 311
Agreed. Only problem with this video, not enough Sublime.
Ska died on 9/11, where optimism and joy were extinguished from the American culture.
Agreed
As a young kid in the 90s Gwen Stefani was god tier when it came punk rockers of the 90s. She was easily one of if not the most recognizable voices of my child hood in music, and even when she left no doubt she continued to pump out huge hits whether you like her music or not. Being in grade 7 when holla back girl came out was something else, thats song was literally everywhere when it came to grade school events and dances. She is a legit pop culture icon
She still holds up to this day and I think she will never fall off
Ska music is the most fun music ever. I can't listen to Ska without smiling
Calypso is fun too
anyone who disagree is a psychopath
It’s like an old friend, that’s always there for you when you need to smile. Or dance.
@@gandalfthegrey8046 and to smoke weed with
No one can
I was a huge Ska Punk fan and played in various aka punk bands since the mid 90’s and absolutely love your viewpoints in this video. I think you’re pretty spot on with your 3 reasons why it died. I’ll also add that the swing music craze (which kicked off with the help of Swingers movie and that Gap khakis commercial) helped bring even more fans into the ska punk genre. My band got booked a lot of gigs by people who wanted a swing band but didn’t know the difference haha.
What do you listen to now? Did you move on to heavier stuff or stick with bubble gum happier stuff?
That weird rockabilly swing thing DEFINITELY lead to the death of ska. WAY too corny 😂
check out the interuppters. fantastic newer shit.
I think when a big fad pops up, and then disappears after it runs its course, people forget about one thing. The fans grow up. I think Finn touched on it with college, but even beyond that. People get married, people have kids, so they stop, or at least significantly reduce, the music they buy and the concerts they attend. Divorces are expensive, and kids are expensive. Plus, not only do kids cost a lot of money, but they require a significant amount of time. This has always been my argument against the NiRvAna kIlLeD gLaM opinion. It wasn't Nirvana, it was the fans growing up and no longer just living for themselves and their indulgences. This also explains the resurgence in glam metal. The fans' kids grew up, so now they have more money (naturally over the years income increases) and they have more time. Now we are seeing reunions and cover bands, and I can tell you first hand, I've made more money in my glam metal cover band than I ever did in any of my original hardcore or metal bands. I think the same is happening to ska. We are starting to see ska reunions, and once this pandemic has run its course, I'm betting we'll see more. The fans' kids have grown up, so now they will have more time and more money to go to shows.
You are the last person i expected to see on a video about ska punk
Reel Big Fish - still a favorite of mine. Aaron is a VERY talented guitar player with great vocal range. They put on great shows, always do a great cover song, don't take them selves to seriously, and just a fun band to listen to. I feel like they are really underrated. Lyrically they have some good stuff as well as some goofy stuff that is still very enjoyable. I'd love to see a resurgence of ska. Thought Streetlight Manifesto would be that way, but I guess they went a bit to punk rock with their record label deal.
How could Fishbone not get an honorable mention? While they're music wasn't focused on ska per se, the ska they did was sick. They are one of those bands that got more props from other bands than with the public, which was sad.
No kidding. Fishbone, especially earlier albums, were ska and they were part of the LA ska/funk/punk movement.
Fishbone was a totally underrated band
Damn, I still listen to RBF, Goldfinger, Sublime, VGS and Less Than Jake.
Me too. I will always love that stuff.
sublime could NOT put out a song like "wrong way" in this day an age..... ..... ..... but I still love that song even if it is super problematic!
Hell yea bröther
Same
Listen to them all everyday and I’m just sad he didn’t mention bands like streetlight manifesto
Everything about Ska was fun, such nostalgia. Concerts, festivals, fashion, sound, lyrics, etc.
Not the smell..
@@nickkaiser7166 I excitedly went to a streetlight manifesto show in Austin in 2019. Had to leave early because the stench was unbearable. The smell preceded any dancing or lights or even music. I walked in and it was like a locker room from the get go. Really ruined the night.
@@baxoutthebox5682 You didn't think a super energetic ska band with strong folk-punk influences was gonna smell nice did you? In Texas? Even if every kid showed up right after a shower it'd get smelly. And you know folk-punks can't afford soap.
@@ActionNerdGo Tbh I don’t have time to maintain expectations for hyper specific archetypes like “super energetic ska band with strong punk folk influence”
@@nickkaiser7166 So true
Dang, I was hoping you were going to get into Streetlight Manifesto, you mentioned Catch 22. Mr. Kalnoky is a great musician and song writer. I saw them live a couple years ago during their Theives in the night tour. Very energetic show.
Sublime left a legacy that I will never forget. Living in the Seattle area we have very long and depressing winters and every spring on the first 60+ degree sunny day you can be sure that 40oz to freedom will be playing in my car cover to cover while I sing along! Sublime got me through my teenage years in the 90’s and I’m still here all these years later because of them! RIP Bradly
Technically speaking, their legacy is: One hit video on MTV, and three top 40 singles in 1997. That’s it. Glad they left as quick as they came. Also, you might want to look up the lyrics of what you’re singing along to, bub, it’s disgusting shit.
