23min of Ska : Mix Tape : the ’10s Side B (part 2)

…And we’re at the finale! Woo hoo! You’ve lived through the 2010s via ska music, once again! We’re closing it out with another load of fantastic tracks! Most of these are songs I was surprised to find that I hadn’t played earlier for all y’all!

So, let’s get real… I’ve done these “mix tapes” for the 1960s – 2010s now, I’ve done 18 sets of 23 episodes for a total of 414 episodes, and there’s a handful of episodes over at GeekNerdery that I’ve done (but I repeat songs on that one… so… it’s not “cannon?”) and I’ve tried various interview shows over the years (the most recent being “the Ska After Party” and if you’re up for it, I’m still doing that with co-host Matt Vest on “On the Upbeat”), so it begs the question… where do I go from here with 23min of Ska? Is there still gas left in the tank? I sure hope so! I have some ideas, hopefully you’ll come along with me, but do me a favor, tell your ska loving friends about this show… Lately I’ve been seeing a lot of folks saying “Hey check out this band, I just discovered them!” and I’m all “WHAT! I’ve been playing them for years, because that BAND IS AWESOME!” I just want to spread all the ska love, help me out here, eh? Thanks, and I’ll see you all next week!

00:00 – Deal’s Gone Bad – Tell Me what You Know (About Love) (Heartbreaks and Shadows ’14)
03:41 – SKA Petarda – Al Capone (Niewypał ’16)
07:12 – Run and Punch – It’s Not You (No Loose Ends ’13)
09:14 – the Smoking Barrels – in “for” (Unfinished Business ’11)
11:40 – the Shifters – I’m in Love (Limited Edition Tour EP ’13)
14:26 – the Loose Ties – Your Last Chance (Champ of the Week ’12)
16:18 – Soweto – Don in the Arena (Turn on the Music Again ’17)
19:18 – Rudebeard – Au Revoir (Smell Yer Ska ’19)

Show support for the bands by clicking on those links and checking out their websites and music! Show support for the podcast by liking & following the podcast on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and at 23ska.com. Also, feel free to subscribe and listen to the podcast on iTunes, Google Play, and Stitcher.

And hey, click here to download this episode if you wanna keep it forever.

23min of Ska is produced weekly by RJ Phoenix
Want to submit your band? Email: submissions@23ska.com
Have something else to say? Email: podcast@23ska.com

Another way to support this podcast is to listen to and support our sister podcast On the Upbeat or to buy some records from our partners in crime over at Grandpa’s Casino Recordings, they carry some great vinyl ska records!

23min of Ska Convoy : Nobody Knows Me in this Big Windy Town

With all of the craziness surrounding the global COVID-19 pandemic, I’ve found myself listening to a lot more ska. It’s hard to put my finger on why, but I’d liken it to my favorite type of comfort food: not only is it good for the soul but it provides a bit of certainty in these uncertain times. To that end, I picked out a few upbeat tunes that I’m hoping will help provide at least a small distraction. Stay safe out there, and keep washing your hands!

00:00 – the KING LION – Skatman (Blank ’19)
03:06 – the Kubricks – Criminals (Criminals ’20)
05:51 – Roland Alphonso w/ the Skatalites feat. Don Drummond – Nimble Foot (Nimble Foot / Love is Stronger ’65)
08:53 – the Radiation Kings – Murder (Early Years ’99)
13:19 – Deal’s Gone Bad – Be Mine Tonight (Guide to Boat Drinks & Cruise Cocktails ’02)
17:19 – North East Ska Jazz Orchestra – Hard Man fe Dead (Stompin’ & Rollin’ ’15)
20:55 – the Operators – 6 Month Blues (Ain’t it Obvious / 6 Month Blues ’19)

RJ sez: Jim is one half of the very excellent Windy City Sound System, which you should totally have checked out by now! Building on Jim’s picks, I added the new single from the Kubricks and the closing track from the Operators. I had the pleasure of meeting Jim and his WCSS co-star at the Jump Up Records 25th Anniversary show a few years back, and I couldn’t be happier then, and I couldn’t be happier now that they’re still in the game creating their show! Give it up for the Windy City Sound System!

