An occasional ska radio podcast, celebrating all types of ska from around the world. New episodes sometimes Ska radio podcast started in September of 2017.
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I've loved ska my entire adult life. I just want to do my part by showing ska is very much alive all around the world, introducing new bands to people in the process.
Finally got some frames for various ska related things. Winter Tour poster they sent me, movie posters for both and This Is New Tone docs. The cream of the crop is this 21 year old flyer for release show I ripped off the wall of Fireside. In retrospect I hope that didn't lead to less people attending....
O'Doyle Rules - A Bad Case of Loser Denial
Good Guy Records - 1999 - Houston, TX
First things first, this was one of my favorite albums back in high school. There's a nice blend of ska, pop-punk and emo, a diss track, goofy songs, serious songs and loads of Adam Sandler references! All things a young me loved or was learning to love. I found both "Loser Denial Theme Song" and "Loser Incorporated" extremely relatable back then and they still resonate with me. Though I still have nostalgic love for the album, nowadays my feelings are a lot more complicated. There are tracks that go from a bit cringy by today's standards to out right problematic. The end of album "skits" being the worst of the bunch. I had actually completely forgotten such stuff was even on the album, so good for young me I guess. None of it should be entirely surprising though due to the obvious Adam Sandler adoration. Chalk it up to immaturity and in that era this was pretty par for the course. One last special shout out to "Riverfenix" which was way better than I had recalled. It's the only fully ska song on the album and I had some how forgotten that too despite remembering all the words. If you're able to look past the questionable bits there's a solid enough album here. Just remember to turn it off once the music stops.
Various Artists - Music That Don't Swallow
Super Toad Records - 1999 - Various
As of late I've really been trying to track down 90's compilations. In many cases I end up discovering a lot of bands I'd never heard of. The downside being that in most cases it can be difficult to even track down info about the bands let alone additional music. That's the downside with Music That Won't Swallow, an odd comp of mostly ska and punk bands. I really only say odd because it's 2 discs and the back makes it seem that there's 22 tracks on each one. Nope! Disc one has 27 and then 17 on disc 2. A little over half of the bands on here I had never heard of before. The vast majority of ones I have were Fork In Hand or Drive Thru Records groups. It was also nice to hear The Fryalators and Six Under Par on here. The Six Under Par track didn't have horns though and that threw me a bit. Some of the new to me bands I really enjoyed were 5 Hours, No ?'s Asked, Seven Day Weekend, and Sixty Second Quickies. All groups whom I will certainly be on the hunt for. Even with 44 songs in which the recording quality swung around wildly, this was an enjoyable listen. There's a few tracks that aren't great, but only one I ended up skipping. I nearly forgot to mention the whole reason I chose this to talk about today. There's a track by El Conquistadors on here, whom we all knew better as Skabba The Hut. Happy May the Fourth everyone! Ciao.
Various Artists - Ska Sucks
Liberation Records - 1997 - Various
I've been thinking about ska a lot more lately than I have in awhile now. It occurred to me that I hadn't done one of these Noskalgic Reviews in a bit and I should probably start up again. Honestly if there's one thing to blame for my taste in ska (which is all of it) it would be Ska Sucks. Prior to hearing this comp I really only liked ska-punk. It was to the point that on other comps I would skip songs that "weren't fast enough". To give some insight to how this played out in my brain, I thought The Hippos "Asleep At The Wheel" was incredibly slow. Yeah it was dumb, but I was 14 at the time. The point is this changed all that forever. It was hard not to be mesmerized by the likes of Hepcat, Ocean 11 and The Usuals which led me deeper into the roots of ska. Really I only have a single gripe about any of the bands on here and that's Limp. It was strange at the time and it feels stranger now all these years later. The track choices for Less Than Jake and Johnny Socko are both very strange in retrospect. A Grease cover and what's essentially a fake ad? Sure, why not! Listen: I adore this comp to this day. It's a very easy listen and I applaud whomever laid out the tracklist. So it shouldn't be surprising I actively tried to pick up an album from every band featured. Sure this ended up taking a decade or two mainly due to Ocean 11, but from first listen I knew it would happen. This is text book noskalgia here, not that that is or should be a word.
In this new episode we're joined by Courtney and Aaron of In a bit of a shocker we actually talk quite a bit about ska. What it was like in the so called "dark ages", thoughts on the scene today and the importance of archiving ska's past.
Theme song written and performed by Stop The Presses. Check them out at www.stopthepressesmusic.com
Logo by Robot Skull
Direct link in our bio. Or find us on Spotify, Apple Podcast, Google Play, or anywhere else you get your podcasts and give us a subscribe!
Hey kids,
Brand new Talk The Ska should be up any moment everywhere you get podcasts from! In this episode The Prizefighters join me and we really just talk about ska!
Fun fact: In trying to take a photo for the image I learned two things.
My records are not in any real order since the move and there was still a box in the garage I never brought in. Whoops!
