In Defense of Ska

Latest Episodes:

In Defense of Ska Ep 67: Brian Fallon (The Gaslight Anthem, The Horrible Crowes, Lanemeyer, Molly and the Zombies) Apr 27, 2022

Show notes

Last year, singer/songwriter Brian Fallon tweeted that Slackers lead singer Vic Ruggiero is "one of the greatest songwriters and lyricists of our time." This isn't the only time that Brian tweeted about his love for ska during the pandemic. We've seen him praise Mike Park, Catbite and express his love for New York band The Abruptors' ska cover of his song "Forget Me Not."

On today's episode of In Defense of Ska, we dig into Brian's past and learn about how he discovered ska, why Asian Man Records mail order was so important to him as a young music fan, and we discuss the details of his cover of Spring Heeled Jack's "Pop Song (Green)." He also tells us about seeing Laurel Aitken at Wetlands, and we find out which Slackers song Brian would cover if he was going to play one on tour.

We also get the full story behind a tweet Brian sent last year about getting a surprise phone call from Bruce Springsteen and then spilling cat food everywhere during the call.

If you’d like to support us and listen to early access, ad-free episodes with bonus content, check out our Patreon!

If you like our theme song, go download the EP Lives by Slow Gherkin. They wrote the opening and closing songs for our podcast. You can get both tunes from their Lives EP. Also, check out Dan P and the Bricks two LPs. They provided the mid-roll ad transition music.

Support the In Defense host Aaron Carnes by purchasing a copy of his book, In Defense of Ska. The 2nd, expanded edition of In Defense of Ska will release in Oct 2024.

Co-host Adam Davis has a band called Omnigone. Their latest record, Against The Rest released on March 31, 2023.

The In Defense of Ska editor Chris Reeves runs a record label called Ska Punk International. They have new releases coming out all the time.

Support In Defense of Ska by checking out StubHub: https://stubhub.prf.hn/l/DLXVmMB
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In Defense of Ska Behind The Curtain: The Weirdest Ska Band Ever? with Chris Ruckus (Dissidente) and Duck (Joystick) TEASER Apr 22, 2022

Show notes

Before Chris Ruckus was in Dissidente...before Duck was in Joystick....they played in the weirdest ska band of all time: Cryptorchid Chipmunk. Listen to our conversation with them about this peculiar ska band, where the performance was just as unhinged as the music.

To listen to the complete episode, sign up for the In Defense of Ska Patreon

If you’d like to support us and listen to early access, ad-free episodes with bonus content, check out our Patreon!

Support the In Defense host Aaron Carnes by purchasing a copy of his book, In Defense of Ska. The 2nd, expanded edition of In Defense of Ska will release in Oct 2024.

Co-host Adam Davis has a band called Omnigone. Their latest record, Against The Rest released on March 31, 2023.

The In Defense of Ska editor Chris Reeves runs a record label called Ska Punk International. They have new releases coming out all the time.

Support In Defense of Ska by checking out StubHub: https://stubhub.prf.hn/l/DLXVmMB
Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

In Defense of Ska Ep 66: Ara Babajian (The Slackers, Leftover Crack, Agent 99, Star Fucking Hipsters, The World/Inferno Friendship Society) Apr 20, 2022

Show notes

When drummer Ara Babajian joined The Slackers in 2003, Vic Ruggiero and David Hillyard had to teach him how to correctly play a traditional ska beat, which they did by handing him key records to listen to, and by singing ska beats at him. Ara wasn't new to ska. He'd played in several bands like Agent 99 and Leftover Crack. But The Slackers approached ska with a greater emphasis on hitting that Jamaican groove just right, so he had to up his game. He may have come to the band with little experience playing trad ska, but he's since proven himself to be a top-tier ska drummer.

On today's episode we talk with Ara about his history in The Slackers, Agent 99, and Leftover Crack--the first time he left the group, he did so three songs into a show in Toronto in 2001, upset that Scott Sturgeon was on-stage making 9-11 jokes. We learn all sorts of interesting facts about Ara's life, like who played drums in Agent 99 before he joined the group (Hint: He played Jar Jar Binks in Star Wars).

He also tells us stories about Leftover Crack's late bassist Alec Baillie, the time Bomb the Music Industry opened for The Slackers in Chicago and were booed by the audience (Jeff Rosenstock, apparently, was delighted by the reaction), what it's been like for The Slackers in recent years to get coverage in Rolling Stone Magazine and Washington Post (An article by IDOS guest Jessica Lipsky). And we learn about his 1980s group Das Booty, whose demo recordings were mistaken for Red Hot Chili Peppers demos for the Uplift Mofo Party Plan record.