I live around the sumner area and we just had our first warm weekend. I was blasting sublime self titled, robbing the hood and 40oz to freedom. I’m glad that we finally left winter behind.
@@curly_wynBradley was not a pedophile. All the things he would sing about aren’t him.
I am surprised you went through this whole video without mentioning Superman by Goldfinger in Tony Hawks Pro Skater. That song being in that game had a MASSIVE influence on my music taste growing up.
Best video game album ever.
You're surprised because he didn't mention something that was important to you? I guess there's always gotta be the "well, you didn't mention X" guy.
@@gustavo_oviedo not upset. Just surprised. That was a big deal to a lot of people in my generation. I liked the video was just surprised it wasn’t mentioned
@@gustavo_oviedo He has a good point, how are you gonna talk about Goldfinger in a video about ska and not bring up the monster of a song Superman that was a gateway for many like myself into the genre. Millions of kids played tony hawk and that game forced you to hear that song on repeat. It's a bonafide classic
left out the Digimon movie too
Bradley Nowell's death is one of music's greatest what ifs. That dude was insanely talented. Sublime is timeless.
Agreed, but I've actually come across more people that hate on Sublime than are fans when I've brought them up to people.
100% still listen to all their albums
@@LuckeGabriel I still listen to sublime!
Finn was right. Even though Sublime was huge they are still underrated. Bradley is up there w/ the best front men of any genre and any time. Being older and listening to Sublime now I can really appreciate the lyrics so much more.
@@SoftDrinksOfChoice not only the words but the pure flow and joy in their music. Bradley really knew how to ride a beat and play with it. And they call him a bad guitar player -_-
I'm a metal head and sublime was such a great band. Ahead of their time.. I really wish you woulda mentioned Choking Victim, they were a huge influence on the kids around me..
Less Than Jake is still putting out some great music to this day, my favorite ska-punk band for sure! 🤟Great video as well, can't believe I missed watching this for almost 2 years!
Another famous and influential person originating from Ska: Travis Barker from the Aquabats 🤟🤟
My favorite piece of unbelievable trivia
In his book he mentioned all the stories in the band. Super interesting stuff.
yeah if folks are new to the Bats, check out the Fury of- That drumming is nothing short of super rad.
And they gave us Yo Gabba Gabba!
@@noelleelizabeth9991 I just don't believe it!
Streetlight Manifesto in 2013: "am I joke to you?"
RIGHT!?
DAAAAMN FR
Idk if I've ever been to a show with more crowd energy than streetlight. Seen em a few times now.
Hahaha I just saw them in 2018, and it was sold out.
Didn't members of that band come from catch 22?
Less Than Jake is one of the most influential bands in my life along with anything Tim Armstrong has been a part of. Thank you for the great video on this! I was in high school when the boom happened and it's when I fell in love with music. I still listen to a lot of it and it opened so many musical doors for me once I got into that scene. LTJ still making new music and touring ... you're so right, they've aged the best. And I think it's because instead of corny they present as very genuine
They put on such a great show. They shot confettis out in the audience as a hometown appreciation for everyone. I remember before hearing their music for the first time I used to see their logo stickers everywhere in town. I just moved down to Florida from up north back then.
I was in HS in the middle of the 90's, this video is so on point on all of the Ska/Punk scene during those years. It was hard to keep up with the number of bands releasing albums, and in those days the only option to hear any of that music was to "buy" the CD's. Good times, great video.
All of Operation Ivy’s music is so good.
Fuck yeah!
I got old and I don't think the music aged as well as I did.
such an underrated band
I'll always fuck with Operation Ivy
@@commentingisawasteoftime7195 i disageee. I think their ska punk sound is timeless
How do you leave out Jake Peralta yelling “Ska defines me as a person. I will never turn my back on ska”
Hup *skanks into oblivion
I was prepared to scroll all the way to the bottom to find this comment. Glad that I didn't have to go that far.
I think he already used it in a video recently
This was my first thought
I think Gwen's trying to bring a little bit of that Ska back. "Let Me Reintroduce Myself" has some old school vibes.
I played in Save Ferris for 9 months in 2003 when I was a session guitarist in LA….Evan spoke of his hardcore band but I never remembered what they were called….hey, now I know!!
I haven’t spoken to any of them in 20 years. It was a fun band to play with though.
I knew Charlie from Goldfinger and nearly replaced him when he quit for a while too. (I think they ended up hiring their guitar tech or something)
Thanks for the memory lane!! I watch your channel a lot lately. Cheers.
Sublime lyrics aside....
Can we take a moment to acknowledge the killer bass lines Eric came up with in songs like Bad Fish & Santeria?
@wesley wild
You raise another good point!
