`THIS IS SUNSHINE MUSIC' : A FAN SUMS UP YOUTHS' LOVE OF SKA MUSIC.Byline: Fred Shuster Daily News Music Writer If you're a teen-ager, chances are you love ska - or at least know what it means. Nearly 20 years after England's 2-Tone movement spawned bands like the Specials, Madness and the English Beat, the infectious upbeat Jamaican-born music called ska has been embraced by teens across in this country who are starting their own groups and flocking to all-ages shows. In the San Fernando Valley San Fernando Valley Valley, southern California, U.S. Northwest of central Los Angeles, the valley is bounded by the San Gabriel, Santa Susana, and Santa Monica mountains and the Simi Hills. , a handful of ska groups have popped up, including the Hippos HIPPOS Health Information Packet Posted On Seat , Meal Ticket and Cousin Oliver. Los Angeles' Latin-flavored Yeska have opened shows for Tito Puente and Willie Colon and are poised for success. And the music has surfaced on the charts, where Orange County's power-pop flavored No Doubt scored a national hit with the new wave-meets-ska tune, ``Just a Girl,'' and Los Angeles' ska-punk fusioneers Goldfinger are following close behind. The hyperactive Mighty Mighty Bosstones gained widespread exposure when they opened the Lollapalooza lol·la·pa·loo·za also lal·la·pa·loo·za n. Slang Something outstanding of its kind. [Origin unknown.] tour last year. It's a development that surprises even Neville Staples, one of the founders of the Specials, who are currently on tour in the States and noticing a youthful new audience for whom Nirvana's 1992 ``Smells Like Teen Spirit'' breakthrough is nothing more than a moldy moldy animal feed overgrown with fungus; the feed may be harvested and stored or be still in the ground. moldy corn disease see leukoencephalomalacia, fusariummoniliforme. oldie old·ie n. Something old, especially a song that was once popular. oldie Noun Informal an old song, film, or person Noun 1. . ``It's been around forever, but it's finally happening,'' ska promoter and producer Darrell Rubio said. ``It's flourishing.'' Ariel Rechtshaid of Van Nuys, who leads the Hippos, an eight-member outfit ranging in age from 17 to 20, says much of what is considered alternative music is stagnant, ``and ska is more fun to play, anyway. We don't want to be depressed and sad at our shows.'' Ska was the name given to the extremely danceable precursor of reggae first popularized by the Skatalites, a brilliant all-instrumental Jamaican outfit that merged r&b, Afro-Cuban and rock-steady rasta rhythms in the early '60s. Singer and band leader Desmond Dekker, whose hits include ``The Israelites'' and ``007 (Shanty Town),'' was another major player in the formation of the sound. The new music took off in the dance halls of Jamaica and Britain. The ska bands had similar lineups to r&b bands - bass, drums, guitar, horns - but the musicians generally came from jazz backgrounds and could solo and improvise. In 1964, singer Millie Small scored an international hit with the ska-fueled single ``My Boy Lollipop.'' Cut to the late '70s, when the interracial in·ter·ra·cial adj. Relating to, involving, or representing different races: interracial fellowship; an interracial neighborhood. 2-Tone bands added punk rock to the mix and came up with a high-energy form of ska that led to such radio and club hits as the English Beat's ``Mirror in the Bathroom,'' the Specials' ``A Message to You, Rudy'' and Madness' ``Madness.'' Today, ska has merged with thrash, power pop, new wave, punk and Latin styles to create a range of hybrids, each with its own rabid following. One of the most imaginative and popular local ska-oriented bands is Yeska, a nine-member instrumental group with members from East Los Angeles East Los Angeles, uninc. city (1990 pop. 126,379), Los Angeles co., S Calif., a residential suburb of Los Angeles, in an industrial area. It has a large Mexican-American population. There is a performing arts center and a cultural center. A junior college is there. and Montebello who emphasize Afro-Cuban percussion and jazz influences in their take on the Skatalites' formula. ``When we play the all-ages ska shows, we get mostly