Beat the Dealer : Rune’s 23 Minutess

It’s Thanksgiving in America, so, as the lazy American I am, I decided to take the day off and hand the reins of the podcast over to my Norwegian friend Rune. Actually, Rune bought this honor months ago when he ordered his set of records from the Big Ska Gamble (http://www.BigSkaGamble.com). Not only has he brought us some of his awesome local bands, but also comes up with some great obscure American bands as well! And in an effort to out class me to the end he sticks the landing w/ 2 great ska-jazz numbers. I seriously wish I had more to do w/ this episode than just edit it together, I’m more than proud to be sharing this with all of you listeners!

Skanksters – Seperation (Shaven, Not Stirred ’99)
Rastafarouts – ’96 Wednesdays (Bombaklad ’01)
the Berlin Project – Faded Memories (Culture Clash ’99)
Olafly – Samme Behov (Olafly ’11)
Fat Cactus – Hawaiian Shirt Song (Super Jock ’01)
New York Ska-Jazz Ensemble – Buttah (Instrumental) (Get This ’98)
St. Petersburg Ska-Jazz Review – Trip Back to Childhood (Live at the Red Club ’06)

If you’re in a ska band and would like to be interviewed or have a song featured, please email me at radjose[at]gmail[dot]com.

This episode and all episodes can always be found here. You can also subscribe to the podcast by going to your advanced tab on iTunes, then select “subscribe to podcast…” and entering this address: http://23minofska.podomatic.com/rss2.xml into the box that opens. Also if you’d like, find & like us on facebook. Also, feel free to download this episode.

Also, hit up the Big Ska Gamble! for 7 awesome ska 7″ records! Rune did, look where he is now! Making an episode of 23min of Ska and being SO AWESOME!

23min of Ska : Prepackaged Revolutionary Soundtrack

Coming at you with a new episode. I like these songs. I don’t have much to say other than how much I dig these songs! The first two bands (the Dropsteppers & the Pinstripes) are from the Midwest, where I once called home and they really bring the ska style back to its roots. Then we have the Backyard Superheroes w/ a song off of their yet to be released EP! The Snails have been putting out constantly great music for a while now and it is about time I have one of their songs on the podcast. Likewise, Small Town Get Up have been throwing it down for a time up in Canada and really need to be heard! Sonic Boom Six, if someone described their style and what they do with the ska beat I think I would say “pass!” and that would’ve been a mistake. So if you haven’t heard them I’m not going to try and prep you to them, just enjoy it. Finally we end w/ a classic track from the Insteps. So there you have it, a well rounded, new to older 3rd wave goodness w/ everything in between.

the Dropsteppers – Center City (Get Up In It! ’11)
the Pinstripes – Might be Her Fool (I ’12)
Backyard Superheroes – Show Me Your Moves (Falling with Style ’12)
the Snails – One Way Ticket (From Kingston to Memphis ’11)
Small Town Get Up – Vintage (Mayhem Circus ’11)
Sonic Boom Six – Sound of a Revolution (Arcade Perfect ’07)
the Insteps – the Sufferer (Eleven Steps to Power ’96)

If you’re in a ska band and would like to be interviewed or have a song featured, please email me at radjose[at]gmail[dot]com.

This episode and all episodes can always be found here. You can also subscribe to the podcast by going to your advanced tab on iTunes, then select “subscribe to podcast…” and entering this address: http://23minofska.podomatic.com/rss2.xml into the box that opens. Also if you’d like, find & like us on facebook. Also, feel free to download this episode.

Hey, be a pal, check out these ska records that I’m making over at the Big Ska Gamble!