Eric Wilson is amazing live but bass players are never appreciated
Tbh I’d say that stuff is more reggae than ska. It’s gotta me that fast strum to be ska. Is it just me or does it make you think of a wind up toy being cranked when you hear that music.
@@hover_roller_balance_boards
The aforementioned tracks are reggae, true but Sublime do ska as well like Saw Red & Same In The End.
Besides- ska, reggae, dub, dancehall all come from a common ancestor.
No. They’re very rudimentary bass lines.
I think if Streetlight Manifesto came in earlier they would have definitely been up there as far as influential ska bands but since they started in 2002 they don’t get as much credit as I personally think they deserve.
He put a slient clip of their Fearless Music set in the video. If you havent seen it, you should check it out.
Yeah I listened to them and Catch 22 a lot back in the day
Well Streetlight is just rebranded Catch 22 so they were around during the boom.
A few bands were about towards the end of the genres heyday that pushed the boundaries a bit like that but we're too late to the game. RX Bandits are another.
They will never get the credit they deserve. They are incredible musicians.
These vids always send me down memory lane! Thanks. Love this series
Thanks for mentioning Catch 22. Loved them. Growing up in the NJ you were issued Keasbey Nights. It came in the mail with packets of tide.
I’m surprised you don’t hear people talk about Operation Ivy more. Everyone I know who likes punk loves them and knows all their songs by heart.
At least where I live, Operation Ivy's fanbase seems to overlap almost entirely with people who spell "punks" like "punx". It's a very specific strain of punk fans who also love Subhumans and GBH.
@@HessianHunter you got it exactly. i grew up liking punk but not that specific type of punk
@@HessianHunter lmao how is this so accurate
Sound System is a perfect song; change my mind.
I’ve always considered op ivy to be the originators of ska punk “as we know it”. Also one of my favorite bands
Here in the heart of L.A. ska still lives. It's not mainstream these days, like you said, but there's definitely still a big following. There's these organizers, Evokore, that promote and throw big ska bashes every year
After Op Ivy and Rancid I never got into much Ska Punk until I found the Interrupters and they kick ass.
Damn! This video was like a trip through my high school years. I've seen so many of these bands. Both big & small.
I just saw Voodoo Glow Skulls last December, with Rev Horton Heat & The 5/6/7/8's. VGS were so rad live!
*Me waiting for a new Streetlight album*
"Wait, ska is dead?"
Yeah they're the last bastion of ska-punk.
Me waiting for new Voodoo Glow Skulls album.
“Skas not dead!”
@@contagiouschipmunk god damn right!
I’m really surprised he didn’t mention them in some form.
"Ska. Is not. DEAD!" - Tony P.
Streetlight Manifesto had some of the best most epic songs I've ever heard in my life. I miss ska being more popular. The new goldfinger album was dope though.
This
@@jsnel9185 been to 3 Streetlight shows, all were so epic, best circle pits and skankin ive ever been and done. Everything i was wearing was drenched in sweat after each show. 10 out of 10 would do everyday if i could.
They’re far and away the best ska band. They’re just on another level than basically all the 90s acts like Less Than Jake or Reel Big Fish. People who think ska shouldn’t be taken seriously, go listen to Streetlightz
They still do
Hands down… I think they’re one of the most talented groups as far as musicianship goes. Great songwriting and lyrics too.
Great video man. I saw most of these bands at The Barn in Riverside, Ca back in the 90s. Punk and Ska got me through high school.
I am definitely a ska punk person for life! I get so excited by it still. I loved that you added Skatune Network/JER in this as they have introduced me to so many new ska bands which I listen to daily now along with the 90s and even music like The Specials etc 🏁🏁🏁
I have been summoned, and here comes my dissertation for anyone who’s interested. Let’s do this. But before we do this, thank you for the shout out in the video! 👀✨
So I had no idea how I’d feel about this video, but I think you hit a lot of major points, but I have 3 main criticisms with this!
Gonna work backwards and start out with the legacy. Ska has gotten such a bad wrap, people constantly say “there’s no bands doing anything notable now”, meanwhile bad time records has announced 3 LPs in a row and sold out nearly 1000 records and had to do 2nd pressings before the LPs even drop. That’s an accomplishment emo can’t even say they’ve made, yet diy emo is getting praise for sounding like American football and snowing for the 3rd time this decade??? (I fucking LOVE emo btw I’m just saying lol) the new scene of bands like Bad Operation, kill Lincoln, Catbite, are creating their own sound and bringing so much character to the scene, rather than trying to be a reel big fish or goldfinger knock off, and that shits being hella overlooked
2. The 2nd wave of American ska punk bands all came from the punk scene. Bands like reel big fish, goldfinger, the aquabats all were playing music in the late 80s and involved in punk. They all were directly influenced by operation ivy and the 2-tone movement bands, and fishbone. (Fishbone was also a huge influence to no doubt and most Orange County bands. It really sucks how an all black ska band gets no recognition for kickstarting ska but op ivy gets it all) but yeah, those bands def were down with punk and the culture revolving around shows
The big kicker for ska really didn’t have much to do with the bands. Honestly the labels marketing it as a joke and fad is what killed it. When you have millions of young folk watching SKAturday on MTV with Carson Daly butchering what ska is about, millions start associating a caricature of the genre with what the genre truly is. And millions got into it and got out of it, but those who got into it through the culture of shows and ya know... how many people get into regular scenes.. they stayed in after the boom just the same.
