Radio Show : a Celebration of Buck-O-Nine

A celebration of the music of Buck-O-Nine I did for ThirdWaveSka.com Radio. Includes well known and a bit of more rare music from Buck-O-Nine, included a rare cover of Gregory Isaacs’ “Night Nurse.” All this, as well as stories from fans of the band!

Show support for the band by clicking on the link and checking out their website 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.

23min of Ska : Just Talkin’ ’bout My Demographic

In the late ’90s, into the twenty-first century, the idols & press darlings were the faceless DJs, pop stars, girl & boy bands. It’s not to say that I’m not a techno/disco/pop lover (I mean, come on, I keep it (barely) undercover) but mostly I wanted some personality and that’s what the ska and ska/punk scene gave me in my music. But, what was popular loomed large and to become party to that constituted a huge infraction to your street cred and cost you major punk rock points, that would be selling out. Not to say that some bands of the ska/punk variety never enjoyed some mainstream success, but it didn’t last long before they were cast down like Icarus on their wings of checkered wax, to once again hang out with the rest of us. Thankfully, no not too many noses were turned up about that fact from either side of the stage. So here’s to selling out, why it is no good, what to do about it, and why it never really mattered in the first place!

Johnny Socko – Next Big Thing (Full Trucker Effect ’97)
Five Iron Frenzy – Handbook for the Sellout (Our Newest Album Ever! ’97)
King Kong Girio – One Song (Now That I’m Gone ’13)
Less Than Jake – Johnny Quest Thinks We’re Sellouts (Losing Streak ’96)
MU330 – Sellout Police (Best of MU330 ’98)
the Holophonics – All I Wanna do (is Sell Out) (Third Wave Undead ’13)
Reel Big Fish – Sell Out (Turn the Radio Off! ’96)

“How to Sell Out” audio from HowCast.com

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 a Summer sale going on and 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 : an Early Delivery

BAM! When you least expect it, here’s a full on music episode! Time to get down and dance! A lot of newer stuff going down here too! We open up w/ the Shifters, who if you haven’t heard of by now, now you know, and now that you’ve heard them, you love them. It’s cool, it happens to everyone! Love of the Shifters is inevitable. This episode also as Survay Says bringing some awesome ska-punk from their new single and the Suburban Legends hitting us up w/ some pop-ska from their latest album. The Upsessions and the Rotterdam Ska-Jazz Foundation bringing us all some great music from Netherlands and a brand new song from the Loose Ties and their upcoming album. This episode closes out w/ a song from the One Droppers who sadly broke up late last week. You were a great band, the One Droppers, you’ll be missed! Thanks for all the music!

the Shifters – You Say (In It! ’12)
Survay Says! – Gas Money Millionaires (Dear JCP&L, I’m Tired of This Nonsense ’12)
the Upsessions – Hold Me Belinda (Beat You Reggae ’09)
Suburban Legends – Emergency (Day Job ’12)
Rotterdam Ska-Jazz Foundation – No More Sorrow (Motiv Loco ’07)
the Loose Ties – Where’s the Girl? (Champ of the Week ’12)
the One Droppers – the UpBeat (the Big One ’11)

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.

Don’t forget to enjoy the fruits of my labor and get some awesome ska vinyl by hitting up the Big Ska Gamble.

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

Even more mid to late 90s ska excitement. Still in mix cassette form. As near as I can get in this digital age at least. This is the second half of the first side and maybe some of the names aren’t as big as were on the last one, but they run just a deep in my musical life as any of the rest. Heck, four of these bands I’ve seen live a hand full of times and they always brought the fun. Back when there was a ska show, just about every other week (where I grew up at least) bands that brought the house down live were what you wanted to go see, no questions asked, that’s what it was all about. A band just needed to get that crowd dancing, with punky excitement or steady grooves, it mattered not. If there were more people on the dance floor than standing with their arms crossed around the edges, if there were more soak through suits, dresses and t-shirts than there was dry, if there was hardly any barrier between the band and the crowd, well, you went and bought their tape or CD, you kicked in a few extra for some after show beers and you made sure to see them the next time they were near.

Johnny Socko – Vinnie’s Hooch (Oh, I do Hope it is Roast Beef! ’95)
the Articles – Mr. Pink (Flip F’real ’97)
the Insteps – Don’t Ask (Eleven Steps to Power ’96)
the NY Citizens – Boxer Shorts (the Rude Awakening 2 comp ’90)
the Aquabats! – Marshmallow Man (the Return of the Aquabats! ’96)
the Robustos – Don’t Stay Away (Introducing… ’97)
Save Ferris – Sorry My Friend (Introducing… ’96)

This is part two 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. Don’t forget to download this episode and blast it out of your ’89 Chevy Eurosport while on your way to a show across the state line.

the Big Ska Gamble Video

the Big Ska Gamble – a 7″ vinyl record subscription club

Head directly to the Kickstarter page!

