23min of Ska : the May Mix Tape : ’00s : Side B (part one)

Ska in the ’00s soldiered on as more and more fans left the sound for something new. Why is this? My best guess is that the pre-mid ’90s folks getting into ska were the kind of people seeking out new sounds in the underground. By 2002 most of those folks had moved on to find other new stuff to listen to as they were always just music seekers. What’s to bad is that many parts of the US didn’t have an established ska scene that dated back further than 1996, so there wasn’t much of a scene to stick with it after the local ska band broke up or moved to a bigger city. It was also around this time when the usual discussion about ska went from “Ska? What’s that?” to “Oh, ska? You still listen to that junk?” That last phrase is forever burnt in my mind after it was uttered to me by a girl in a comic shop in the Winter of 2003 as she was picking out a classic rock record to buy while wearing a Jethro Tull t-shirt, I knew this girl from punk, ska & power pop shows. Disheartening to hear, for sure. So, here’s to the bands that kept the fire going through the dark times! Here’s to the fans that found ska, liked and continued to support it! Here’s to all of us!

Skapone – Men’s Club (the Black & White Album ’08)
the Malcontents – the Greatest Contradiction (Never Enough ’03)
Pressure Cooker – Refugee (I Want to Tell You ‘ 01)
Masketesta – Tu Que Pediras (the Maskatonians All Stars & Friends ’07)
Reel Big Fish – a Little Doubt goes a Long Way (Cheer Up! ’02)
Out of Line – Salty Sister (Channel Surfing ’03)
New York Ska-Jazz Ensemble – Brain Freeze (Skaleidoscope ’05)

Find & like 23min of Ska on facebook. Also, feel free to download this episode. Ska is better on vinyl. Hit up Grandpa’s Casino Recordings, we don’t have any cassettes, but we have some great vinyl records!

23min of Ska : May Mix Tape : the ’00s : Side A (part two)

And here we are again, still stuck in ’00s, hearing the bright sparks of ska bands that refused to throw in the towel, just because mainstream taste-makers did. I won’t lie to you, during much of the early ’00s, I didn’t abandon ska music, but I got much more insular and into the bands in the Midwest at the time before moving out to LA half way through that decade and trying to catch up w/ the ska that was going on in the world at the time. I feel as if I am still playing catch up, but I loved my local ska bands so much I wanted to give them all the support I could, sorry world ska scene, I’m learning and making up for it now! And this concludes side A of the 90min ’00s mix tape.

Infamous Jake & the Pinstripe Mafia – Standing Proud (This is the Beginning of the End ’03)
the Hijacks – Victim! Ain’t No Alternative (Free Your Mind ’07)
7 Seconds of Love – Looking for My Leopard (Danger is Dangerous ’08)
the Pinstripes – Find It! (the Decay ’07)
Synthetic Elements – Take Me Home (Synthetic Elements ’05)
Westbound Train – Fatty Boom Boom! (Transitions ’06)
Sonic Boom Six – For 12 Weeks, the City is Theirs (Arcade Perfect ’07)

Find & like 23min of Ska on facebook. Also, feel free to download this episode. Ska is better on vinyl. Hit up Grandpa’s Casino Recordings, we don’t have any cassettes, but we have some great vinyl records!

23min of Ska : May Mix Tape : the ’00s : Side A (part one)

It’s May and that means another mix tape! Hurrah! Now, the ’00s were getting to be a dark time for ska music. Bands were breaking up, switching over to emo and rock and/or dropping their horn sections all together. It was sad. Luckily, two things were going on, some bands were sticking it out and other bands were forming to fill that void. Getting booked wasn’t easy, ska was on its way back underground, but you’d have to be really out of touch to miss these acts. This whole month is dedicated to those bands in the form of a 90min mix tape broken up over a month. Enjoy it, let it take you back, it did for me!

Big D & the Kids Table – Evil Girl / Angry Girl (the Gipsy Hill EP ’02)
Cornerstone 96-98 – Eggshells (Cornerstone 96-98 ’04)
Johnny Nine & the Racers – My Beat (Chin Up ’09)
the Homecoming Queens – Timmy Goes to Summer Camp (a Sound You Once Knew ’08)
the Amphetameanies – the Devil Lives Upstairs (Now! That’s What I Call… ’06)
Squid 58 – the Last Fag (Dismantled ’07)
Monkey – Voice of America (Cruel Tutelage ’06)

Find & like 23min of Ska on facebook. Also, feel free to download this episode. Ska is better on vinyl. Hit up Grandpa’s Casino Recordings, we don’t have any cassettes, but we have some great vinyl records!