And lastly, it’s really hard to talk about what happened with ska without talking about the 2-tone movement. The entire second wave of ska was built around this idea of racial unity. Solidarity between black Jamaican immigrants and white working class through music. This idea of unity carried its way through the third wave. Noisey did in an incredible documentary on it that’s available on TH-cam, but yeah the spirit of the 2-tone movement was present through the bands and carried its way through to present day. Whether it’s directly in the music, or indirectly with how the bands operate. It’s just important to note that bands like reel big fish or the aquabats didn’t just hear no doubt and randomly form lol it really sucks how there is a history of those kinds of bands carrying the torch from the 2-tone movement, and because record labels and the music industry pushed the genre as a huge joke to be marketable, it just lost its credibility and became over saturated (even with non-ska bands being marketed as ska bands cause they have a trumpet over alternative rock or some shit lol)
Anyway, yes pick it up ska in the 90s and the noisey 2-tone movement documentary both go a bit deeper into both of these!
I’m stoked to see your input on this video, keep up the work man, you put out quality content. (Much love to you too Finn, your videos are the soundtrack to me getting ready for work).
i love your channel doggie. you are an ANIMAL!!!!!!!!
My nigga
With all due respect selling 1000 albums isn’t exactly a signal of huge success
That Noisey 2-tone documentary was interesting as hell.
Great, now I'll have "Mirror in the Bathroom" by E.B. and the Specials' "Ghost Town" stuck in my head all day. 😉
Travis Barker was actually drumming for the Aquabats. That‘s him with the other guys in the Video.
yep! As any HXC Blink fan would know Scott Raynor was the OG drummer for Blink, travis didn't come into until Enema of The State!
Yeah I remember now
It made me happier than it should have to hear you talk about voodoo glow skulls, even briefly. Loved them
Currently on song two of Less Than Jake’s discography. I love it thank you Fin! This comment brought to you by a burnout in Lake Stevens WA
Fishbone: Are we a joke to you?!!!!
they don't know about Fishbone or 24/7 Spyz yo #afropunk
Eright
What about T-bone
The Untouchables
Seriously. That first EP and Party at Ground Zero dropped in '85 and really is the bridge between 2nd and 3rd wave /ska-punk.
I see Gwen from the 90s, I click and give my heart to her.
I went to the same high school as Gwen
@@boomshakalaka4682 How was she, did you ever talk to her?
her new single is considered 5th wave ska for a reason th-cam.com/video/t-fOASFwsEE/w-d-xo.html
Bad brain 🧠 fck Yes
I'm so glad you mentioned the Dance Hall Crashers! My favorite ska band!!
My first introduction to the concept of Ska and punk being mixed genres was when I got Less Than Jake's "Hello Rockview", and I announced that they were a punk band, and my sister corrected me in front of everyone at the party to tell me that LTJ was Ska. That's when I realized I was a Ska-Punk fan. Still one of my favorite bands and still releasing new material now and then!
Saw them play the whole album live last year. It was like being 14 again lol
@@jonchowe They are continuing that Hello Rockview tour this spring but all the shows are on the other side of the country from me ☹️. Someday I'll get to see them!
@@Nofxthepirate no lie, my neck still hurts. But I blame Spring Heeled Jack for that as well (the opener, and my favorite ska band).
I just saw that same show myself with VIP in March during the second tour. It was really an incredible experience and all the members are really cool, down to earth guys @@jonchowe
@@diceb0mb I believe it! My brother was friendly with Chris Rhodes from a ton of bands and Vinny from the Pilfers and his takeaway was that most ska bands that lasted did so because they were both talented AND good people.
40yr old here and still listening to ska since the 90's
53 here same....
31!🏁
37
57! 😎
Same
This video is actually from the darkest timeline where Streetlight Manifesto never existed
I saw this and wondered if streetlight or even leftover crack were mentioned and.... To my surprise... 😞
@@keithknutson378 haven't thought of leftover crack in... well over a decade
@@RadiantHealthForAll legendary lyrics
Good.
Catch 22 did.
As a former suburban high school band nerd in the early 2000s and massive ska punk fan, you hit the nail on the head regarding every part of this vid. So glad I found this channel!
Always loved Voodoo Glow Skulls and the Skeletones, especially being that they were both from my home town of Riverside, and my dad knew folks in the Skeletones. Never knew how big ska punk used to be, good video man.