Show support for the bands by clicking on those links and checking out their websites and music! Show support for the podcast by donating on Patreon or by finding & liking 23min of Ska on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Also, feel free to subscribe and listen to the podcast on iTunes, Google Play, and Stitcher.

Also, feel free to download this episode if you wanna keep it forever.

Want to submit your band? Email: submissions@23ska.com
Have something else to say? Email: podcast@23ska.com

Another way to support this podcast is to listen to and support our sister podcast the Ska After Party or to buy some records from our partners in crime over at Grandpa’s Casino Recordings, they carry some great vinyl ska records!

23min of Ska : the Jump Up Special Issue!

Welcome back to an all-new session of 23min of Ska! Here’s the first of several episodes this set featuring ska record labels! In doing this I knew, as a midwest native, I had to start out with Jump Up Records! I’ve been running into Jump Up head honcho Chuck for the better part of 20 years. He always has a smile and is happy to talk some ska. Here’s a pretty small sampling of what Jump Up has gotten out over the last several years, there’s so much other great stuff that I couldn’t fit in this episode, but I think it’s a pretty good representation of what I dig about Chuck and Jump Up records!

00:00 – Weaker Youth Ensemble – American Style (American Ska-thic comp ’94)
03:00 – Greenhouse – Too Late (Tomorrow the World ’98)
07:20 – Pressure Cooker – Walking in the Light (Burning Fence ’03)
09:19 – Deal’s Gone Bad – City City (the Ramblers ’07)
13:06 – the Crombies – Blood and Fire (Blood and Fire ’11)
16:57 – the Meow Meows – England is Over (Somehow We Met ’13)
19:56 – the Prizefighters – Fire Walk (Fire Walk ’19)

Visit Jump Up Records to find more great records! www.jumpuprecords.com

Show support for the bands by clicking on those links and checking out their websites and music! Show support for the podcast by donating on Patreon or by finding & liking 23min of Ska on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Also, feel free to subscribe and listen to the podcast on iTunes, Google Play, and Stitcher.

Also, feel free to download this episode if you wanna keep it forever.

What to submit your band? Email: submissions@23ska.com
Have something else to say? Email: podcast@23ska.com

Another way to support this podcast is to listen to and support our sister podcast the Ska After Party or to buy some records from our partners in crime over at Grandpa’s Casino Recordings, they carry some great vinyl ska records!

23min of Ska : Swirl

So here we go again! Oh yeah, it’s a covers episode. No, no, no, don’t let that scare you off! It’s ska covering ska! I mean that’s pretty neat, right? There was a ton of stuff out there for this episode, but I’ve played those songs before. Not going to lie, I thought it was going to be a challenge to find 23mins worth of songs that fit that theme that I hadn’t played before… I was wrong! This came together quite easily! Hell yeah! Good ska all the way around! Enjoy!

00:00 – the Specials – Pressure Drop (Today’s Specials ’96)
04:04 – Madness – Shame and Scandal (the Dangermen Sessions ’05)
06:56 – Reel Big Fish – Twist & Crawl (Fame, Fortune and Fornication ’09)
09:27 – Bim Skala Bim – Night Boat to Cario (Specialized 3 : Mad Not Cancer ’16)
13:28 – Skankin’ Pickle – Special Brew (the Green Album ’96)
16:38 – Scotch Bonnets – Are You Red…Y (Recutting the Crap ’17)
19:36 – Deal’s Gone Bad – Antennas (Hooligans United ’15)

Show support for the bands by clicking on those links and checking out their websites and music! Show support for the podcast by finding & liking 23min of Ska on facebook as well as follow on twitter. Also, feel free to subscribe to the podcast on iTunes.

Also, feel free to download this episode if you wanna keep it forever.

Another way to support the podcast is to buy some records from our partners in crime over at Grandpa’s Casino Recordings, they carry some great vinyl ska records!

23min of Ska : the Finger Man

I’m gonna come clean on this one… it’s late, I’m tired, and I love this episode. OK, maybe it is sleep deprivation, but damn these are some fine fine ska tunes! I feel like I have so much more to say but, for real, sleep beckons. Luckily, I have this pick me up waiting for me, and all the rest of you rad listeners, to help get me started in the morning!

