In Defense of Ska

Latest Episodes:

In Defense of Ska Ep 50: Pabst Blue Ribbon (Ska Beer?) Dec 29, 2021

Show notes

If you’ve found yourself on Twitter during the pandemic, you might have noticed Pabst Blue Ribbon tweeting about everything from pro-wrestling to milk to ska. And these ska tweets haven’t been generic mainstream 90s ska memes. No, Pabst has expressed their undying affection for Asian Man Records, MU330, and has even released several “Rat Jamz” mixes that include new ska bands like Catbite, Kill Lincoln, We Are The Union, Grey Matter, Bad Operation, and Omnigone.

But who is Pabst? We did some deep digging and found out that the Pabst social media manager is Corey Smale. And get this…Corey played in a Missouri ska band in the late 90s/early 2000s. Obviously, we needed to bring him on the podcast and tell us his entire ska story.

But first, the three of us determined which beverage is the most ska. Was it Pabst, Arizona, Surge, or Ska Brewing? Listen and find out! Plus Corey tells us that the Rat Jamz were curated by Get Tuff, who you might have seen do guest vocals on Skatune Network’s cover of Britney Spears “Toxic.” We also discuss Eve 6, Corey’s band opening for MU330, and we make a deal for Pabst to sponsor a Catbite cartoon! We even suggest the plot for episode 1 be a dramatic retelling of their heroic journey to rescue Mannequin Pussy’s stolen van. Hopefully Pabst makes this happen!

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
Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

In Defense of Ska Ep 49: Sonic Boom Six (Laila K., Barney Boom) Dec 22, 2021

Show notes

The UK had an exciting ska-punk revival in the late 90s/early 2000s that included bands like Capdown, Lightyear, King Prawn, and Spunge. One of the bands from this era, Grimace, broke up and reformed as Sonic Boom Six. They were so eclectic that their pool of influences included grime, hip-hop, dubstep and even just a dash of bhangra. But at their core, they played ska-punk. The group came into their own in the mid-2000s with their debut full-length, The Ruff Guide to Genre-Terrorism. And they had a brush with mainstream culture in 2012 with their song “Virus.”

This week, we bring on singer Laila K. and bassist/vocalist Barney Boom to talk about the group’s long and interesting career. But we also discuss how The Specials influenced non-ska bands like Blur, The Streets and The Prodigy, and talk about what it means for Sonic Boom Six to be punk rock and to create passionate political statements in their songs, and not give people love songs.

We also talk about Moon Ska Europe, which outlasted Moon Ska US (And even released records by some non-ska bands). The band tells us what it was like to work with Coolie Ranx, we get their take on the mozzarella stick/Andy Samberg ska meme culture that reduces the genre to an embarrassing joke. And we dig into what made this UK ska-punk scene unique and exciting.

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 48: Buck-O-Nine (Jon Pebsworth, Jonas Kleiner, and Tony Curry) Dec 15, 2021

Show notes

Buck-O-Nine’s breezy, feel-good ska-pop song “My Town” took off on radio in 1997, but its video didn’t make it into MTV’s heavy rotation. This was due to some delays in the production of the video, making it so that by the time Buck-O-Nine had the video ready, the moment had mostly passed. “My Town” is remembered from this period of mainstream ska in the sort of in-between zone, not quite The Bosstones’ “Impression That I Get” territory but definitely above indie ska band level.

Before, during, and after this brush with mainstream attention, the group was on the road a lot. True road dogs. In fact, several guests on this podcast (Suicide Machines, Link 80, Mustard Plug) mentioned touring with them at some point or another. So, understandably, a large percentage of this week’s episodes revolves around the glorious misery that is touring. We are joined by Buck-O-Nine’s Jon Pebsworth, Jonas Kleiner, and Tony Curry, who tells us about their mindblowing and hilarious experiences on the road.

There were some surprises in there too, like their time on the road opening for Primus, and then later touring with Smash Mouth. Neither of those tours went great. But they certainly led to some funny stories.

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 47: Mustard Plug (David Kirchgessner, Colin Clive) Dec 08, 2021

Show notes

This month, Grand Rapids’ Mustard Plug celebrates 30 years of playing ska-punk. Though they often get associated with the late ’90s “third-wave” ska-punk boom, there is so much more to the group. We aimed to explore this in our interview with lead singer Dave Kirchgessner and guitarist Colin Clive.