The No Doubt cover of The Vandals 'Oi To The World' is a straight up ska cover and is awesome.
SO GOOD
It really is. But the vandals version is really good too. And they're not millionaires dating a country mega star.
I'm a dancer and this is the only Christmas song I will go on stage to. Everyone hates it, and I have a fucking blast.
Listen to it around the holidays every year.
Video and song is just FUN.
I feel like Skatune Network is doing big things for the genre, not just ska punk. I've started following a bunch of new bands because of them. Their passion and love towards the genre is so genuine and refreshing.
That’s hilarious you say that bc I noticed the same thing.
Gwen cited in an interview with Australian music TV show 'Rage' that one her biggest influences is the two-tone British ska band 'The Specials'.
Just thought that was cool, and relevant to the video.
Love your work Finn and the team at PRMBA.
I really enjoyed this, especially how you mentioned bands I listened to that I didn't know made a dent in popular society, e.g. Zao and the label Tooth & Nail.
Not typically a TH-cam commenter, but since you seem to read the comments, hope you will appreciate a sincere response. As someone who was in ska, punk ,AND hardcore bands in the mid thru late 90s (and DIY show promoter), I think you threaded the relationship of the 90s scene well. This is a thoughtful assessment, including of the legacy of that scene in the US (other ska booms, such as 2tone in the 70s had a much longer-lasting and deeper impact both politically and musically here), but the legacy of ska-punk worldwide is a different thing. It reshaped popular music in a lot of Latin America, especially Mexico, and today ska-influenced bands sell out stadiums from Mexico City to Brazil. Maldita Vecindad is a great example. Many other places had ska-punk booms later than the US did, and so are still in earlier phases of their unfolding like in Indonesia, parts of Scandanavia, Japan (Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra is EXCELLENT and also sells out stadiums), etc. Totally unrelated, but since I'm leaving a long comment anyway: I would love to see you do a video on crust punk. Spanning the range from the early Anarcho stuff, to UK82 type bands, to D-Beat, to Tragedy and now groups like SECT. I appreciate your focus on commercial viability and your business-lens, and while that subgenre certainly never got that popular, it was hugely influential culturally and politically in and out of the punk scene. It's responsible for the entire ethic of DIY being associated with punk (and then hardcore), it infused activism into punk in a foundational way (prior to CRASS, punk was oppositional, but not activist, and then when bigger punk groups like The Clash moved in that direction it altered the DNA and trajectory of a lot of the genre). Interestingly, both ska, and crust set me personally on a foundation where I have spent my life building social movements and am a prominent activist, author, run a racial justice nonprofit, and I know other people of my cohort (I'm 37) for whom these genres were an entry point into building your career as a change-maker either in politics or social movements.
excellent response, excellent video. i was very young during this period but was fully aware of celebrated ska music and this information was very entertaining. my only remark is that i wish there was a mention of Bomb The Music Industry!
TSPO is an amazing band! :)
I would also add that the Ska-Jazz wave of early 2000's is probably a child (or maybe sibling) of the Ska-Punk scene.
I recommend The Interrupters if anyone is looking for a new Ska-Punk band.
Maldita Vencidad was playing in the barrios of Mexico City during the mid to early 80's and didn't get signed until the around 1988 which made them become mainstream in Mexico. Their influence to ska was much sooner than the 90's ska we saw here in the US. Ska bands like Panteon Rococo, Tijuana No!, Maldita Vencidad, Inspector will definitely bring in huge crowds during el Vive Latino in Mexico City or when they have a big anniversary concerts, lookup Panteon Rococo's XX Anniversary. The 90's ska wave did however left their print in the backyards of LA. There's bands like Viernes 13, La Resistencia, Matamoksa who still play in various venues big or small and at times can be doing a show a for free. Some of these local South LA bands still have a big following from people such as myself that are in our mid 30's. And we also have Ska Wars in Los Angeles every year, except for 2020.
Paragraphs are not your enemy. I refuse to torture my eyeballs by reading that wall of text.
Talking about ska legacy is almost about reggae legacy. We are talking about underground music from Jamaica which has a social impact more than commercial impact. ✌🏽
They way you dissed Reel Big Fish was a dagger to my heart. Why Do They Rock So Hard? is one of the best albums ever
Yes this
Down In Flames is a very underrated song, I wish they RBF actually played it live
Great album front to back!
finally someone mentioned DHC. both DHC and CLB (chase long beach) are always overlooked when talked about in videos like these. THANK YOU FOR MENTIONING MY FAVORITE SKA BAND!!!!
another great video, very comprehensive, Operation Ivy, and Rancid still get played regularly on my turntable along with VGS, but two Ska bands you didn't mention are The Slackers and Westbound Train . Wasted Days by the Slackers is a solid record
Tim Armstrong knows his way around a chorus.