00:00 – Viernes 13 – Working Man’s Chant (Thirteen Rules ’15)
03:09 – Goldfinger – 20-Cent Goodbye (Hang-Ups ’97)
05:04 – Popes of Chillitown – 14 Time (To the Moon ’15)
08:35 – Deal’s Gone Bad – Tell Yuh (Heartbreaks and Shadows ’14)
11:35 – the Delirians – Mr. M.D. (L.A. Collective & Friends comp ’13)
15:22 – Ellwood – the Deal (Lost in Transition ’11)
19:16 – the Pinstripes – Come on In (Midwest Soundclash ’09)

Show support for the bands by clicking on those links and checking out their websites and music! Show support for the podcast by finding & liking 23min of Ska on facebook as well as follow on twitter. Also, feel free to subscribe to the podcast on iTunes.

Also, feel free to download this episode if you wanna keep it forever.

Another way to support the podcast is to buy some records from our partners in crime over at Grandpa’s Casino Recordings, they carry some great vinyl ska records!

23min of Ska : Days of Future Past

Uh hey, here’s a new episode of 23min to Ska, hope you don’t hate it. Sorry, it’s been a bit busy as of late, so I don’t have too terribly much to say other than this: Check out all these bands, they are all awesome! Also, read more comic books, they kick tin. Hope you enjoy, ya’ll are the best listeners of all time!

00:00 – New Riot – Days Like These (Riot.Sleep.Repeat ’11)
03:26 – IV4K – Sidelines (Start Your Own Scene ’14)
04:25 – Deal’s Gone Bad – Take Time (the Ramblers ’07)
09:03 – the Dropsteppers – Foolish Pride (Get Up in it! ’11)
12:54 – the Toasters – Spooky Graveyard (D.L.T.B.G.Y.D. ’97)
16:44 – We are the Union – We Don’t Care if Yesterday Burns, Stoke Up the Fire (Great Leaps Forward ’10)
19:50 – Save the Swim Team – a New Plan (Best of Vol. 3 ’13)

Show support for the bands by clicking on those links and checking out their websites and music! Show support for the podcast by finding & liking 23min of Ska on facebook as well as follow on twitter.

Also, feel free to download this episode if you wanna keep it forever.

Another way to support the podcast is to buy some records from our partners in crime over at Grandpa’s Casino Recordings, they carry some great vinyl ska records!

23min of Ska : the Level of Your Consciousness

There is so much going on day to day to be conscious of everything that is going on. There is so much more awareness that each of us need just to get by, or at least get by being fully informed that is. This is something we can all strive for, and achieve, but we always must be aware of the pitfalls of thinking we’ve got how the world works all figured out. We don’t, we never will, we need to find our place in it and remember why we are where we are at, and if that needs to change, we change it. We can do this, make the planet better, but we always need to be meta-conscious of ourselves.

Oh, and hey, this first track is by the very excellent the Duppies and they’re trying to raise some cash for their new album. This is the title track, if you dig it, there’s more of it to come! Toss down for some great music: http://kck.st/1NfUHaM

00:00 – the Duppies – Broken Organ (Broken Organ ’15)
03:26 – the Shifters – Waiting for a Sign (In It! ’12)
06:32 – Mr. T-Bone & the Young Lions – You Don’t Know (Nothing to Lose ’11)
09:09 – the Delegators – Be Good to Me (All Aboard ’13)
11:26 – Abraskadabra – You Want (Fun as in Fungus ’14)
14:13 – Deal’s Gone Bad – All Right (Heartbreaks and Shadows ’14)
16:51 – the Forthrights – Trust Me (the Forthrights ’12)
18:58 – the Bandulus – Over the Edge (the Times We Had ’12)

Show support for the band by clicking on those links and checking out their websites and music! Show support for the podcast by finding & liking 23min of Ska on facebook as well as follow on twitter. Also, feel free to download this episode if you wanna keep it forever. Another way to support the podcast is to buy some records from our partners in crime over at Grandpa’s Casino Recordings, they carry some great vinyl ska records!

