Released: July 27, 2010 Label: MVD Visual Back in 1998, I was lucky enough to catch the Specials on the Warped Tour. Despite being only a subset of the band’s classic line-up, they were outstanding. Nonetheless, the constant parade of half-hearted reunions that permeate the rock scene today still kept my guard up for this release of the 2009 reunion… Read more »
Streetlight Manifesto brought their soulful ska to the Warped Tour’s Hurley.com stage in Columbia, MD on July 14, 2009. While it was one of the event’s smaller stages, they showed that they could have held their own against any band on the tour. Unlike many of today’s ska bands, these guys understand that the genre is ultimately soul music. Check… Read more »
There are only a few bands with a trombone player on the Warped Tour this year (unlike the ska heyday a few years back), but only one is from Japan! I got a chance to catch up with Leader of Oreskaband to find out how the tour is going, what’s up with their movie, Lock and Roll Forever, and what… Read more »
Reel Big Fish were right in the thick of that third wave of ska ten or so years back, but they’re one of the few bands to not only stick around, but to still be vital and their Warped Tour performance on Columbia, MD on July 16th was evidence of that. Singer Aaron Barrett gave me some feedback on why… Read more »
Reel Big Fish have been at it awhile, but they haven’t lost a step (or their sense of humor). Here they are at the Warped Tour, Merriweather Post Pavilion, Columbia, MD on 7/16/2008. See all of my coverage from the Warped Tour in Columbia, MD on July 16, 2008 here.
Label: 2 Tone/Chrysalis Released: November 1979 There have been three waves of ska. The first originated in Jamaica in the early to mid 60s as a predecessor to reggae. It was danceable, fun and full of energy, but generally poorly recorded, making it more difficult to take in large doses despite some great artists such as Prince Buster and Desmond… Read more »