Ska Is Not Dead

I have a pretty extreme case of musical nostalgia at the moment. I somehow stumbled upon an old Ace Troubleshooter song (Jasmine), and... there goes my work day. In a good way.

I was looking for some other cool "vintage" bands to highlight, and though I intended to post about Tooth and Nail and 90's alt-rock, but it went in a decidedly different, ska/punk direction. I'll do another post about alt-rock and probably Celt punk later. And probably revisit swing-revival, rockabilly, and punkabilly, because there's lots more to cover. But I'll leave you with some Ace Troubleshooter background and the ska-punk basics:

Ace Troubleshooter, for the uninitiated, was a clever little pop punk outfit from Minnesota. They split before the internet music thing really took off, so if you want to listen to any of their stuff that's not crappy youtube concert videos (which, you ABSOLUTELY do), you gotta google 'em (or hit the link which'll do it for you).

And now for the ska, punk, ska-punk, pop-punk, skate-punk, 3rd wave ska, swing-revival, rockabilly, punkabilly, rock-ska-billy, etc.

The O.C. Supertones
I like Streetlight Manifesto and Catch 22 as much as the next guy, and I'm aware that most of my friends were staunch supporters of Five Iron Frenzy, but Superfly is pretty damn great.

Streetlight Manifesto
Speaking of the devil... while, for most, this is the quintessential ska band, I came late to Streetlight Manifesto via The Insyderz and the above-mentioned Supertones/Frenzy. However, after recently "rediscovering" ska, I have been rocking out to Keasbey Nights quite frequently (which, I know, is originally by Catch-22, but Streetlight Manifesto re-recorded the whole damn album). Would You Be Impressed is another favorite; I could listen to the "give it to me give it to me give it to me" line all day, and the video is an animated "papercut" animal band of murderers. I would be terribly giddy to hear a girl with a wicked set of pipes cover this one.

The Mighty Mighty Bosstones
Kind of a ska-rockabilly crossover, these guys are good. The Impression That I Get is quality, and I would wager you've probably heard it before (whether you realize it or not), as it's a suprisingly popular tune, for the genre, which would probably technically fall under punkabilly.

The Aquabats
Can you think of anything more fun than singing the word "applesauce" three times fast? No? That's because there's nothing more fun than the Aquabats. Super Rad and Red Sweater are my favorite songs by this ska band. "You're my girl, I'm your man, I don't care if we live in a garbage can!"

The Newsboys
Okay, almost as fun as The Aquabats was the early lyrical work of the Newsboys (perhaps influenced by the fact that they hail from a town called Mooloolaba). Take Me To Your Leader and The Breakfast Song (apologies for the crappy slideshow) are just two of many hilarious, and yet musically legit tunes from the primarily Aussie/Kiwi group which, unfortunately in my estimation, got really into worship music later in their career.

The W's
I very nearly forgot The W's! That would have been a crying shame, but an understandable mistake... the short-lived band released 2 albums, one of which went largely unnoticed, before fading into obscurity and leaving behind the awesomeness that was (very probably) the only Christian swing-revival band ever. Devil is Bad is fantastic, as are the band's bowling shirts.

The Deluxtone Rockets
I don't know much about the Deluxtone Rockets. Which is weird, because they were like one of two marginally ska outfits signed to Tooth and Nail. On the other hand, they were more rockabilly, which didn't end well for The W's either.

MxPx
Listed on Tooth and Nail's current roster because they're still touring (though, to my knowledge, they haven't released a new album in almost 4 years). Thoroughly pop-punk, though you can hear swing revival influences in, for example, the opening bassline of "Chick Magnet".

Slick Shoes
More of the Tooth and Nail pop-punk, Slick Shoes was a bit less gleefully wacky than MxPx. I mean, their name was a Goonies reference and all, but their sound was steadier and more guitar-driven and occasionally more hardcore punk. Still, they knew how to do fun stuff, as evidenced by Friday Night.

Caffeine Cocktails

I'm a 6th-year undergrad, so suffice it to say I drink a lot of caffeine, and have been doing so for years. It gets old sometimes, so occasionally I switch things up by making mixed energy drinks.

We're not talking Four Loko - there's no alcohol here. That would be insane. And counterproductive, of course. But basically insane. Nope, all I'm adding is new flavors and textures to your garden variety Rockstar or Monster.

Here are two that have turned out well after a few repetitions. They both call for a can of orange/mango flavored Rockstar Juiced, because that's my go-to energy drink.

Ginger Prankster
1 can Rockstar Juiced
1 chunk fresh ginger root
Ginger ale (a 12oz can should do it)
Ice

Put some ice cubes in a tumbler or tall glass. If you've got a Psycho Suzi's mug, this would be a great use for it. Add 3-5 oz of Rockstar (I guess it depends on how much studying you have to do). Grate maybe an inch off the ginger root over a strainer so you just get the juice in the glass. You want anywhere from a teaspoon to a tablespoon of the liquid. Fill to the top with ginger ale and give it a gentle stir.
*Don't be fooled by the relatively small ratio of Rockstar to ginger ale. This packs a punch, and if you're not careful, it can really mess you up before you notice how much caffeine you've ingested. The added sugar also makes it better for wrapping up a tedious study session, rather than settling in for the long haul.

3AM Sunrise
1 can Rockstar Juiced (chilled)
1 LARGE scoop mango sorbet
Pomegranate flavor syrup (You can use raspberry or cherry if that's more your style, but the pomegranate goes really well with the tartness of the mango. I recommend Torani.)

Put the cold Rockstar in the freezer for 15-20 minutes so it starts to get slushy. Then, add a big scoop of mango sorbet to a glass and pour pomegranate syrup over it (I use two pumps, but if you don't have a pump, two teaspoons should do). Slowly pour the Rockstar over it. The sorbet will float to the top and dissolve into the Rockstar slush.

If you try these, or if you have suggestions for other drinks, let me know what you think!