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Third Wave Ska: What, Why, When, and How
By Brendan Bergen
Roots
A new form of music emerged in Jamaica during the early 1960s; a fusion of the Mento, R
& B, Jazz, and boogie-woogie sounds popular in the dance halls of the time. The
accents were on the offbeats (2nd and 4th), the same as American Blues and Swing music,
and horns were used as the lead instruments. One of the leading bands who pioneered this
music was
The
Skatalites. This was the "first wave" the music that would become to be
known as Ska, a form of music which begot both reggae and Rocksteady.
The latter came about during 1964 (Willis) or 1967 (Moreu), when dancing became too
difficult because of the particularly hot summer. The music was slowed down enough that it
became a new form, with less horns and more emphasis on the bass rhythm. Reggae also came
from Ska, with a group called The Wailers, later to be called Bob Marley and the Wailers,
initially envisioning themselves as "rude boys" during the early 1960s
(Willis).
The term "Rude boy" originates from the 1940s, and between 1964 and 1967 it
was the name that was given to the angry ghetto youths of Jamaica. The rude boys, also
known as rudies, didn't share the optimistic view of the earlier ska audience, and the way
they danced the ska was more menacing. The music itself changed to suit the new audience,
with the lyrics reflecting the "outlaw" attitude of the new fans, more tension
in the bass rhythm, and less of a "free walking" style (Willis). After the
advent of Rocksteady and later the adoption of Reggae by the Rastafarians, ska slowly lost
its place at the forefront of Jamaican music, until it was "rediscovered" in the
U.K. during the late 1970s.
2-Tone Era
This second wave of ska came to be known as the two tone movement, after the most
influential ska record label of the time, 2-tone Records. 2-tone was started by Jerry
Dammers, a member of perhaps the most influential band of the time,
The
Specials. The ska music of this time was characterized as having an overall tighter
sound while still maintaining the offbeats and horns that characterized "First
Wave" Ska. The horn line was also less important, with fewer horns. The music at this
time was associated with racial equality, with black and white people playing together in
times when the tightening of emigration laws were creating racial tensions all over the
U.K. Bands like the
Clash
blended some ska and reggae rhythms with their punk sound, and other Ska bands like The
English Beat,
Madness,
and The Selector, reached the top ten in Britain.
By 1980 Ska was at the height of it's popularity in England, and some of the bands
were, in fact, overwhelmed by their popularity (Isler). Some bands left the 2-tone label,
and many members of The Specials left the band. The 2-tone movement lost steam over the
next few years, and 2-tone records was out of business by 1984. The second wave of ska was
over, but across the Atlantic ska was just beginning to take root.
Third Wave
In 1983, a band formed under the name Not Bob Marley in the Lower East Side of New York
City (Moreau). The group eventually changed their name to
The Toasters, and first
received popularity in 1984 with the release of a demo that would later be re-released in
1985. This paved the way for a ska scene to develop in New York City, and The Toasters
even established their own record label, Moon Ska, in the tradition of 2-tone records.
Meanwhile in Boston, Bim Skala Bim was established during the summer of 1983. (Moreau) All
over, the country ska bands emerged seeming out of nowhere. At this time bands started
playing "ska-core" music, which was essentially ska fused with the harder sound
of punk, funk, or even hardcore. The amount of horns in this "hybrid" ska, often
was reduced to just one or two wind instruments, and sometimes to none at all. Bands that
fused Ska and other sounds like the
Mighty
Mighty Bosstones and Fishbone emerged during the mid-1980s, and Fishbone's smash hit
"Party
at ground zero" opened the public's eyes and ears to the Ska sound.
The "rude boys" of Jamaica and the punk movement in the U.K., and here in the
States, had many of the same ideals, and it is not surprising that the movements have
moved closer together in the late eighties and nineties. "Skapunk" or "Ska
influenced punk" is one of the most popular sounds in both the nineties ska and punk
scenes, with the beats of ska and the power of punk adding impetus to both movements. The
sound of such bands as
Skankin' Pickle,
Less Than Jake,
Slapstick, and
Operation Ivy has come
to typify the new breed of ska.
Operation Ivy is perhaps the most influential of the ska influenced punk bands, being
extraordinarily popular with both the punk and ska scene even though they broke up in
1989. Credited as the first band to craft the "Skapunk" sound, their lyrics
carried and anti-authority, pro-unity message that spoke to both "rude boys" and
punks alike. The lead guitarist of "Operation Ivy" later went on to form the ska
influenced band
Rancid,
a band which is at the forefront of today's punk scene.
In the past few years, Ska is America has become bigger than ever, with growth in both
fan base and the number of bands. Some of the more popular bands from the scene have even
been signed to bigger labels and have had their videos shown on MTV. By the early to
mid-nineties, bands had fused every kind of music with the Ska beat, so much so that some
fans were beginning to be turned off. Bands like
Hepcat emerged
which had the sound of traditional Ska to appeal to the fans that didn't like the punk,
hardcore, pop, or funk ska blends that were popular within the scene. These fans of the
old school ska are also sometimes called "rude boys" or "rude girls,"
and some even occasionally dress in 40's style suits when they attend concerts or if they
are in a band.
The nineties resurgence of ska can also be tied to the Neo-Swing movement currently
sweeping the nation. Some of the most popular Neo-swing bands, like
Big Bad Voodoo Daddy
and
The Royal
Crown Revue, have been closely tied to the 90s ska movement. Swing favorites
The
Cherry Poppin' Daddies even have many third wave type ska tunes under their belt.
Neo-Swing, skapunk, ska influenced pop, and old school ska have been rising up the charts
in the past few years, with bands like Reel Big Fish and "the Mighty
Mighty Bosstones" receiving actual air time, pop bands like
No Doubt using Ska beats, and ska
music appearing in television ads, movies, and other media. The Warped tour, essentially
the punk and ska Lollapalooza, turned out to be one of the most popular summer concert
tours in the past few years, but ska is still not "the next big thing."
The popularity of the ska of the nineties mirrors closely the punk movement of the
seventies. Sometimes angry, sometimes fun, the ska beat and message strikes a chord with
certain people, and although the fan base is growing,
The
Pietasters will never sell as many tickets as N'Sync or Janet Jackson, because it is
rebellious music, music mostly for the young. From its "rude boy" roots to the
"skapunk" of today, a lot of ska is about being different. About being,
literally, offbeat. This may hold it back from mega popularity, but in a way, that's the
way the fans want it.
Moreau, Jason. History of Ska web page. 12 Feb. 1999
<http://www.wpi.edu/~jaymo/ska/main.html>
Willis, Tomas. The Ska FAQ. 12 Feb. 1999 <http://www.twillis.com/ska/faq/>
Isler, Scott. The 2-tone story- A checkered past. 12 Feb. 1999
<http://www.ecsel.psu.edu/~wsiddall/good_ska/2tone.html>
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