23min of Ska : Long Live the Spring

Aw yeah, Spring time is fast approaching, and Spring time is the perfect time for some ska music! At least I always thought so. This if for you, you who enjoy Spring, drive w/ the windows open, take a hike, or lounge in your backyard to crank up some ska!

Additional note: Since the new year each band has only had one play on 23min of Ska. It was both harder and easier than I thought it would be. I really wanted to bring more variety to the show this year and I think I may be pulling that off! I think this little experiment was a success w/ exposing myself and all you listeners to a lot more great ska!

Less Than Jake – History of a Boring Town (Hello Rockview ’98)
the Vengers – Hard Man Fe’ Dead (Push This? ’95)
Save the Swim Team – Song on a Shitty Guitar (the Big Compromise ’13)
Skalie – Sexy Molly (For Sale ’07)
After Hours – Mad Hearted Woman (the Trouble with Those Guys is… ’00)
the Slackers – Wanted Dead or Alive (Metalliska ’00)
the Debonaires – Oil in My Lamp (Oil in My Lamp / Be Alright ’12)

Find & like 23min of Ska on facebook. Also, feel free to download this episode. Ska is better on vinyl. Hit up Grandpa’s Casino Recordings, we have what you need!

23min of Ska : It’s All You’ll Need

Yup, back, sorry about the week off last week, doing 23min of Ska, running Grandpa’s Casino Recordings, producing the Grandpa’s Casino Radio Show all caught up with me! Last time I said I needed to bring back the ska-punk, and I’ve continued on that front! Also, getting in some classic Metro Stylee as well as all manner of UK ska from Drewvis & By the Rivers. Once again I hope that you all find this episode in good health and good times, and if not, may they come to you soon.

the Taj Motel Trio – God Save the Scene (Part of the Problem ’07)
Metro Stylee – Evil Eyes (Metro Stylee ’98)
the JB Conspiracy – the Manhattan Project (This Machine ’07)
Drewvis – These 3 Words (Disposable Pleasures & Meaningful Pursuits ’11)
By the Rivers – Don’t Say You Love Me (Don’t Say You Love Me ’12)
the Pietasters – Late Night Call (All Day ’07)
Maddie Ruthless & the Secret Affair – Blood! Fire! (Hold the Phone ’10)
Yum!Yum!ORANGE – 葛飾ラプソディー -ヤムヤム (Orange Juice ’04)

Find & like 23min of Ska on facebook. Also, feel free to download this episode. Ska is better on vinyl. Hit up Grandpa’s Casino Recordings, we have what you need!

23min of Ska : Take All You Want

Oh my gosh, I’ve just noticed what I’ve been missing lately on this podcast! Ska-Punk! So you better believe that I weaved a some of that into this episode. Not that I dropped any more traditional stuff, it’s just all in a nicer, more balanced blend this time.

Bomb the Music Industry! – Hits Set (Find the Place / Hits Set ’11)
Fishbone – Ma & Pa (Truth & Soul ’88)
Ruder Than You – Give the People What They Need (Creation Sounds ’09)
doctormanette – Sap (the Same Thing Over & Over ’99)
the Dropsteppers - Suzy’s Got it Wrong (Get Up In It! ’11)
Manic Sewing Circle – Whaddya Say? (Summer Spins ’07)
Rotterdam Ska-Jazz Foundation – Backlash (Sunwalk ’05)
Steady Earnest – Roll On (Out of Line ’93)

Find & like 23min of Ska on facebook. Also, feel free to download this episode. Ska is better on vinyl. Hit up Grandpa’s Casino Recordings, we have what you need!

Streaming Problems

I don’t know what is going wrong right now w/ the streaming option.
I’m looking into it and it will hopefully be resolved soon.
Thank you for your patience.

UPDATE (A few hours later)
So some of you see streaming, some of you won’t, it depends on what browser you use. Chrome, Safari and IE should all work fine, Firefox and Opera seem to be the odd browsers out.

Not sure what to do about this other than ask you to use a different browser. I usually use Firefox, but since that won’t work I’d suggest Chrome, it’s my fall back. Maybe the next update to Firefox will have us back in business.

UPDATE (4/5/2013)
Looks like Firefox &/or WordPress got their act together and streaming is fully back! HURRAH!