If you’d like to support us and listen to early access, ad-free episodes with bonus content, check out our Patreon!

Support the In Defense host Aaron Carnes by purchasing a copy of his book, In Defense of Ska. The 2nd, expanded edition of In Defense of Ska will release in Oct 2024.

Co-host Adam Davis has a band called Omnigone. Their latest record, Against The Rest released on March 31, 2023.

The In Defense of Ska editor Chris Reeves runs a record label called Ska Punk International. They have new releases coming out all the time.

Support In Defense of Ska by checking out StubHub: https://stubhub.prf.hn/l/DLXVmMB
Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

In Defense of Ska Ep 65: Margaret Cho (Drop Dead Diva, The Flight Attendant, Fire Island) Apr 13, 2022

Show notes

In the mid-90s, comedian Margaret Cho had a sitcom deal with ABC. She wanted to call it "The Margaret Cho Show" and to have Skankin' Pickle to write its theme song. But, the network wanted it to be called "All-American Girl," and they weren't keen on having a ska-punk band write its theme song. Skankin' Pickle singer/saxophonist Mike Park had already written the delightfully catchy song, "It's Margaret Cho." Since it wouldn't be playing on TV, he included it on Skankin' Pickle's third studio album, Sing Along With Skankin' Pickle.

Margaret was friends with Mike and other members of the band. She showed up at Pickle shows and danced on the side of the stage whenever she could. But her love for ska and punk goes back to the 80s. These shows were a big part of her development as a person. She saw several amazing bands like Operation Ivy and Fishbone, who she says are her all time favorite band. She even wore a Fishbone shirt for the interview!

On this episode, Margaret tells us about her friendship with the Skankin' Pickle. She also discusses the iconic bay area venues that meant a lot to her growing up, like Gilman, The Farm, and Mabuhay Gardens. She even tells us about the wildest show she ever attended. But it turns out, it was a comedy show where a comedian casually drink his own piss and told corny jokes.

If you’d like to support us and listen to early access, ad-free episodes with bonus content, check out our Patreon!

Support the In Defense host Aaron Carnes by purchasing a copy of his book, In Defense of Ska. The 2nd, expanded edition of In Defense of Ska will release in Oct 2024.

Co-host Adam Davis has a band called Omnigone. Their latest record, Against The Rest released on March 31, 2023.

The In Defense of Ska editor Chris Reeves runs a record label called Ska Punk International. They have new releases coming out all the time.

Support In Defense of Ska by checking out StubHub: https://stubhub.prf.hn/l/DLXVmMB
Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

In Defense of Ska Ep 64: Stefan Babcock (PUP, Stop Drop N Skank) Apr 06, 2022

Show notes

It would seem impossible for PUP to top their brilliant, cathartic 2019 record Morbid Stuff. But then, on April 1, they put out The Unraveling of PUPTHEBAND, such a fantastic record, even Rivers Cuomo tweeted about it. In celebration of this awesome band releasing an awesome record, we brought on PUP singer Stefan Babcock on the show. But of course, we had to talk about ska. And there was a lot of ground to cover.

For one thing, Stefan used to play in the ska band Stop Drop N Skank, who was quite popular in Toronto in the 2010s. We dig into Toronto's vibrant 2010s ska scene and Stefan's journey from a Streetlight Manifesto loving ska kid to a Thursday obsessive screamo fan.

We also talk about PUP's "Free At Last" contest, which involves friend of the show, Jeremy Hunter (Skatune Network). And we discuss Stefan and the other members of PUP contributing vocals to Jeff Rosenstock's amazing SKA DREAM album.

We cover a bit of non-ska-related PUP content, like the band's sublime gang vocals. Stefan breaks down for us how they get those vocals to sound so cool.

If you’d like to support us and listen to early access, ad-free episodes with bonus content, check out our Patreon!

Support the In Defense host Aaron Carnes by purchasing a copy of his book, In Defense of Ska. The 2nd, expanded edition of In Defense of Ska will release in Oct 2024.

Co-host Adam Davis has a band called Omnigone. Their latest record, Against The Rest released on March 31, 2023.