Special : You Call It Vol. 2

So once again I went to the awesome listeners of the show (this time in /r/ska) and asked them what they’d like to hear. I looked at the suggestions, counted them, and considered some of their reasons and it has resulted in this brand new fancy episode. “Super Rad” and “a Better Place, a Better Time” were some of the most suggested songs, so they were picked as the opening and closing tracks. I’d never heard of los Capitanes before, and I’m so glad to have found them now! The other four songs are from bands that I like that, for some reason, I haven’t played as much as I should have! So I thank you listeners for righting that wrong! There was a lot of other great suggestions but a bunch of those bands I had just played in the last few episodes, and I like to keep a good variety going! Thanks again for the help, this was a blast to put together for all of you!

the Aquabats! – Super Rad (the Fury of the Aquabats! ’97)
los Capitanes – Feelin’ Seedy (No Fun Intended ’06)
Bomb the Music Industry! – 25 Hour Goddamn Telethon (Get Warmer ’07)
Mad Caddies – No Hope (Duck and Cover ’98)
Green Room Rockers – Northbound Train (Hoosier Homegrown ’07)
Mustard Plug – You (Evildoers Beware! ’97)
Streetlight Manifesto – a Better Place, a Better Time (Everything Goes Numb ’03)

Big thanks to : palmamod, Nilerocks77, chr1sp, CafeMephisto, SkankinPacman, 4AM_Mooney_SoHo, ikorolou, Vermidj, daniel7860, HymenShredder, Dollywoodhogan, HugeFedora, musicrages, itsSparkky & swinden who suggested songs I may or may not have used, but had great ideas and sparked some great discussion about ska!

If you’re in a ska band and would like to be interviewed or have a song featured, please email me at radjose[at]gmail[dot]com.

This episode and all episodes can always be found here. You can also subscribe to the podcast by going to your advanced tab on iTunes, then select “subscribe to podcast…” and entering this address: http://23minofska.podomatic.com/rss2.xml into the box that opens. Also if you’d like, find & like us on facebook. Also, feel free to download this episode.

Hey, be a pal, check out these ska records that I’m making over at the Big Ska Gamble!

Bonus : Five Coloured Rings

I don’t really get caught up in Olympic fever, sports aren’t really my thing. Saying that, I’ve always thought that the idea of the entire world converging in one spot was pretty damn cool. Even if it was sport related. So, in the spirit of gathering things from around the world, I have an awesome, highly international (because that’s the point) episode for you today. This podcast features bands from Greece, Australia, Korea, the USA, France, Japan, Sweden and Germany respectively. Enjoy it, I know I did discovering these bands and putting this together.

the Smoking Barrels – Modulation (Unfinished Business ’11)
the Resignators – Booze & Tattoos (See You in Hell ’10)
Witches – 떳다!!그녀!! (Ddota!! Kunyo!!) (Broomstick ’02)
the Mighty Mighty Bosstones – Cowboy Coffee (More Noise & Other Disturbances ’91)
65 Mines Street – Brand New Spring (65 Mines Street ’10)
Unscandal – 月の明かりにてらされて (Strike ’00)
Mobster – Colourblind (Rough & Ready ’10)
Wisecräcker – Porque te vas (the Pact ’10)

If you’re in a ska band and would like to be interviewed or have a song featured, please email me at radjose[at]gmail[dot]com.

This episode and all episodes can always be found here. You can also subscribe to the podcast by going to your advanced tab on iTunes, then select “subscribe to podcast…” and entering this address: http://23minofska.podomatic.com/rss2.xml into the box that opens. Also if you’d like, find & like us on facebook. Take this episode w/ you, download it!

Also, hit up www.BigSkaGamble.com for 7 awesome ska 7″ records!

