| Ska punk | |
|---|---|
| Stylistic origins | |
| Cultural origins | Late 1970s, United Kingdom |
| Fusion genres | |
| |
Ska punk (also spelledska-punk) is a fusion genre that mixesska music andpunk rock music. Ska punk tends to featurebrass instruments, especiallyhorns such as trumpets, trombones and woodwind instruments like saxophones, making the genre distinct from other forms of punk rock. It is closely tied tothird wave ska which reached its zenith in the mid-1990s.
Before ska punk began, many ska bands and punk rock bands performed on the same bills. Some music groups from the late 1970s and early 1980s, such asthe Clash, the Deadbeats,the Specials,the Beat, andMadness fused characteristics of punk rock and ska, but many of these were punk bands playing an occasional ska-flavored song or ska bands with punk influences. During the late 1980s and early 1990s, ska-punk enjoyed its greatest success, heralded by bands such asFishbone,the Mighty Mighty Bosstones,Sublime,Less Than Jake, and more.
Ska punk had significant mainstream success in the middle-to-late 1990s, with many bands topping pop and rock music charts. The best-selling ska punk record of the era wasNo Doubt'sTragic Kingdom, which was certified diamond by theRIAA in 1999 and was certified diamond byMusic Canada in 1997. By the early 2000s, many of the bands in ska punk had broken up, and the genre lost mainstream appeal, though it continued to haveunderground popularity and featured a revival in the late 2010s with bands likethe Interrupters returning to chart success, when their song "She's Kerosene" reached the top 5 onalternative and rock music charts in Canada and the US, as well as in the early 2020s withhyperpop duo100 gecs album10,000 gecs incorporating elements of ska punk to critical acclaim.[1][2]
Ska punk combinesska music withpunk rock music.[3] Ska punk often features wind instruments, especiallyhorns[4] such as saxophones, trombones[5] and trumpets, making the genre distinct from other forms of punk rock. It is similar to traditional Jamaican ska, but faster and heavier.[4]
Before ska punk started, many ska bands and punk rock bands performed on the same bills together and appealed to the same audiences.[6] Aska revival occurred simultaneously around the beginning of British punk rock and the near-simultaneous rebirth of the late 1970s Britishmod andskinhead movements.[7] During the late 1970s and early 1980s in United Kingdom, many punk rock bands mixed punk rock with ska influences. Pioneering punk rock bandthe Clash incorporated influences from ska alongside a range of other genres on their seminal 1979post-punk albumLondon Calling.[8] Songs like 1978's "Kill the Hippies" by the Deadbeats prominently featured horns, although there are no ska elements. Other British bands that were influenced by both punk rock and ska includedthe Specials,the Beat andMadness. With both films like the 1981 documentary filmDance Craze and supportive radio stations like Los Angeles, California'sKROQ, ska crossed theAtlantic.[7] During the 1980s, ska punk was underground. However,Fishbone, one of the earliest ska punk bands, achieved moderate success.[9] Other ska punk bands from the 1980s and early 1990s includeOperation Ivy,[10]The Toasters,Culture Shock,[11]Voodoo Glow Skulls,[12]the Porkers,[13] Sublime,[14]Citizen Fish,[15] the Mighty Mighty Bosstones,[16]the Suicide Machines,MU330 and Dance Hall Crashers.[17]
Ska punk broke into the mainstream in the mid-1990s with bands such as Sublime, No Doubt,Goldfinger, the Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Less Than Jake andRancid all achieving mainstream success. Sublime's song "Date Rape" became a hit on major California alternative rock radio stations.[18] However, Sublime did not reach its peak of popularity until 1996 with the release of the band's1996 self-titled album, which was certified 5× platinum by theRecording Industry Association of America (RIAA) in 1999.[19] Because of Sublime's popularity, the band's album40oz. to Freedom was certified 2× platinum by the RIAA in 2005.[20]