No, no he doesn't
One of the best
for sure. But best songwriter in punk? That's just ridiculous. Armstrong himself would say he comes light years after Joe Strummer, Mick Jones, Paul Weller etc.
People really like Rancid unironically?
@@croulantroulant3082 nowhere near the best songwriter, Fat Mike, Graffin & Guerwitz, Biafra, strummer... the list goes on, but he does know his way around a chorus.
Ska shows are some of the most fun I’ve ever been to.
Fuck yeah! Makes me miss the 90s.
Dude for real. I kept going to Warped Tour every year, in part, to see Less than Jake and Reel Big Fish bang it out again. Two of the most fun shows ever. If you've never seen Reel Big Fish live, do yourself a favor and do it!!! If it ever happens again...
Not if you're doing sound at it.
@@altoid8450 I saw Jake back in 2004 at some warehouse in an industrial area in San Diego. I was 24 at the time and knew something was up when there were people in their 30's/40's standing around the front of the building as I walked in. It was further confirmed when they introduced their special guest on trombone for the night: Scott Ian. I was the only one who seemed to go apeshit over a guitarist from Anthrax being on stage. Yeah...it was a bunch of high school kids and those people at the front were chaperones. I still had a good time though.
@@altoid8450 I was lucky enough to see Reel Big Fish last March just a week before they shut everything down due to COVID. It was one of the most fun shows I have ever been to. It was my first time seeing them since Warped Tour '97 (I'm old) :-)
Waited the whole vid for a Skatune Network shoutout. Really enjoying your content.
I am completely addicted to ur channel.. love it ! Definitely awesome insight on music 🎼.
I think the last point you made is the most important- star power. With Brad Nowell's (Sublime) death in 1996 and then No Doubt's massive shift away from Ska after "Tragic Kingdom" the genre lost their two biggest starts basically the same year. From 97-99 it Ska Punk was able to carry on without them a little bit, but Brad and Gwen were the star powers the genre needed.
I still get excited when a Streetlight Manifesto, Less than Jake or Goldfinger song comes on
You couldn’t have described me better. I graduated high school in ‘98, grew up in central coast CA, played trumpet in the school jazz band, I was a band nerd that grew up in a conservative household. Ska was the only music my parents were ok with. But even apart from that, it was the only music I felt I belonged to. I played in a ska band with 4 other dudes from my school, we played RBF and Skankin Pickle covers at our high school grad party. Everyone danced, even the jocks. It was truly one of the best times of my life, I wouldn’t have changed a thing. Long live ska.
Get that horn back out and find another band!
Gwen Stefani with No Doubt, he was amazing, a rock star, strong, crazy, kicking, jumping, climbing to the top of the stage and his voice remained the same and powerful, No Doubt helped give status and dignity to ska punk.
SKA-Core got a boom in the early 2000's with Chicano youth in California... especially in OC, IE & LA...
Absolutely. Remember there regularly being ska-core shows at the Knitting Factory
YUP!!!! dope ass bands that mereged and still play to this day
Voodoo Glow Skulls
Here in Colombia it was super popular, with bands like La Moijganga and Rey Gordiflon
Evokore is great for underground ska shows. "Underground" in terms of the mainstream but not to the real scene.
Sublime, Rancid, and Less Than Jake still make it into the weekly rotation at work🤘
I think your analysis of why ska died off is really insightful. I realize that's what happened to me. I was really into ska and like, accessible punk rock in high school and early on after I went to college but then I moved out of state and went to a new college and didn't know anyone and had to recreate my social circle and I still went to live music in my college town but there just wasn't any ska going on there. Not to mention that I was young and exploring who I was and what genres of music "defined" me, so I went through a lot of phases exploring music. Then I graduated and got distracted by life and basically forgot about it. It wasn't until after the pandemic last year when we started feeling safer to go out again that I happened to see about a punk show and was like fuck yes this is exactly what I need. And it was not punk at all lol but it was an awesome local ska band, and from there I just dove into the local punk and ska scene that is having a bit of a revival in CT right now and it's been amazing. So now I'm closer to 40 than not and I'm at shows every weekend with all these other old heads like me lmao and the band are all our age too. So ska never died, it just got a job and had kids and got distracted but now we all remembered that life is fucking short and all the bullshit of capitalism and our fucked up society means we need ska and punk to connect with community and express our values.
love these vids bro- very yes, many nostalgic! I was big into ska w bands like the suicide machines & less than jake- I actually found it more upbeat than the grunge scene. I grew up in the local punk scene & was in ska bands for almost a decade.
Fun fact: The lead singer of Mighty Mighty Bosstones is the announcer/band leader for Jimmy Kimmel Live.
Another fun fact, he's also cousins with Aaron barret, lead singer of reel big fish.
He had Radio show for a brief time that was really good and out of nowhere was fired.
I was wondering what happened to him
Here's a fact: it is illegal to have axolotl shipped to CA, as they are on the endangered species spectrum.
Now you know.