23min of Ska : Liquor is Quicker

I’ve been paying attention my little listeners, you all seem to like ska from the 90’s, female vocals, ska-punk and music from the US, Canada and the UK. This I can do. So I’m working it in more as we go on. I still gotta play what I love and that is newer ska from everywhere and some traditional ska, so let’s get this in balance! We have some awesome UK ska here from Bombskare, a track from one of my favorite LA bands, the Bohunks (who always tear it up live) and a song from the Kim Basinger Band who I found out about on the r/ska forum on Reddit. Not a bad place to hang out and find new bands. From Spain w/ have some traditional sounds from the Hypocondriacs, some radness from Canada in the form of Class Action and then Run and Punch, who are not only a great band, but some of the nicest guys to be in contact with. We close it out w/ Goldfinger’s “Walking in the Dark” a song that was almost lost in time in the 90’s on a movie soundtrack that most people didn’t seem to pick up (seriously, I had a hard time tracking it down again). So as we head into the second half of 2012 “23min of Ska” has re-focused and is committed to bringing you the sounds that you want to hear mixed the ones that I want to play for you. Let’s keep kickin’ ass ’til December!

Bombskare – My Life in the Nineties (Fistful of Dynamite ’09)
the Bohunks – Dillinger (In the Waiting Room ’11)
the Kim Basinger Band – Meeting You Again (Between Sin & Sanity ’06)
Hypocondriacs – Cook ’em Up (60’s Rocksteady & Reggae ’10)
Class Action – City Streets (Class Action ’10)
Run and Punch – Dearly Departed (Dearly Departed ’12)
Goldfinger – Walking in the Dark (Dead Man on Campus soundtrack ’98)

If you’re in a ska band and would like to be interviewed or have a song featured, please email me at radjose[at]gmail[dot]com.

This episode and all episodes can always be found here. You can also subscribe to the podcast by going to your advanced tab on iTunes, then select “subscribe to podcast…” and entering this address: http://23minofska.podomatic.com/rss2.xml into the box that opens. Also if you’d like, find & like us on facebook. Feel the love and download this episode!

Also, hit up www.BigSkaGamble.com for some awesome ska 7″ records.

Special : Talk to My Wife

I thought it would be awesome to talk to my wife about what ska songs she likes and has memories from, as she is not really a ska fan. After living with me for about 6 years, she’s learned a lot. We used to do a weekly podcast together about reality shows called “I’m Not Here to Make Friends” that ran for over 3 years. I miss doing it, so I convinced Allison to through on her podcasting hat again and talk about ska. Near the end of the interview she ever turns the tables on me and starter to interview me! Oh, that wife!

Songs in this episode include:
the Toasters – Weekend in L.A. (Don’t Let the Bastards Grind You Down ’97)
Dan Potthast – I’ve Set Sail (Eyeballs ’99)
Reel Big Fish – Beer (Turn the Radio Off ’96)

All background music by the Caroloregians from their albums “Funkify Your Raggay” and “Fat is Back”.

This episode and all episodes can always be found here. You can also subscribe to the podcast by going to your advanced tab on iTunes, then select “subscribe to podcast…” and entering this address: http://23minofska.podomatic.com/rss2.xml into the box that opens. Also if you’d like, find & like us on facebook. Feel the love and download this episode!

Also, hit up for some awesome ska 7″ records. Help the two of us eat!

Bonus : Friends of Mine

A fifth Thursday this month? You know what that calls for, right? A rules breakin’ episode! How does this episode break all the rules? Well listen up, I’ll tell you, but I’m also going to tell you some totally non-mind blowing stuff about ska and friends. So, once you’ve been a ska fan for long enough you make friends. I know I have, some friends for LIFE! But also some friends in bands. I was in a band (lots of horns, no ska beat, not very good) that played along side ska and power pop bands regularly, so you know “inside the scene” friends. Friends that when you’d see each other outside a local show at a Denny’s or the local record shop or book store you’d stop and talk and hang out. You’d end up at the same parties and you were always glad to see them. You’d pay to go see them play if you weren’t on the bill that night, but they’d get you in free anyway. Those kinds of friends. They might not help you move, but they’ll always recognize you when they see you and will spend a few hours over drinks before either one of you moves far away from your hometown. Heck, they may even attend your wedding. There are bigger bands that have had, at one time or another, someone I know in them. There are also other bands that I got to know, who are totally cool, but we’re more like acquaintances. Also, recently I’ve started making friends in bands again, but I’ve yet to meet some of these wonderful folks in person. So here it is, some true blue friends in legitimate ska bands! And even though I didn’t move from Peoria, IL until I got out to Los Angeles, I did spend a lot of time in Madison, WI and Indianapolis, IN to get to know those guys. So, how am I breaking the rules? Some of these bands share members (sometimes the very guy in the band I knew) and that’s something I try not to do in a series of episodes let alone one. I do it for variety of music’s sake. But eff it! I just had my birthday and I wanted to listen to my friends’ bands and share them with you!

