Tag: Ska
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Big D and the Kids Table ‘Good Luck’ (1999)
There was a record label in my hometown of Cupertino, CA called Springman Records that for the longest time was one my favorite record labels ever. There’s a few reasons for that– I was in middle school when I was first getting into punk rock, and Springman Records was a punk label so the synergy…
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Save Ferris ‘It Means Everything’ (1997)
Orange County’s ska punk scene was a damn fertile oasis in the mid-’90s (it’s seriously insane how many bands came out of that scene) and Save Ferris was one of those bands who brought a burst of brass-driven energy and sharp pop hooks to genre that was hitting the mainstream consciousness. Fronted by the charismatic…
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Operation Ivy ‘Energy’ (1989)
Founded by future Rancid members Tim Armstrong and Matt Freeman, the Berkeley-based Operation Ivy had the distinction of being an incredibly influential band in the ska punk scene despite the short-lived nature of their existence. They only released one full length album during the course of their two-year career (Energy) and buoyed by their raucous…
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Oingo Boingo ‘Dead Man’s Party’ (1985)
Oingo Boingo’s 1985 album Dead Man’s Party is a unique experience from start to finish, capturing the eccentric nature of the band and all of their quirky provocativeness. I’ve been running a ton during 2024 (my New Year resolution is to hit a Vo2 Max over 50) and this album is a slam dunk pick…
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Cherry Poppin’ Daddies ‘Zoot Suit Riot’ (1997)
Cherry Poppin’ Daddies were sort of a novelty act in the late 90’s that blended ska and swing into an energetic ball of fun. I remember as a middle schooler thinking how cool the music video for “Zoot Suit Riot” was— basically a perfect blend of punk rock culture (RIP to chain wallets, you are…
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Less Than Jake ‘Hello Rockview’ (1998)
When we listened to Mighty Mighty Bosstones seminal 1997 album Let’s Face It earlier this year I described ska as “the genre of music that’s playing on a loop in a toddler’s head”, which still stands as one of my favorite genre descriptions that I’ve made on this site since I embarked seven months ago…
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The Mighty Mighty Bosstones ‘Let’s Face It’ (1997)
When I first heard Let’s Face It I was 9 years old, living in a two-bed two-bath apartment with my brother and parents. For my birthday that year I received the first three albums I would ever own. Those albums were the Mighty Mighty Bosstones’ Let’s Face It, Third Eye Blind’s self-titled debut Third Eye…
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