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Background
Early ska artists in Jamaica, like the Skatalites, Laurel Aitken and Prince Buster, were greatly influenced by New Orleans boogie-woogie and R&B bands of the 1950s. Ska bands melded these influences with the native mento music and the Rasta nyabingi drumming style to create ska, itself a precursor of rocksteady, reggae, dub and dancehall.
Ska, as a musical genre, originated in Jamaica during the ’60s. Its essential component is a guitar/horn line that falls on the upstroke of the beat. You could call it fast reggae, although that is misleading because ska actually pre-dates reggae.
A ska revival began in late ’70s England when two-tone bands like the English Beat and the Specials took the Jamaican sound and made it their own by adding elements of rock and R&B to the mix. Soon after, bands like the Toasters carried on the movement in the States. But it wasn’t until the ’90s that the music really exploded in America.
The Toasters were founded in 1982 by Rob "Buck" Hingley, back when ska was largely an unknown genre to American music fans. Buck had moved to New York from England to manage Forbidden Planet, a comic book store in Manhattan. The 2-Tone movement was thriving in England in the early '80s, led by bands like The Specials and Madness. These bands took the traditional ska sounds of Jamaica and mixed in the working-class punk edge and attitude. Upon arriving in the States, Hingley was shocked that this music had not made an impact on the domestic scene, and after witnessing a pathetic crowd turn-out at an English Beat concert in New York, went on a mission to promote and develop a ska scene in America.
Ska music is a predominantly live phenomenon where the audience is closely integrated into both the live shows and the socio-cultural scene swirling around it: rudies, skins and punks, frat boys, moshers and rastas. It's a musical blend that's right for virtually every taste from hardcore to pop, from reggae to jazz (as one California daily put it, the Toasters are "the Miles Davis of Ska").
Ska music is one of the few real alternative musical styles left. It has survived through the years because of the rich traditions imbued in it and because of the dedication of the bands that continue to play it. There has been a ska music continuum ever since the early Jamaican greats like the Skatalites, Laurel Aitken and Prince Buster introduced the genre in the early sixties. Over the years, the music has shifted through several phases: rocksteady/skinhead reggae (1969), 2-Tone (1978) and now punk/ska. Without ska music, there'd be no reggae, no dancehall, no Reel Big Fish. It's a fact!
Ska, despite the bad rap it often gets, includes meaningful lyrics by bands such as The Slackers and The Toasters, to name but two examples. And while skanking may look strange to newcomers to the scene, the reality is that it's great fun and good exercise at the same time, so why not give it a try?
Definition of Terms
beat - because ska is based on a distinctive beat, the "beat" is a often used term in a wide variety of circumstances
bomber - another name for a flight jacket
bonehead - racist skinhead that is totally unwelcome in all ska circles, everywhere
bootboy - slang term for a skinhead of any variety
braces - British term for suspenders
BSSC - Beer Swilling Skinhead Crew, a famous non-racist skin crew based in DC that was a fixture at ska shows in the '90s and is probably best memorialized on the Pietasters live album chanting in the background
checkers - popularized by the 2-Tone movement, they symbolize the unity of races and cultures through ska music
chelsea - technically speaking the unique haircut of female skinheads with long bangs on an otherwise shaved head, though it's also come to mean the girls themselves
Christian ska - not strictly a subgenre in the usual sense, it is either ska music with religious lyrics or that done by professing Christians; the concept has been very controversial, although many early ska musicians in Jamaica were also very religious
circle pit - habit of dancing in a circle popularized by the punk scene, it has been adapted by the ska scene into a skanking circle
crew - a group of people who associate with one another for various reasons, including musical preferences; most local ska scenes call themselves a "crew" when hanging out in public
dancehall - subgenre of Jamaican reggae music characterized by electronic music and chanted lyrics, somewhat akin to rap music in the USA; many ska artists experiment with dancehall reggae