the Small Mediums at Large – Ha Ha Ha (the Small Mediums at Large ’99)
I Voted for Kodos – I Just Want You to Know (Close Enough for Ska ’00)
No Reason Given – Babylon America (New Demo ’02)
Corey Dixon & the Zvooks – Jack Ruby (Come and Go ’01)
the Malcontents – Get Out (the Malcontents ’04)
Roscoe P. Soultrane – New Day (Ska Spelled Backwards ’97)
the MIBs – Just for Kicks (the MIBs ’96)

If you’re in a ska band and would like to be interviewed or have a song featured, please email me at radjose[at]gmail[dot]com.

This episode and all episodes can always be found at here. You can also subscribe to the podcast by going to your advanced tab on iTunes, then select “subscribe to podcast…” and entering this address: http://23minofska.podomatic.com/rss2.xml into the box that opens. Also if you’d like, find & like us on facebook. Don’t forget to download this episode to share with your friends.

Also, hit up www.BigSkaGamble.com for 7 awesome ska 7″ records!

23min of Ska : May Mix Tape : Side B (part two)

Here we are, at the end of our journey through out the 90s ska that made a huge impression on me as a young man. These songs are so classic! “Direction” is the first song off the first ska album I ever bought! You just can’t beat the Toasters! Potshot seemed to be all over the place back then, but I don’t remember many people talking about them. Mealticket and Inspecter 7 never really seemed to get the respect they deserved back then. I’m happy to see most people remember them quite fondly. The Slackers, one of the greats, not much more could be said about them. My Superhero are the nicest guys to eat at a Chicago Cracker Barrel with and talk about music. Let’s Go Bowling was always one of my favorites and one of the few I never got to see live. And who didn’t belt out “Teen Idol” out with their friends while driving around town from a local show the Denny’s/Perkin’s/Steak n’ Shake? I know who did though, me, Timmy Dee and Joshy Tea, you couldn’t stop us! There it is, this virtual 90min 90s ska tape is up!

the Toasters – Direction (Dub 56 ’94)
Potshot – Someone to Lean On (Pots and Shots ’97)
Mealticket – Lisa Marie (Lisa Marie ’97)
Inspecter 7 – Cookin’ (the Infamous ’97)
the Slackers – Have the Time (the Question ’98)
My Superhero – Going Somewhere (Solid State 14 ’97)
Let’s Go Bowling – Sick Fish (Music to Bowl By ’91)
Pharmaceutical Bandits – Teen Idol (Those Damn Bandits ’97)

This is the final part of a 90min ska mix tape from the nineties that ran each Thursday throughout May.

If you’re in a ska band and would like to be interviewed or have a song featured, please email me at radjose[at]gmail[dot]com.

This episode and all episodes can always be found at here. You can also subscribe to the podcast by going to your advanced tab on iTunes, then select “subscribe to podcast…” and entering this address: http://23minofska.podomatic.com/rss2.xml into the box that opens. Also if you’d like, find & like us on facebook. Don’t forget to download this episode and lose yourself in the past for an hour an a half, then get back to the future.