The In Defense of Ska editor Chris Reeves runs a record label called Ska Punk International. They have new releases coming out all the time.

Support In Defense of Ska by checking out StubHub: https://stubhub.prf.hn/l/DLXVmMB
Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

In Defense of Ska Ep 63: Kmoy / Tape Girl Mar 30, 2022

Show notes

Twenty-five years ago, I would have never guessed that the bedroom recording aesthetic would eventually overlap with the ska scene. But, in 2022, you have Kmoy and Tape Girl, who are referring to their music as "Laptop Ska," which it turns out, is a great descriptor. Their recordings carry the lo-fi, compressed quality of 4-track indie-rock artists, but it somehow blends with these grandiose concepts and overdubs galore.

Kmoy and Tape Girl are two separate projects. But they are best friends and play on each other's songs. And they are creating some of the most interesting, adventurous recordings in ska right now. Tape Girl's handful of EPs are unique and fantastic, while Kmoy's Precure LP is a Ska Opera of epic proportions. The thing that makes all of their recordings so interesting is that, unlike most ska artists, these are songs crafted on their computer with no consideration for how they will sound live, kind of like the early Bomb the Music Industry records.

In this episode, we get into the nitty-gritty of their production techniques. They are firm believers in adding tape hiss to the recordings. We also talk about friend-to-every-ska-band, Megawave, and all the various eclectic artists that influence Kmoy and Tape Girl: Car Seat Headrest, Fantasia, The Rocky Horror Picture Show, The Who, Dynastic, and of course Skatune Network.

If you’d like to support us and listen to early access, ad-free episodes with bonus content, check out our Patreon!

Support the In Defense host Aaron Carnes by purchasing a copy of his book, In Defense of Ska. The 2nd, expanded edition of In Defense of Ska will release in Oct 2024.

Co-host Adam Davis has a band called Omnigone. Their latest record, Against The Rest released on March 31, 2023.

The In Defense of Ska editor Chris Reeves runs a record label called Ska Punk International. They have new releases coming out all the time.

Support In Defense of Ska by checking out StubHub: https://stubhub.prf.hn/l/DLXVmMB
Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

In Defense of Ska Behind the Curtain: Are The Police Ska? A debate between Middagh Goodwin (This is Ska) and Sean Dolan (Blue Meanies) TEASER! Mar 25, 2022

Show notes

Are The Police Ska?

A heated debate between Middagh Goodwin (This is Ska) and Sean Dolan (The Blue Meanies)

To listen to the FULL episode, head over the the In Defense of Ska Patreon

If you’d like to support us and listen to early access, ad-free episodes with bonus content, check out our Patreon!

Support the In Defense host Aaron Carnes by purchasing a copy of his book, In Defense of Ska. The 2nd, expanded edition of In Defense of Ska will release in Oct 2024.

Co-host Adam Davis has a band called Omnigone. Their latest record, Against The Rest released on March 31, 2023.

The In Defense of Ska editor Chris Reeves runs a record label called Ska Punk International. They have new releases coming out all the time.

Support In Defense of Ska by checking out StubHub: https://stubhub.prf.hn/l/DLXVmMB
Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

In Defense of Ska Ep 62: Eichlers Mar 23, 2022

Show notes

One of the best things about ska is that it's such a flexible genre. You can mix it with soul music, black metal, or anything in-between. There have even been different artists that have mixed electronic music with ska over the years, but now Eichlers is taking the weirdo, Avante-Garde-meets-pop sensibilities of Hyperpop and using that as a foundation for what he's calling "Hyperska."

What does hyperska (or even Hyperpop for that matter) sound like? You're going to have to listen to our interview with the subgenre's innovator to find out. We talk to Russ Wood (aka Eichlers) about his influences, which includes 100 gecs, Joan of Arc, El Ten Eleven, Johnny Foreigner, The Matches, Slapstick, Spraynard, Vantana Row, and much more.

We also learn about his time in the San Jose punk scene (The same scene that Adam and Aaron used to be part of with their band Gnarboots). Russ also apologizes to Mike Park for being a picky eater while he was interning at Asian Man Records, and Adam spits a killer Boboso verse about toast.

Be sure to check out Eichlers new record on Bad Time Records. It features guest appearances by Skatune Network, Tape Girl, Boboso, and even our own beloved co-host, Adam Davis.

If you’d like to support us and listen to early access, ad-free episodes with bonus content, check out our Patreon!