For starters, before ska was on the tongue of MTV VJs, Mustard Plug was blowing minds in their hometown with their blend of punk rock and ska. And to top that off, they brought a bunch of out-of-town ska bands like Skankin Pickle and Let’s Go Bowling to Grand Rapids before anyone in their midwest town had heard of them.

During the late 90s, Mustard Plug nearly scored a hit with their cover of The Verve Pipe’s “The Freshman,” but ended up staying in the indie category on Hopeless Records. During the 2000s, when ska was declared dead, Dave started the “Ska is Dead” tour, proving that ska was in fact not dead. The band even released one of their best albums during this era, the political In Black and White.

Even today, as a new crop of ska bands revive the genre, Mustard Plug has seamlessly blended into the scene. At this year’s Fest, they shared the stage with a whole bunch of Bad Time Records bands. New bands and Mustard Plug.

We discuss this important history and also touch on some other fun stuff like opening for Weird Al, getting in food fights with Green Day, and just how much mustard they poured on Craig DeYoung’s face for the Big Daddy Multitude album cover shoot.

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 46: Uncle Peckerhead (Matthew John Lawrence, Jeff Riddle) Dec 01, 2021

Show notes

It’s movie night here at “In Defense of Ska.” Grab some popcorn and go watch the 2020 horror-comedy film “Uncle Peckerhead.” Watch it before you listen to our latest episode because spoilers are discussed. “Uncle Peckerhead” is a great movie about fake DIY punk band DUH. Like “Green Room,” this punk-on-the-road film turns horror. But it’s quite different and involves a people-eating roadie. Fun!

You’ve probably heard us talk about this movie in prior episodes. When we chatted with Slapstick, we asked them if they were aware that this movie had an entire scene built around their song “There's a Metalhead in the Parking Lot.” (They were not). And after we interviewed Augusta Koch (Cayetana, Gladie), she told us that she did all the vocals for the female character in the band, which we mentioned in that episode’s intro. So it was inevitable that we would eventually do an entire episode on the film.

For this episode, we talk to Matthew John Lawrence (writer/director) and Jeff Riddle (Actor, songwriter, Five Hundred Bucks) and we dig in deep. We learn how their history as touring punk musicians informed the film. (Spoiler: Matthew played in a ska band at one point.) We discuss how the writing of the film and the music happened alongside one another. And we also discuss how difficult it was to clean up some of the gore scenes. It even soured a few familial relationships. Check it out and be on the lookout for a DUH album in the near future.

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 45: Jason Thinh (Short Round, Chinkees) Nov 24, 2021

Show notes

Asian Man Records has released some breakout records, like Pezcore (Less Than Jake), Goddamnit (Alkaline Trio), and People Who Eat People Are The Luckiest People in the World (AJJ). But the label has also released several great, lesser-known albums. For this episode, we will focus on Language by Short Round, which was released in 2002.

More specifically, we brought in Jason Thinh, leader of Shortround to discuss this great record. But we also discuss his time in The Chinkees—he was only 17 years old when he joined—and his later project Marathon States, which he recorded with Max Feshbach and Morgan Herrell of Hard Girls (And released on Phat ‘n’ Phunky Records)

We touch on a lot of other topics too, like Jason’s recent move to Japan, the face slapping game he used to play with Adam Davis, and the time he met Jay Navarro from The Suicide Machines and pretended to not speak English. He also tells us about this interesting time in his life when he used to ask strangers if they’d take photos with him, pretending to hold him like a baby. Surprisingly they usually said yes.

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 44: Jordan Morris (Jordan, Jesse, Go!, Bubble, Good Mythical Morning) Nov 17, 2021

Show notes

In Jordan Morris graphic novel Bubble, a character finds a flyer for the hip new DJ in town, a person that was in Mighty Mighty Bosstones for a short stint and won’t shut up about it. And yet, in the strange post-apocalyptic world of Bubble, this ex-Bosstones DJ dude is cooool. It’s a tiny detail that makes Morris’ book such a fun read. However, the primary story is quite unsettling. A monster-filled planet where humans live in culturally appropriate bubbles, and make ends meet by working relentless gig economy jobs. Terrifying!