23min of Ska : May Mix Tape : Side B (part one)

Back with more straight outta the 90s! If you don’t know some of these bands, well, I feel sorry for you, because these are bands that would TEAR DOWN THE HOUSE LIVE! Ok, I haven’t seen all of these bands live, but the ones I have, I can vouch for. Secret Society rocked the back room of the Peoria Pizza Works, Stretch Armstrong stole the show from Mustard Plug and Hepcat, doctormanette snapped me out a mid show stupor in at a Rockford skate park and then made the entire crowd at the Metro in Chicago forget that they were there to see the Aquabats, and seeing Unsteady at the Knitting Factory is flat out one of my personal life high-lights. The Scofflaws are a true classic in the ska scene, so check them out right away. Also hit up Punch the Clown who was always a ska compilation ringer, and when you get an album of theirs and hear how great all the songs are it is even more clear how great they were. Speaking of ska compilations, Insatiable and this song was the shining star on the “Ska: the 3rd Wave Vol. II” that just about everyone I knew had a copy of growing up. It was a decent comp, but that song was just killer! It’s a excellent way to get us to the midway point of side B.

Secret Society – Did it Again (Can I Borrow Your Beard? ’97)
Stretch Armstrong – Drool (Lollygag ’94)
Punch the Clown – Leaving (the Secret Life of Punch the Clown ’98)
the Scofflaws – Nude Beach (Ska in Hi-Fi ’95)
doctormanette – Happiness (the Same Thing Over & Over ’99)
Unsteady – Bad Attitude (Tightrope ’96)
Insatiable – GPC’s (Can’t Get Enough ’94)

This is part three of a 90min ska mix tape from the nineties running each Thursday throughout May.

If you’re in a ska band and would like to be interviewed or have a song featured, please email me at radjose[at]gmail[dot]com.

This episode and all episodes can always be found at here. You can also subscribe to the podcast by going to your advanced tab on iTunes, then select “subscribe to podcast…” and entering this address: http://23minofska.podomatic.com/rss2.xml into the box that opens. Also if you’d like, find & like us on facebook. Don’t forget to download this episode and dub it onto a blank tape and pretend it is like the olden days.

23min of Ska : May Mix Tape : Side A (part one)

Getting older makes on nostalgic for their youth and instead of just wallowing in it, I’m taking you on that journey. Throughout May I’ll be providing you with a 90min mix tape divided into 4 parts each Thursday. That’s not all, this mix tape will be set in the 90’s, when mix tapes were still king. The average year will more than likely be 1996 or 1997 when we come to the end of it. This is filled with music that evokes those years more than any other and are all mix tape “classic” tracks tracks for me. I hope you enjoy this month’s ride down memory lane for me. This is the stuff that got me into ska as a kid, it is my roots, and I don’t care that they are showing.

Goldfinger – King for a Day (Goldfinger ’96)
Less Than Jake – How’s My Driving, Doug Hastings? (Losing Streak ’96)
MU330 – Hoosier Love (Press ’94)
Reel Big Fish – S.R. (Everything Sucks ’94)
Mad Caddies – Mike Booted Our First Song, So We Recorded This… (Short Music for Short People comp ’99)
the Siren Six! – No Compromise (the Voice with the Built in Promise ’97)
Big D & the Kids Table – 51 Gardner (Good Luck ’99)
Skankin’ Pickle – I Missed the Bus (Skankin’ Pickle Fever ’92)
the Mighty Mighty Bosstones – Someday I Suppose (Don’t Know How to Party ’93)

This is part one of a 90min ska mix tape from the nineties running each Thursday throughout May.

If you’re in a ska band and would like to be interviewed or have a song featured, please email me at radjose[at]gmail[dot]com.

This episode and all episodes can always be found here. You can also subscribe to the podcast by going to your advanced tab on iTunes, then select “subscribe to podcast…” and entering this address: http://23minofska.podomatic.com/rss2.xml into the box that opens. Also if you’d like, find & like us on facebook. Go ahead and download this episode and throw down with the Big Ska Gamble.