Support the In Defense host Aaron Carnes by purchasing a copy of his book, In Defense of Ska. The 2nd, expanded edition of In Defense of Ska will release in Oct 2024.

Co-host Adam Davis has a band called Omnigone. Their latest record, Against The Rest released on March 31, 2023.

The In Defense of Ska editor Chris Reeves runs a record label called Ska Punk International. They have new releases coming out all the time.

Support In Defense of Ska by checking out StubHub: https://stubhub.prf.hn/l/DLXVmMB
Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

In Defense of Ska Ep 61: Derek Zanetti (Homeless Gospel Choir) Mar 16, 2022

Show notes

In 2005, Derek Zanetti had an epiphany. He was a weirdo. He already knew that, but he had a hard time accepting it was ok to be a weirdo. That is until a friend told him that he was "never going to be normal because you're a punk." A few years later, Derek would start The Homeless Gospel Choir, a solo folk-punk project that would later go full-on punk rock. And in 2017, he would release the song "Normal," which touched on this moment in his life.

Our guest today is Homeless Gospel Choir frontman, Derek Zanetti. He tells us all about his oppressive religious upbringing that would make him feel shame, and hide his tapes. Speaking of tapes, we sift through his favorite current ska tape collection, which includes Fishbone, The Aquabats, Mighty Mighty Bosstones, and Suicide Machines. And tells us about being pals with several ska musicians, like Mike Park, Dissidente, and members of Suicide Machines and Reel Big Fish.

We also talk about the Christian bands he still looks back at with fondness, like Five Iron Frenzy, The Dingees, MxPx, Pedro The Lion, and Danielson Famile. He tells us about what it was like to tour with Leftover Crack (Hint: It involves Scott Sturgeon getting beat up by cops on his 40th birthday). He also tells us about identifying with Peewee Herman as a kid and not being allowed to watch his show. And we discuss the greatest ska tape in his collection: Korn.

Oh, and he's hitting the road with My Chemical Romance later this year! Great job Derek!

If you’d like to support us and listen to early access, ad-free episodes with bonus content, check out our Patreon!

Support the In Defense host Aaron Carnes by purchasing a copy of his book, In Defense of Ska. The 2nd, expanded edition of In Defense of Ska will release in Oct 2024.

Co-host Adam Davis has a band called Omnigone. Their latest record, Against The Rest released on March 31, 2023.

The In Defense of Ska editor Chris Reeves runs a record label called Ska Punk International. They have new releases coming out all the time.

Support In Defense of Ska by checking out StubHub: https://stubhub.prf.hn/l/DLXVmMB
Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

In Defense of Ska Ep 60: Rory Phillips (The Impossibles, The Stereo) Mar 09, 2022

Show notes

In the 90s, there were hundreds of lesser-known ska bands that were amazing. Many of them were better than the bands getting radio and MTV play. On today's episode, we present one of them: The Impossibles from Austin, Texas. A band that seamlessly melded Op Ivy verses with Weezer choruses.

Our guest today is Impossibles vocalist/guitarist Rory Phillips. We dig deep into the group's short time in Austin, where Gals Panic were local legends, and DIY spaces like Eco Action Warehouse hosted punk shows. We talk about the group signing to Fueled By Ramen, touring with MU330, and having a cameo in a shelved Goldfinger video.

We also talk about Rory's recent collaborations with Barry Johnson of Joyce Manor and his post-Impossibles power-pop band The Stereo that he did with Jamie Woolford of Animal Chin. The Stereo was a group that influenced Dashboard Confessional, Fall Out Boy, Jeff Rosenstock, and New Found Glory, and whose album Three Hundred was named one of the most influential records of 1999 by Alt-Press. Yet, few people remember the band. Fortunately, Rory made a 5-part podcast telling the group's story. It's called "Kings of No Hope," and it's available to download right now.

If you’d like to support us and listen to early access, ad-free episodes with bonus content, check out our Patreon!

Support the In Defense host Aaron Carnes by purchasing a copy of his book, In Defense of Ska. The 2nd, expanded edition of In Defense of Ska will release in Oct 2024.

Co-host Adam Davis has a band called Omnigone. Their latest record, Against The Rest released on March 31, 2023.

The In Defense of Ska editor Chris Reeves runs a record label called Ska Punk International. They have new releases coming out all the time.

Support In Defense of Ska by checking out StubHub: https://stubhub.prf.hn/l/DLXVmMB
Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

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