@@user-fj6kk1vo8n Uh, ok?
Awesome that you shouted out Skatune Network, Jer is doing amazing things and might single handedly be turning some heads back into the genre
The no doubt section brings smash mouth to mind. Specifically their first album. They never did another “walking on the sun”
Fush Yu Mang is straight ska
I'm happy I got to see Rancid and Reel Big Fish in concert before. I'm a ska punk fan for life.
That's awesome
"SAW RED" by Sublime ft. Gwen Stefani is such a classic track rarely gets any love!
Bradley's acoustic version was amazing as well.
I love the song!
Yes!!!!
One more secret lover that I shot dead!
@@porkfriedrice1530 girls don't go crazy!!!
Man I didn’t think you’d ever do a video on ska-punk. I never stopped listening to ska. I love punk and hardcore but the reality is I’m not pissed off all the time and ska kind of makes me feel good. I think what killed it was it became extremely uncool and the people who hate ska in the punk scene really fucking hate it. Thanks for adding your .02.
I think ska killed it self because the music is really limited to the ska sound, so any change to the sound made a band go away from ska
@@kostiatretyak yeah I have to agree with you on this! It kinda limited them to how they could evolve/change their sound. The problem is they really couldn't cuz then it wouldn't be "ska".
My first concert was Less Than Jake’s “Losing Streak” record release your at the Virgin Megastore in Costa Mesa, CA in 1997. I was 10 with my 13 year old older bro + friends, they called us up on stage to dance and stage dive (3 of us chickened out) and I was hooked on live music for the rest of my life. LTJ and ska-punk will always have a special place in my life, thanks for the video.
Less Than Jake was my favorite band in high school. Appreciate the shout-out.
I think generalizing ska-punk as ska doesn’t do the true ska bands of that era justice. The Pietasters, Hepcat, Stubborn Allstars, The Checkered Cabs, The Toasters, Lets Go Bowling, etc. All bands that were a huge part of the scene and some are still kicking around today. Where are the nods to the Rude Boys/Girls and the Skins who were there supporting the scene all along? I get mentioning skinheads isn’t easy but you can’t talk ska without non-racist traditional skinheads coming up.
Sharp Skins!
I think Bucket and Moon Ska should have been mentioned in the video. He did a lot for ska in the states.
Best comment, right here.
I still listen to Ska music. I got into it in the early 80s as the remnants of the two tone movement reached Southern California. I did the whole “learn the roots” thing backwards to the Skatalites & all the early Jamaican singers & record labels. Even though I like old punk, I just never felt the 3 wave / ska punk thing. It just felt goofy & contrived. There are still good ska bands out there releasing soulful & jazzy tracks. I’ll just name drop The Prizefighters & Traveling All Stars and walk away.....
I totally agree. Ska is also a lifestyle older than punk, haha.
Ska's dead but im still skanking. I just love going to a show where everyone is happy and having fun. Im in a crap 9 peice ska band and its fucking awesome.
I call that ska being alive. But shit, maybe I'm just not punk enough to realise that major label success is what's really important.
There's just NOTHING like it, when you actually get a group together at a live Ska show that's actually into Skanking. One of the things that actually injects a bit of sweetness in an otherwise largely difficult life.
I love this video, thank you. I graduated in 98’ so this was a awesome throwback to the good olé dayz. 🤘😜
Just saw this video. Old school metal head here - I was made aware of SKA and Oi around the 1980s as well, never paid too much attention to scene until the SKA explosion of the 1990s. You couldn’t turn on the radio without hearing some form of SKA playing. The one band that almost made me delve a bit into the scene was Rancid, and really because one dude in there reminded of me Wattie from Exploited.
I completely respect the talent but never got into the sound.
Sublime hands down one of the best bands ever based on the incorporation of reggae, dancehall, ska, hip hop, rap, reggae-tronic, punk, rock almost every thing which makes sublime so diverse and well thought out R.I.P Brad it was his birthday 3 days ago
Lol delusional
Brad was a serious fuckin loss to the music world. A real legend.
he died way too soon :( he was one of the most talented musicians of his generation and he was just getting started
He was one of the best song writers of the time, it was insane what he did with sublime
Definitely, and he is still constantly imitated now, decades later. The worst part is all his lyrics from day one were warning us what would happen. "one day I'm gunna lose the war"
Sick Lionheart shoutout. Haha love them.
Notable mention LTJ 🫶 all time greats.
Also thought you could’ve mentioned the Mad Caddies!
Thanks for another great video. 👊
My first time seeing No Doubt was around 1986/87. They opened for the Red Hot Chili Peppers at Cal State Long Beach. Ska was always a part of the punk scene in the 80s. Ska influenced many early punk bands and ska began far before punk. The two genres were connected. No Doubt was definitely a ska band in their early years long before they released their first album. I miss all the shows back then. Every weekend in LA there were bands playing. Saw Gwen join Sublime once at The Lab in Costa Mesa. She was hanging out and joined in. Great times.