high school kids and college-age people,'' said 20-year-old David Urquidi, Yeska's alto saxophonist. ``But we also play the 21-and-over clubs to the adult crowd. We actually cater to many audiences. Since we're mainly an instrumental band and we have so many different influences, it's easy for us to cross all the various scenes out there. And we try and do that as much as possible.'' Yeska appears tonight at the Alligator alligator, large aquatic reptile of the genus Alligator, in the same order as the crocodile. There are two species—a large type found in the S United States and a small type found in E China. Alligators differ from crocodiles in several ways. Lounge in Santa Monica. Ska fans point to the energy and good-natured attitude of the bands they dance to at hangouts like the Cobalt Cafe in Woodland Hills, Backside Records in Burbank, and the Alligator Lounge in Santa Monica. ``I like all the ska bands, the traditional ones to the new punk-ska scene,'' said Chris Chin, 17, of Encino, a Chaminade High School
Chaminade High School is a Roman Catholic high school for young men in Mineola, New York. In 1930, Alexander Ott, S.M. student. ``The rock music today is not really heading anywhere. I think ska is going to be the new music kids will be listening to. You can't really identify music as a category, but ska is really getting big.'' As the Specials cross the country, singer Staples is consistently taken aback by the enthusiasm of fans who sometimes weren't even born when the band launched the 2-Tone craze 20 years ago. The band appears tonight at the Palace in Hollywood in support of a new album, ``Today's Specials'' (Virgin). ``I love going on stage and playing for kids who like and want the music,'' he said. ``If they're inspired by what we're doing, fine. I love it even more. And if they want to put their own spin on it, great. We're so glad we've generated this interest and inspired others.'' Some observers say the ska breakthrough happened gradually during the past two years as teen-popular bands such as No Doubt, the Bosstones and Rancid ran·cid adj. Having the disagreeable odor or taste of decomposing oils or fats. rancid having a musty, rank taste or smell; applied to fats that have undergone decomposition, with the liberation of fatty acids. brought ska-happy songs to crowds from coast to coast. ``It's always been around, but it never got to the major labels until recently,'' said Dan Suicide of Detroit's Suicide Machines, who appear July 12 with the Vandals at the Palace. ``There's no real straight ska bands on the majors, but the ska-punk thing has really blown up. The reason is, it's got energy and guts.'' The 26-year-old leader of the ska-punk Machines, who are signed to Hollywood Records, believes ska is more fun than grunge grunge - /gruhnj/ 1. That which is grungy, or that which makes it so. 2. [Cambridge] Code which is inaccessible due to changes in other parts of the program. The preferred term in North America is dead code. and other types of alternative rock. ``People want to have fun when they go to a show,'' he said. ``I mean, we have a message as well as goofy lyrics. And the positive message we're trying to convey to the public is just as important to me as the music. But a lot of bands who get the big opportunities don't have a message to put across.'' In Detroit, he said, there's been a healthy ska scene for the past six years. Goldfinger, whose high-energy brand of ska-thrash mayhem boasts a distinct lack of any socially significant message, has ridden the craze right into the Billboard 200, where the quartet's self-titled album has remained for two months thanks to the radio-friendly single, ``Here in Your Bedroom.'' ``The ska thing is huge now,'' said John Feldmann, the band's singer and guitarist. ``And the amazing thing is, it's mostly kids around 13 to 17 years old.'' To Hippos percussionist Brandon Bairian, it's no mystery. ``Ska is really bright and happy,'' the 19-year-old musician said. ``This is sunshine music. It's not dark and gothic. The message is keep your head up.'' Ska promoter Rubio, whose Stiff Dog Records will next month release a second ska compilation, ``Punk Goes Ska,'' which will feature a Hippos song, is sure ska is a movement for a new generation of kids. ``It's the happier rhythm that the kids like,'' he said. ``And the lyrics are written by the kids for the kids, so the fans can totally relate. Kids have always liked something they can relate to.'' Bands burgeon bur·geon also bour·geon intr.v. bur·geoned, bur·geon·ing, bur·geons 1. a. To put forth new buds, leaves, or greenery; sprout. b. To begin to grow or blossom. 