Do you remember the joy of finding new bands? The thrill of listening to a new record? The excitement of getting a package in the mail? I sure do and nothing else ever did come close to those feelings again. In trying to spread that wonderment I’m starting a 7″ subscription club focusing on bringing you the best in current ska music.

To that end, I took my time and found 6 bands to work with from across the United States. These bands and their records will comprise a record subscription club named the Big Ska Gamble. The subscription club will send out 2 7″ records starting in July and continuing every other month after that.

The participating acts are:
the Action League – ska/punk from San Luis Obispo, CA
Do It With Malice – ska/metal/hardcore punk from Buffalo, NY
the Georgetown Orbits – ska, reggae and dub from Seattle, WA
Lockstep – reggae punk from Indianapolis, IN
the Shifters – rocksteady from Washington D.C.
Stop the Presses – ska/surf/punk from Miami, FL

When I say these bands are participating, I mean just that, they are doing this. It isn’t some wish list. These artists have been hitting the studio over the last few months and have been laying down music. Right at this moment I have a lot of the songs from these bands with the rest coming in soon. We just need to get the money so that we can turn that cash into wonderful records for you to enjoy at home! Already having access to the music means one big thing: NO DELAYS! The bands and I have been working diligently to make sure every record will ship on time, provided we make our goal.

Once these records are sold, they are gone. Only a limited number of these are ever going to be pressed. You wouldn’t want to miss your chance on this opportunity would you?

So, there’s my pitch. The music is done. It wants to be heard. We’re all ready to go. The question is, are you ready to throw your money on the table and let it ride? Are you ready to take part in the Big Ska Gamble?

23min of Ska : It’s Complicated

This episode’s theme is songs that have only appeared on compilations. Say you’re a big fan of a band and have all of their albums, you still may have never heard these songs! That’s a shame, because there are some classic tracks on here! Seriously, I believe this is the only song from the Silencers that had ever been released. If I’m wrong, tell me, I really would like to know! Also, I think I may’ve stretched it with the final song but it is classified as a “video compilation” so I’d say I’m in the clear!

MU330 – Please Don’t Run (Ska is Dead ’07)
the Toasters – the Stage (Ska Island ’97)
Johnny Socko – Art Show (A Polka) (Misfits of Ska ’94)
Red Soul Community – Anymore (the Soul of Pum Pum Hotel Vol. 1 ’11)
the Silencers – Policeman (Give ‘Em the Boot ’97)
Blind Spot – As Far as Thieves Go (This is Raj and This is Ska ’95)
Greenhouse – 822 Anywhere (Smash Your Radio! ’98)
the Mighty Mighty Bosstones – Common Decency (Video Stew ’97)

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. Or just click here and totally just download this episode. Also if you’d like, find & like us on facebook.

Why I Like Ska (Day Five of Five: Finding New Bands, Constantly and Being Amazed at Their Twist on the Classic Ska Beat They Come Up With)

This one is pretty long and pretty self explanatory but I’ll try to write something more about it anyway. Ska has been around for so long that things could stagnate, but each new band brings their own musical ideas to add to the classic ska beat. I, for one, can’t believe that even after several years of me personally listening to ska that I still find it as fresh as I do. I’ve admitted before that after I moved from the Midwest to L.A. in ’06 that I fell out of the ska scene for a few years, in fact I’d even say starting in about ’02 I really was only paying attention to just Midwest ska and missed a lot of what was going on with the national and especially international ska scene. Ska has this wonderful ability to sound new even when dealing with a sound that is several decades old. I feel like I’m just repeating myself here… hmmm… I think we now know why I’m a podcaster and not a blogger about ska. I can’t write for anything, but I think I got across the point in the last week, and that is explaining some of the many reasons why I like ska.

23min of Ska : Plastic Grass

Just in time for your Easter celebrations, it’s 23min of Ska! We’ve got in all this episode! Midwest ska/punk, classic first wave ska, ska from Japan, rocksteady from the Netherlands and more! 9 whole songs to sink your ears into! Sink your ears into? What I’m saying is that it’ll be a good time ok? This is just the thing to listen to after a long day of eating jelly beans and chocolate bunny ears!

By popular demand I’m now listing the tracks on this page. They’ve always been in the podcast’s description, but this makes it even easier for you find the bands you want to know more about!

the Malcontents – Trapped on the Right Track (Never Enough ’03)
Isaac Green & the Skalars – Phat Steaks (Skoolin’ with the Skalars ’96)
Unscandal – Peace (Forca! ’08)
Highball Holiday – Orange Stars (Highball Holiday ’97)
Stranger Cole – Rough & Tough (Rough & Tough ’63)
Stuck Lucky – Dance of a Thousand Switchblades (Possom Soul ’09)
OreSkaBand – Cooler Society (オレスカバンド ’07)
the Upsessions – Why You Done Me Wrong (the New Heavyweight Champion ’07)
Red Soul Community – Lost in the Ocean (Pump Reggae ’08)

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 that’s always a highly encouraged option! Or hey, download it and take it on the go to grandma’s house.