No black in ska/punk? Bad Brains? Hugely influential punk band.
“Why don’t you listen to ska anymore?”
My mom after I discovered hardcore.
True story. I just realized after watching this that, of all the music I listen to nowadays, there's only one ska punk band.
@@DiestroCorleone who might that be if you don't mind me asking?
@@bobbymagoo5136 My pleasure. It's Ska-P, a band from Spain that certainly knew how to stay on top after all this years, still filling stadiums around the world.
Well, at least until the pandemic arrived and took our nice things away.
@@DiestroCorleone oh right on, I'll have to look them up
@@bobbymagoo5136 You should! Ska-P is the shit, they are the most popular ska band in europe... They sound like happy-music, but the lyrics are very political and have strong messages.
Streetlight Manifesto still kicks ass damnit
I still love bumping them in the car screaming "I got a gun in my hand but the gun won't cock, fingers on the trigger but that trigger seems locked, can't stop staring at the tick tock clock and even if it was I would never give up!" Etc etc
Bangers
i saw them last year. they still tour and sell out shows.
Yeah, sad they're not mentioned!
The songs are legitimately good and don't sound corny even nowadays. So much fun to listen to.
the worst ska band ever lol
I was hoping you would mention The Suicide Machines. Painfully underrated and one of my all-time favorite bands. They went from Ska-Punk to Mainstream pop-punk to a more hardcore sound. Their latest album, Revolution Spring, is amazing.
The suicide machines are the most interesting band out of the 3rd wave ska group as they were such a punk sounding band that was also ska, I loved them and always will
@@icannotsk8good Man, I love The Suicide Machines, especially the first album, but other than that you got a bunch of great bands that this jerk Mccunty probably never heard of like: Star Fucking Hipsters, Choking Victim, P.A.I.N. , REDSKA, Dead Rejects, The Infested, Morning Glory, NH3, Usual Suspects, Talco, Leftöver Crack, Link 80, INDK, The Valkyrians, No Cops For Miles, The Uptones, Boikot, The Stupid Stupid Henchmen, 8°6 Crew, Atrocity Solution, Positive Junk, HEY-SMITH...
@@icannotsk8good Them and VGS are my favs from that era. Hard, fast, and musically actually really good.
This was super informative ngl
When I was like 6 or so my older brother would play reel big fish all the time so I started listening to them. Fast forward to about 3months ago, I looked them up for a small nostalgia trip and realized I actually really like it, and started going out of my way to listen to them
Ska punk was my intro to "underground" music and eventually ushered me into regular punk, then hardcore, etc. I love ska punk/ska, always will.
Everything goes numb by streetlight manifesto is my favourite album of all time
In my top 5 no doubt.
Somewhere in the between gang rise up
Was waiting for him to talk about them at any point lol
@@ratacastillo3508 dude yeah! Wtf happened? They are a huge part of what's left of ska punk
Top 5 for me also - of any genre, of any era.
Heyy dude! Rad checkerboard slip ons!🤘 You're into 90's ska! Because that's THE IMPRESSION THAT I GET🍻🤘🎸🤣
The way you describe the progression and end of the ska popularity reminds me of what I always hear about hair bands in the late 80s early 90s. I wonder if the same thing happens to all music genre fads. Btw, I never was much of a ska fan even though I was in high school in the mid to late 90s lol, it was always too busy and hyper for me like a hive of bees lol. I was always a hair band fan even though that craze was before my time lol. I was sad when it ended!
What about 80's Ska? The English Beat, The Specials, Madness, etc? These 90's bands don't exist without them...
I got into 2-tone because of 90s ska.
He wasn't covering that topic, but it has an influence on why it didn't become a "thing" in my opinion. Ska is the best for sure.
CORRECT
I had a lot of friends back in the 80s and early 90s who were into ska - Madness was my introduction. But their catalogue is so much deeper than pure ska. They capitalized on the early English fascination with ska and reggae. But while I liked the edgier sound of the Bosstones, SkaVoovie and the Epitones’ album Ripe was just more awesome - if you dig ska, that is.
yeah the toasters album skaboom has got to be one of my favorite albums.
The Aquabats will always be special. My son and I loved watching The Aquabats Super Show together and sing the songs all the time.
Also how we ended up with Yo Gabba Gabba as a kids show
@@sonicsessions He love Yo Gabba Gabba when he was little. That was a special show.
@@TacticalGhost939 The lady met Christian at comic con for Yo Gabba Gabba many years ago. She had no idea who the Aquabats were. I was pretty jealous. Ha.
Before or after Travis Barker? Lol.
@@calliew311 both really, Travis is an amazing drummer and really adds a lot to "Fury of the Aquabats", but that's also their last ska album. Everything else they did was new wave Devo-esque stuff.
I just discovered 100 Gecs because of you, and I'm so happy to hear that ska is being brought back!