Another ska punk band that achieved mainstream success during the mid-late 1990s was No Doubt. No Doubt's 1995 albumTragic Kingdom was certified diamond by the RIAA in 1999[21] and was certified diamond byMusic Canada in 1997.[22]Tragic Kingdom sold at least 16,000,000 copies worldwide.[23] Rancid's song "Time Bomb" peaked at number 48 on theBillboard Hot 100 Airplay chart[24] and the band's 1994 album...And Out Come the Wolves was certified platinum by the RIAA.[25] Reel Big Fish's albumTurn the Radio Off, which was released in August 1996, was certified gold by the RIAA in November 1997.[26] Reel Big Fish's song "Sell Out" peaked at number 69 on theBillboard Hot 100 Airplay chart.[27] Goldfinger's song "Here in Your Bedroom" peaked at number 47 on theBillboard Hot 100 Airplay chart.[28] The Mighty Mighty Bosstones achieved mainstream success in 1997; their song "The Impression That I Get" peaked at number 23 on the Billboard Hot 100 Airplay chart,[29] number 19 on theMainstream Top 40 chart,[30] and number 17 on theAdult Pop Songs chart.[31] Also, the Mighty Mighty Bosstones' song "The Rascal King" peaked at number 68 on theBillboard Hot 100 Airplay chart.[29] The Mighty Mighty Bosstones' albumLet's Face It, which was released in March 1997, was certified platinum by the RIAA in September 1997.[32] In 2000,Billboard wrote that according to Nielsen SoundScan,Let's Face It sold 1,700,000 copies.[33]
Ska and reggae influenced rock music retreated to niche status by the first decade of the 2000s, with many major acts, such as the Mighty Mighty Bosstones taking an extended hiatus, and chart success eluded most bands of the genre. Some acts continued to produce such music through the decade, spearheaded by groups fromSouthern California (the home of ska-punk pioneers Sublime) such asSlightly Stoopid,Long Beach Shortbus,Long Beach Dub Allstars, andTribal Seeds. Chart success returned in 2018 whenthe Interrupters scored a minor hit with their song "She's Kerosene", that peaked at No. 4 on theBillboardAlternative Songs chart and No. 1 on theRPMCanadian rock/alternative chart.[34] Detroit ska punk outfitthe Suicide Machines released a new album titled "Revolution Spring", released in March 2020 onFat Wreck Chords.The Planet Smashers released "Too Much Information" onStomp Records in 2019 and continue to play shows in the U.S. and Canada. The duo100 gecs incorporated ska punk elements into their 2019 song "Stupid Horse" from their album1000 Gecs,[35] as well as throughout their album10,000 Gecs, released in 2023.[36][37]
Ann Arbor, Michigan–based[38] ska punk bandWe Are the Union released "Self Care" in 2018[39] and tour frequently. Their trombone player, Jeremy Hunter, runs the YouTube channel calledSkatune Network, where they post ska and ska punk covers ofvideo game soundtracks,[40][41][42][43] cartoon themes,[44][45]pop punk,[46] and other genres,[47][48] garnering a significant international following online and releasing several albums.[43][49][50][51]BrooklynVegan has written, "You can't talk about the renewed interest in ska without talking Jeremy Hunter".[52]Buck-O-Nine released a new album titled: "Fundaymental" in 2019. Other artists that continue to tour or put out music on a regular basis include: Kill Lincoln, Omnigone,Catbite,Big D and the Kids Table,Streetlight Manifesto (and by extensionBandits of the Acoustic Revolution),Five Iron Frenzy,Pilfers,Mad Caddies,Voodoo Glow Skulls, Joystick, Hans Gruber and the Die Hards,[53] Mike Park'sThe Bruce Lee Band, Tape Girl,[54] Poindexter,[55] Noise Complaint, Skatsune Miku, Sad Snack,[56] Monkey, Catbite, Young Costello[57] andthe Interrupters.