April
Surprise! There's an all new episode of Talk The Ska! Joining Mattie as they talk eith Tara of about their new album, their last album, joining Bad Time, Supernova Ska Fest, Disney magic and a whole lot more!
Direct link in our bio. Or find us on Spotify, Apple Podcast, Google Play, or anywhere else you get your podcasts and give us a subscribe!
Brand new Talk The Ska with Tara of Half Past Two is up all the places podcasts live.
New Year, still gonna have a bad time.
Well it's the last day of the year so about time I get this out. I plan to do an episode about why I chose what I chose, honorable mentions and whatnot. But here's my 10 favorite ska albums of 2023.
Greenhouse - Tomorrow The World
Major Label Records - 1997
Rolling Meadows, IL
Once upon a time I declared Greenhouse's "Tomorrow The World" the most unsung gem of the Third Wave era. Nothing has changed about that statement in my mind. Beginning to end this is an absolutely phenomenal album that needs to be heard. A few years back I was shocked to learn the band had an album which predated their Jump Up debut. I even secured a copy and reviewed it. Well here in 2023 I learned that this album wasn't originally released on Jump Up! Now had I bothered to read the album announcement Jump Up put out back in 97 I would have known this all along. Apparently teenage me had no time for reading or I just plain forgot this detail. Being the Greenhouse diehard I am I had to have a copy of that version too for some reason and well, here we are. It is not one iota different aside from record label logos and copyright. Does this bug me? No. It have me reason to listen to THE most unsung gem of 90s ska and that's a win in my book.
Found this classy lapel pin on an old suit jacket. It's in amazing shape for being 20+ years old. Plus it's maybe my third favorite Jump Up logo, maybe. I ranked them once and honestly can't remember.
NEW EPISODE
Oh, hey there Talkers. It's been a bit since we've done an episode, but we're back with a doozy. Kicking off our return to the podcast scene is a new interview with Duck and Bex of Joystick. It was an
Well hello there Talkers! It's been a bit since we've done one of these, but what a way to come back! Duck and Bex of did the honor of being our first guest back. It was an absolute honor to have them on as we talked about their new EP "Dwell", dogs, head injuries, the Bad Time family, philosophy, whether this episode is cursed and lots of ska! Oh and also beans....I'll never escape the beans. So check it out at the link in the bio or wherever you find your podcasts.
Also it would mean a lot for people to spread the word. Very excited to be back!
This is what we call a teaser.
It took forever and nothings organized yet. In fact my record player isn't even facing the right direction let alone being hooked up. BUT after being moved nearly 3 months I finally have all my ska vinyl on actual shelving. Now to get everything else organized (see top of said shelf) and alphabetized. If only I could say the same thing for the CD archive.
Big honking box of ska from the first to come to my new home.
Work has been super hectic and not given me a whole lot of time. But I'm committing to having a new episode of the show up by the end of the month and regular NoSKAlgic review installments too. Stay ska friends.
Rocking Time - Rocking Time
Toy's Factory - 2002 - Japan
This is a tale of woe with some what of a happy ending. Last week I grabbed a random CD out of a moving box to review. I was pretty excited as it was a Japanese female fronted ska punk band. Then I put the CD into my stereo and something was very wrong. It wasn't a J-ska group at all, it was Bowling For Soup. I felt defeated for a few days, but wanted to bounce back with another Japanese group and Rocking Time was the first album I found. It was a very nice change of pace compared to other albums I've listened to recently. Smooth ska, rocksteady, reggae and Lover's rock sung in Japanese. The album starts off strong and ends on a high note with a trio of upbeat tracks. The middle however is a bit of a mixed bag. All the slower tracks are placed there and none are outright bad though they do tend to go on a bit long. Not to mention they're on the repetitive side. I've also really have to applaud the art direction on the album itself. They really push the playing card motif. The dang liner notes are in the size and shape of a standard playing card and it's pretty dang cool. This mat not have been what I was hoping to hear, but it really hit the spot.
Save Ferris - Introducing...
Starpool Records - 1996 - Orange County, CA
Truth be told I've never really been that into Save Ferris. Other than "The World Is New" and "Come On Eileen" nothing really stuck out to me from "It Means Everything". Then a few years ago two friends of mine who never showed much interest in ska independently of one another told me how much they liked Save Ferris. One because of the then new "Checkered Past" EP, but the other had liked then since the 90s. No clue how they never came up before that. Either way it made me revisit their old stuff and I like them a bit more than I did a quarter century ago. All that said I don't recall ever buying this EP, so it was fun to give a listen to. I'm fairly confident that there's no need for me to describe anything about their sound or even the majority of these songs. Nearly all of them are on "It Means Everything" and those are the better versions in every case. The two tracks not re-recorded for the full length though are arguably the best and worst songs on the album. I get why they didn't bother with "You and Me", but "For You" slaps. There's no way I could in good conscious call it my favorite Save Ferris track, but it's up there and people should give it multiple listens.
