Don't be fooled into thinking we only feature pop punk here on the blog. Oh no! Here at Kiki Vs Everyone we like all kinds of great music and who hasn't embraced some ska in their past?
Every year when they sun puts it's hat on and we all cheer "hip hip hip hooray!", crack open the ciders and fire up the BBQ the first CDs we reach for tend to be the sweet, joyous sounds of ska. Although a lot of the legends of ska are American (such as Less Than Jake, Goldfinger etc...) we also have some impressive talent on this side of the pond.
See Capdown, Farse & Whitmore for pioneering British ska. One of the bands now flying the flag is New Riot who count Suicide Machines and Sublime amongst their favourite ska bands. We asked them what the genre means to them:
Every year when they sun puts it's hat on and we all cheer "hip hip hip hooray!", crack open the ciders and fire up the BBQ the first CDs we reach for tend to be the sweet, joyous sounds of ska. Although a lot of the legends of ska are American (such as Less Than Jake, Goldfinger etc...) we also have some impressive talent on this side of the pond.
See Capdown, Farse & Whitmore for pioneering British ska. One of the bands now flying the flag is New Riot who count Suicide Machines and Sublime amongst their favourite ska bands. We asked them what the genre means to them:
What do you think of the current UK ska scene?
Unfortunately it's not as big as it used to be - which is a shame cos there are some awesome bands out there keeping the scene alive. Some have been around for a long time, others are up and coming. It would be great to see any bands in the ska department get more exposure, as there's great bands with great songs that people would definitely be interested in hearing more of, should they be exposed to it.
Do you think ska is synonymous with summer, and if so why?
Yes! Ska is such a happy, feel good genre; it always makes you wanna smile, which is also a perfect way to describe the summer. Everyone is happier in the summer when the sun is out, the weather is good and everybody's just having a great time.
What ska songs that remind you of summer what would they be and why?
ALL these songs remind us of summer, some for specific reasons, but all generally because ska is happy, fun music. Perfect for the summer.
- Less Than Jake - Gainesville Rock City (Heady, drums, says: "Such an epic song. First time I saw them at Reading Festival 2003 they opened their set with it.")
- Suicide Machines - Hey Ska (Andy B, bass/vocals, : "Reminds me of lazing on the beach when I lived in Croyde")
- Sublime - What I Got ("Definitely an all round band favourite. Especially Tommy T - guitar/vocals and Andy B.")
- Reel Big Fish - Sell Out ("An amazing, classic, feel good ska song" raves Heady)
- Young Blood Brass Band- Brooklyn (Ed - trumpet/vocal - explains "Not really ska, but still my favourite song.")
- Suicide Machines - Vans Song
- Reel Big Fish -Down In Flames
- The Toasters - Don't Let The Bastards Grind You Down ("A classic song from a classic ska band.")
- Starpool - It's Alright
- Goldfinger - Open Your Eyes
Veteran UK Ska-punks [spunge] have been on the scene for years now and are going as strong as ever. They also shared with us what would be on their summer ska playlist:
- Sublime – What I Got
- Reel Big Fish - Sell Out
- Goldfinger - Superman
- The Specials - Monkey Man
- NOFX - Kill All The White Man
Singer, Alex, says "All 5-10 could have been Sublime! These are all good though... or at least I think so!"
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yay I love ska! thanks for introducing me to some UK ska bands I haven't heard of. I definitely agree that ska reminds of summer- don't forget Streetlight Manifesto! Actually one of my favorite summer songs is by Big D and the Kids Table: Shining On http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D8oM_-K9rXY :]
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