Jordan, our guest today, is also a long-time ska fan. He grew up during the OC ska heyday and was deep in the scene. He saw all the big names, and he also went to Christian ska shows at churches. He was a part of all these different sides of this ska, and he lives to tell the tale.

We discuss his time in the scene, his graphic novel, and also his time co-hosting the podcast Jordan, Jesse, Go with Jesse Thorn, who, in the early days, frequently teased him about loving ska. Jordan also tells us about how recently, amidst the pandemic, his love for ska has been reawakened. There’s just something about the world being horrible and no longer caring anymore what anyone thinks, that brings you right back to ska.

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 43: Screaming Females (Marissa Paternoster, Jarret Dougherty) Nov 10, 2021

Show notes

If there’s anything we’ve learned this year, it’s that deep down, everyone loves ska. This week we provide yet another example of an unexpected band releasing a ska song: Screaming Females.

They will be releasing a cover of The Selecter’s “On My Radio” next month. The song is being released as part of the deluxe edition of the comic series What’s The Furthest Place From Here? which is written by punk lover Matthew Rosenberg, who has written many popular comic books (Spiderman, Wolverine, etc)

We got a sneak of Screaming Females’ “On My Radio” cover, and let me tell you, it is awesome. Good enough that it inspired us to bring them on the show to tell us about the tune and their relationship to ska. We also discuss the New Brunswick scene (Where Catch 22 are kings!), how guitarist Marissa Paternoster nearly played in The Slits, how drummer Jarret Dougherty’s bout of tendonitis led to an obsession with Our Band Could Be Your Life, The Minutemen, and DIY culture. And last and perhaps most importantly, we talk about Taylor Swift.

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 42: Jamie Woolford (Animal Chin, The Stereo) Nov 03, 2021

Show notes

In the first few months of this podcast, we used to joke that this was the “Animal Chin” podcast because, even though we’d never had anyone from Animal Chin on the show, we talked about them a lot. Well, guess what, now we have Animal Chin’s singer-songwriter Jamie Woolford on the show. So we finally get to ask him all of our burning Animal Chin questions. (Ie: this is kind of a long episode!)

Animal Chin was an interesting group. Arguably in the top five 90s ska-punk groups. They influenced Patrick Stump (Fall Out Boy), Jeff Rosenstock, and Barry Johnson (Joyce Manor). And yet, they were one of the lesser-known bands from the 90s ska era. We brought Jamie on the show to discuss, among other things, the classic Animal Chin record All The Kids Agree, which he told us he has a hard time listening to without cringing, even though it’s an AMAZING record, in our opinion, anyway.

We hope that our conversation helped him see the album’s inherent brilliance. We also discussed his non-ska band The Stereo (With The Impossibles’ Rory Phillips). We listen to his stories about Animal Chin taking needless risks changing drivers in the van and not stopping. And we hear about Jamie’s time in a few other bands at the time, most notably The Pacers.

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 41: Hepcat (Greg Lee, Greg Narvas) Oct 27, 2021

Show notes

LA ska band Hepcat once appeared on Late Night with Conan O’Brien. They were an early signing to Epitaph subsidiary Hellcat Records and were flown all over to open for a wide variety of bands. But they were—and the band admits this—never going to blow up. The group consisted of several LA ska scene kids from the 80s who loved original Jamaican ska. Not a commercially viable genre. And back then, you would have to search far and wide to find these old records.

This love they shared for the music united them and led to the formation of Hepcat. Their original plan was to replicate old ska music, but they realized that not only was that not possible, but mixing it with newer influences made it more interesting. And that they did, but rather than blend it with punk, they pulled from R&B, soul, Latin, and pop. And they produced some fantastic songs in the process!

On this episode, we spend some time with Hepcat’s singer Greg Lee and drummer Greg Narvas to learn about LA 80s’ ska scene, so that we can understand the culture that created Hepcat. We dive into both Gregs’ origin stories, learn how they discovered ska, and why they gravitated to the older stuff. We also talk about Hepcat too: from fights at shows to being scared out of their mind right before playing “Can’t Wait” on Conan O’Brien. And how through all the highs and lows of the “third wave” ska boom, the members of Hepcat just wanted to make the music they wanted to make.

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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