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Ska Bands Emerge From the Background
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Green Bay Press-Gazette, Ska Bands Emerge From the Background >>
BY Jennifer Pfafflin
In the mid-'90s, the new wave of ska enjoyed mainstream popularity.
Top 40 bands like No Doubt, Reel Big Fish and Sublime pushed the genre's success, while smaller ska bands like the Mad Caddies and Mustard Plug enjoyed the trickle-down ecomonics of it all. But soon enough, bands with horn sections were nowhere to be found on MTV, and the rudeboy revival was quickly replaced by teen pop idols and garage bands.
Since then, it seems like ska has retreated back into the annals of pop music history, waiting for the moment when it has a chance to emerge with a new new wave.
Not so, Madison-based seven-piece ska ensemble I Voted for Kodos would say.
The band, which gives a nod to Matt Groening in its name (a reference to one of the tentacled aliens with a bad attitude on "The Simpsons"), is heading out to play some shows on the Warped Tour later this summer. The group also is celebrating the release of its latest album - an EP with a name you'll just have to find out yourself - with a couple of shows this weekend.
First up, it's the record release party on Friday night on the Memorial Union's Terrace stage, 700 Langdon Ave,. Madison. The following day, the band heads to Appleton for Lawrence University's annual one-day skanking festival, Skappleton 2003.
The Allstonians also are playing, but headlining are two granddaddy ska groups, The Skatalites and The Toasters, bands that helped usher the sound into rock-oriented groups of the '90s.
Hailing from Jamaica, the birthplace of ska music, The Skatalites defined the genre during the '60s to become a musical institution, eventually bringing the rock-steady sound across the waters to the United States and United Kingdom.
An underground phenomenon in the '80s, The Toasters laid the groundwork for the vital East Coast ska scene and also went on to start seminal ska label Moon Ska Records.
Skappleton runs from 11 a.m. to midnight Saturday at the Buchanan Kiewit Recreation Center at Lawrence University. Tickets are $10. For more information, call (920) 832-6749 or visit www.skappleton.com. 05/15/03
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