2.5 White Guys are quite arguably the driving force behind ska and reggae in Salt Lake City these days. I stopped by during one of their weekly practice to chat with Andy and Nate. We talked about a lot about ska, and if it needs a tangible scene to sustain itself. Nate commented, "We will take any scene that wants to come see us, but I don't think we try to project that we are in [a scene], or that we are [a scene]." Andy added, "The kind of people that return to our shows are the people that are like 'you guys throw it down so I'm going to come support you'."
I spoke with Dean, Shaun and Joel of our very own local Superhero. We talked about their influences and where they fit within ska. Shaun said, "We play with a distortion pedal, which some ska-purists may say 'that's not ska'. Just like with any type of music, everybody has their own twist. I think bands in the mid nineties like Reel Big Fish, Less Than Jake, the Hippos... are kind of what we draw our influence from, maybe like a fourth wave." Joel added, "Most people would identify us with third wave ska. I don't really feel like it's like that, because we try to move on from that."
Bucket fronts the United States longest running ska band, The Toasters. From the city of New York, the band is in it's 27th year and still going strong. Bucket also owned the ska-only label Moon Ska Records during its existence, as well as today's Megalith Records. I asked him about his dedication to the style, regardless of popularity or album sales. To that he said, "I found something I loved, I guess. When you love something like that you stick with it. The music business is a cyclical thing, it goes up and down. You have to be prepared to go through some lean times as well as the fat times."
"Ska Bob" Walters' intereset in ska led him to the London International Ska Festival in 1989. He experienced the 2-Tone scene first hand and it made a lasting impression on him. He said, "I really liked the idea of these sharp looking kids, guys in suits and girls in mini skirts, riding scooters. [They] stuck to what they liked, and let themselves stand out by looking decent."
I had a good time with Jon Armstrong and Jeff Hibbert as they reminisced about the early days of ska in Utah. They played in the band Swim Herschel Swim. As they talked about their success, Jon said, "There was a drive for us to do a good job in whatever it was we were doing. Not just in the band, but in life in general. I think a lot of local bands don't have that same drive."
Steve and I met up at his office in Sacramento. He sang for Logan based Model Citizen. We talked about his band being apart of a larger Utah ska scene. He said "Our first big show was with Skankin' Pickle at the skate park in Provo. I remember thinking, 'we get to go to a Skankin' Pickle show for free.' We where excited to play the show, but were just happy to be there. I think that was kind of our attitude throughout most of Model Citizen, we were just happy to be there. "
This week we were incredibly blessed with an interview with the legendary Frederick "Toots" Hibbert. He moved to Kingston at the age of 16, where here formed to gospel vocal trio The Maytals. Backed by The Skatalites, The Maytals saw much success in the early 60's. After changing their name to Toots and the Maytals, they recorded a number of albums which included a single entitled "Do the Reggay." In the interview, Toots said, "I started with ska. A few years after that, the good musicians in Jamaica created the rhythm. No one really knew what to call it, until I recorded this song called "Do the Reggay." People started to call me from all over the world and say, "I know what the music that you're playing is named. It's reggae and you are the inventor."
Raquel played a vital role in the local ska scene throughout the 90's. Under the name Skaquel Productions, she produced and managed numerous local shows. Notably, was the 4 day Ska Patrick's Days festival. Along with many local acts, the festival also featured performances from Buck O' Nine, The Aquabats, Reel Big Fish, Mephiskapheles, and Mustard Plug. She said, "Ska was getting pretty big in Utah right around that time. All these bands knew that Utah would be a fun place to play."
Gus grew up in Kingston, Jamaica. Some favorite songs in his youth included Israelites and Shanty Town by Desmond Dekker and The Aces. He also enjoyed the music of The Dragonaires and The Skatalites. Of his favorite music he said, "It was played quite regularly, especially in the heart of downtown, in the Kingston business district. You had a lot of little shops and bars that had jukeboxes, that would be open and played [the ska] from mid morning till late midnight."
I met with Caleb Chapman at The Music School in