2. in Southland The ska movement in Southern California is huge. Here are some of the best-known bands and their hometowns. The Hippos, Meal Ticket, Cousin Oliver (Van Nuys). Goldfinger, Yeska (Los Angeles). Pocket Lent, Out of Order, Melting Pot (Long Beach). No Doubt, Reel Big Fish Reel Big Fish is an American ska punk band, best known for the 1997 hit "Sell Out." The band gained mainstream recognition in the mid-to-late 1990s, during the third wave of ska. Since the band's founding in 1992 and their demo In the Good Old Days... , Save Ferris, My Superhero su·per·he·ro n. pl. su·per·he·roes A figure, especially in a comic strip or cartoon, endowed with superhuman powers and usually portrayed as fighting evil or crime. , Let's Go Bowling Let's Go Bowling is a Third Wave Ska band hailing from the Greater San Joaquin Valley. Since the band's inception in 1986, the band's traditional ska style, barbershop harmonies, wisely crafted instrumentals, and its frantic live performances, helped set the standard for dress and (Orange County). Skeletones, See Spot (Riverside). Allentons (Montebello). hopSKAtch (Upland). Buck O' Nine, G-Spot (San Diego). SOURCE: - Fred Shuster THE FACTS Who: Yeska, with Filibuster filibuster, term used to designate obstructionist tactics in legislative assemblies. It has particular reference to the U.S. Senate, where the tradition of unlimited debate is very strong. It was not until 1917 that the Senate provided for cloture (i.e. and the Readymen. Where: Alligator Lounge, 3321 W. Pico Blvd., Santa Monica. Show is for all ages. When: 8 tonight. Tickets: $10. Information: (310) 449-1844. Who: The Specials, with Buck O' Nine. Where: Palace, 1735 N. Vine St., Hollywood. Show is for all ages. When: 7:30 tonight. Tickets: $20. Information: (213) 480-3232. What: Warped Tour '96, with Goldfinger, Fishbone, Pennywise, NOFX NOFX Negative FX (band) NOFX No Effects NOFX No Freaking Straight Edge (polite form) , Dick Dale, Rocket From the Crypt Rocket From the Crypt was an American rock band led by John Reis, formed in 1990 in San Diego, California and disbanded in 2005. Of Reis' many musical endeavors, Rocket From the Crypt were the most successful and most internationally recognized. , plus others. Where: Olympic Velodrome ve·lo·drome n. A sports arena with a banked oval track for bicycle and motorcycle racing. [French vélodrome, blend of vélocipède, velocipede; see velocipede, and , California State University, Dominguez Hills California State University, Dominguez Hills (CSUDH) is a campus of the California State University system. It is located in the Los Angeles suburb of Carson, California. . Show is for all ages. When: Noon Saturday. Tickets: Sold out, try brokers. Information: (213) 480-3232. CAPTION(S): 4 Photos, Box Photo: (1--Cover--Color) SKA's the limit 20 years a fter England's 2-Tone invasion, teens across the country embrace the lively dance music of Jamaica Jamaica is the birthplace of many popular musical genres, the most well known of which is reggae but also including raggamuffin, ska and dub music. Jamaica's music culture is a fusion of elements from the United States of America with its R&B, rock and roll, soul, Africa and neighbouring . The Hippos, a Van Nuys ska band David Sprague/Daily News (2) L.A.'s ska-punk band Goldfinger takes to the Olympic Velodrome stage Saturday for the sold-out Warped Tour '96 show. (3) English ska pioneers the Specials are back together and performing tonight at the Palace in Hollywood. (4) The eight-member San Fernando Valley-based Hippos rev up an enthusiastic crowd at Backside Records in Burbank. Gene Blevins/Special to the Daily News Box: Bands burgeon in Southland (See Text) |
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