23min of Ska : Perfectly Unpowered

The original idea for this episode was for each song to be from a solo act. From there I said “No! It should be all acoustic!” Now, to be fair, I didn’t make sure that they are all exactly acoustic songs, but they mostly are, so, you know, here’s a (mostly?) acoustic set of ska songs for you all to unplug and unwind to.

00:00 – Chris Murray – Rock Steady (4-Track Adventures ’96)
02:52 – Deal’s Gone Bad – Run From Me (Sweet Serenade ’09)
07:31 – Dan Potthast – 8 Eyes (Eyeballs ’99)
09:41 – Half Past Two – Heather (Heather ’14)
11:20 – Drewvis – Short Measures (Disposable Pleasures & Meaningful Pursuits ’11)
13:57 – Matt Wixson – Oh Starcia (Head Above Water ’11)
16:50 – Beng Beng Cocktail – Dying in Honor (Choices ’12)
20:05 – Reel Big Fish – Scott’s a Dork (Skacoustic ’10)

Show support for the band by clicking on those links and checking out their websites and music! Show support for the podcast by finding & liking 23min of Ska on facebook as well as follow on twitter. Also, feel free to download this episode if you wanna keep it forever. Another way to support the podcast is to buy some records from our partners in crime over at Grandpa’s Casino Recordings, they carry some great vinyl ska records!

23min of Ska : the Temple of Artemis at Ephesus

First, check that Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra track! This is kinda the American debut of that song, for reals! The only way to have heard it already is to have been a filthy bootleggin’ pirate! (Or live in Japan I guess.) Second, that intro track by the Zvooks, all intros on any podcast should be that good! The Zvooks used to play a bunch around my area, loved those guys, that song was a set staple, hearing it always brings me back to dancing in an American Legion Hall or the back room of a pizza joint. That’s the thing about ska, it’s always out there, somewhere, lurking, ready to show you a good time and get you to move your feet! All the other songs are flippin’ great as well, but I had to call attention to those two! Enjoy!

00:00 – Corey Dixon and the Zvooks – Got All My Life (Calm Down ’01)
02:47 – Deal’s Gone Bad – Good Old Days (the Ramblers ’07)
06:41 – Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra feat. Asian Kung-Fu Generation – Wake Up (Ska Me Forever ’15)
11:17 – Punch the Clown – $10 Cigar (the Secret Life of Punch the Clown ’98)
13:57 – Call Me Malcolm – Tally Man (Check Sells ’11)
16:42 – One Groovy Coconut – Millennium Falcon (More Like This Than That ’89)
19:17 – the Longshots – Why You Fightin’ Rudy (Borrowed Time ’14)

Show support for the band by clicking on those links and checking out their websites and music! Show support for the podcast by finding & liking 23min of Ska on facebook as well as follow on twitter. Also, feel free to download this episode if you wanna keep it forever. Another way to support the podcast is to buy some records from our partners in crime over at Grandpa’s Casino Recordings, they carry some great vinyl ska records!

23min of Ska : Envy

Ok, I’ll admit, I tried my hardest to keep these episodes on theme for each of the seven deadly sins, but, man, Envy was way to hard. Maybe a few songs fit, but really not that much. I at least tried to use song titles that seem like they should be about envy, even when they’re not really in the end. There were some other good songs, but I’d already used them in previous episodes, I’m envious of those episodes for using those songs for no reason when they could’ve been saved for this podcast, if I had this idea earlier!

the Snails – Good’s Not Good Enough (Good’s Not Good Enough ’14)
Deal’s Gone Bad – Just Won’t Do (Heartbreaks & Shadows ’14)
Reel Big Fish – Everything Sucks (Turn the Radio Off ’96)
Chris Murray – Better to Know (Yard Sale ’09)
the Pandemics – Living in Your Shadow (Brain on Tap ’12)
the 27 Red – Better watch (Make Your Game ’03)
Isaac Green & the Skalars – Don’t Count (Skoolin’ with the Skalars ’96)

Show support for the podcast by finding & liking 23min of Ska on facebook as well as follow on twitter. Also, feel free to download this episode if you wanna keep it forever. Another way to support the podcast is to buy some records from our partner in crime over at Grandpa’s Casino Recordings, they have some great vinyl ska records!