Over The Line - A Work In Regress
Self Released - 2006 - Las Vegas, NV
There is a false memory implanted in my brain of Over The Line being on the Still Standing comp. I could have sworn I initially picked their album up as part of the early offerings tied to it. All wrong! As electric as that comp was, nothing quite matches their punk mixed with a bit of prog and reggae. Plus the albums came out three years apart from one another so no clue why my brain made such a connection. Quite possibly because almost all of the new ska I heard from that era was in some way connected to the comp. No matter how I found out about them I had some pretty fond memories of this album. Both "Optimist Prime" and "The End of Emo" have frequently found their way into my head in the past 17 years. So I'm pretty stoked that both those tracks still hold up all these years later. There's a few other tracks that are pretty good on here like "Pinching My Chica" and I enjoy how the title track flows right into "Making The Most of Nothing". But overall I remember this being far better back in 2006 than I do in 2023. This can mostly be attributed to my immense dislike of reggae rock at that time, which this is reminiscent of. That stance has softened quite a bit in the last decade, so this sounds a lot less special now. Though I'd still much rather listen to this than Ballyhoo! or Bumpin Uglies any day. The album is seemingly streaming everywhere, so at least listen to the opening track. You can tell me how over the line (I hate me) my opinions are in the comments.
Talk The Ska. September 18th. That is all.
The Exhibitionists - The Exhibitionist
Trapdoor Records - 2001 - Appleton, WI
Okay, okay, okay, I promise this isn't just going to be reviews of Wisconsin ska bands from now on. I also promise this will stop being so start and go. I have an actual review pile for the first time ever and never mind the fact that half or so of them are from Wisconsin ska bands. They just happened to end up in the pile after I purposefully went looking for albums by Wisconsin ska bands. Total coincidence! Regardless of all that as we are here today to review The Exhibitionists. I'll cut right to the chase on this one and make a statement that may be equal parts shocking and alarming. The Exhibitionists remind me a lot of Slow Gherkin. So that may not be that shocking or alarming to some but I thought it was a pleasant surprise. I can't think of another band where I've made such a comparison before and for the record it's a very good thing. The fact they weren't just another ska-punk band shattered my preconceived notions here. Which is something I am so happy to have been wrong about. Just a real great mix of traditional ska with a bit of pop rock sensibilities. This is typically the part of the review where I ust prattle on for a bit longer. Talking about how great certain songs are or a shocking genre change. Not this time though. I'll just state that this is very much an unsung gem of the era. Which brings us to the saddest part of this review. At the time of this writing it appears that the album isn't available for streaming. There is a single used copy for sale though on Amazon, really recommend somebody jumps on that opportunity. As always, I am more than willing to share a rip of the album with any interested parties
While packing I found two additional copies of my high school era "skamopunkdorkcore" ""band"" Con Pollo's album "Ready The Helicopter". There's also something entitled "Kill Your Local Drug Dealer." and I have no recollection of that whatsoever. An earlier and much rougher recording? Maybe. Either way I'm terrified that any of these actually play, cause if they do I promised to put them online the last time I came across a copy.
Was wearing my JUMP UP RECORDS shirt while at Woodfield Mall today. Of course this meant I repeatedly sang "Laura" by The Eclectics to myself the whole time.
We love cassettes! Since it's and all we'd figure we'd flaunt our most recent additions. Like every year killed it with releases by the Rude Girls To The Front comp featuring all the bands of the super group and their On The Beach comp. Plus, they threw in the awesome new album by my favorite Chicago area ska-punk group, Absolute thrilled about as I hesitated on the cassette and has only bought the CD.
Then we have loads of international ska from (Argentina), The Angry Beans (Italy), The Moonrakers (Spain), Put3Ska (The Philippines) and (Czechia). And let's not forget to round out the bunch. Hopefully everyone has been able to add some great new cassettes to their collections recently. Even more hopeful we can start reviewing all of these soon!
It's the most wonderful time of the year....
12 Cents For Marvin - King of the Ring
Ingy Records - 2000 - Fort Collins, CO
Still Standing Saturday
Can I open with a confession? I tried covering this album as the very first Still Standing Saturday review. Back then I found it hard to get into and didn't want to start on a "low point". After listening to it again now I still feel pretty torn about the whole album. The songs I like are actually pretty darn phenomenal. I always thought that 12 Cents were a very straightforward ska-punk band, but they've got RANGE. I came away with a new found appreciation for the group as a whole. On the flipside the "dud" songs I absolutely can't stand. After multiple listens this morning I still found myself cringing every time "Little Things" came on. I can appreciate the effort they put in to it, just isn't for me. My biggest question though is how did they not get sued by the WWF? That's pretty impressive to me to be quite honest. Anyways I still feel the good far outweighs the bad here and look forward to hearing more of this group.
New interview with The Rough Customers up now!
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