Doc Martens - the famous British workingman's boot that became a popular skinhead symbol and now is often associated with ska as well
docs - slang for Doc Marten boots
dub - technically, a doubling of a song, it is a variation usually done with electronic effects like echoing and is considered a subgenre of reggae, though many ska artists "dub" their ska songs as well
EIS - pronounced "ice", this is the Experiments in Ska concert series in Syracuse
emo - slang for "emotional rock", this is a very popular subgenre in the USA today that seems the complete opposite of ska, since "emo" often has depressing lyrics and is not meant for dancing; there is natural tension between the two scenes locally and elsewhere
1st Wave - according to the "wave theory", this would include all the earliest ska artists in Jamaica from the late '50s through late '60s and possibly into the early '70s
flight - slang for a flight jacket issued for Air Force personnel and popular in both skin and ska circles
4th Wave - for those that ascribe to the "wave theory", this would naturally follow the 3rd Wave; some Americans have argued for this, except that others point out the so-called "3rd Wave" is still going strong in most of the world outside the USA
Fred Perry - designerwear popular in mod, skin and ska circles, though the shirts are the main interest; they have a very distinctive laurel crest on the chest area
ganja - slang for marijuana, an herb very central to rasta belief and practice; it is a very common theme in reggae music and has spilled over into ska circles also, though to a lesser extent
Guinness - the famous Irish ale served warm with a big, foamy head that is very popular in skin and ska circles
hardcore - an extreme form of punk music that is now considered its own genre, it emphasizes the bass guitar and sounds a lot like heavy metal, except with guttural vocalizing and specific unique themes like straightedge, vegan or animal rights; while the themes are also present in the ska scene to a lesser extent, the matter of presentation and emphasis seems to cause constant friction because while ska promotes inclusiveness, the hardcore scene is all about exclusiveness, leading to tension between the two scenes
instrumental - music without words, a common occurance in ska music, especially ska-jazz; most bands do instrumentals to prove their musical ability, since vocals are considered to often hide the underlying instrumental playing
JA - popular abbreviation for Jamaica
klezmer-ska - traditional Jewish folk music ("Fiddler on the Roof" featured it) that has been fused with ska music by King Django and others into an exciting new sub-genre.
Latin ska - this is meant to describe the fusion of Latin musical forms with ska and not merely ska played by Hispanics. Latin ska is a very popular hybrid in most of the world.
Marcus Garvey (1887-1940) is widely considered the father of modern black nationalism in the United States and worldwide. Born in Jamaica, he promoted ideas of self-reliance and pride of African heritage among black people all over the world. In 1964 he was named Jamaica's first national hero and has been a popular subject of both reggae and ska songs ever since. More details.
Moon - famous NYC record label from 1983-2000 that dominated the world ska scene
moshing - form of dancing known for heavy physical contact and too often resulting in injury; it is completely different than "skanking"
neo-trad - slang for neo-traditional, referring to current bands like The Slackers that combine '60s roots style ska with modern re-interpretations
new school - slang for those preferring ska-punk and ska-core as opposed to the more traditional forms
old school - slang for those preferring traditional ska forms like those done by the Skatalites and others over newer forms of ska-punk and ska-core
Planet - local slang for Planet 505
pork pie - a type of hat popular in ska circles, which is basically a black fedora with a white band
poser - derisive term for someone pretending to belong to a scene, but who clearly does not; while a very common term in punk circles, the inclusiveness of ska makes its use considered very distasteful in the ska scene
punk - essentially rowdy rock music with rough vocals and anti-goverment themes, it is commonly credited as arising in England and then spreading from there; from the earliest times, punk and ska circles have overlapped, though never completely, especially since punk is based on a life philosophy somewhat at odds with that of ska
Red Stripe - Jamaican beer popular in ska circles
rasta - slang for a follower of Rastafarianism.
Rastafarianism - a religious movement which emerged in Jamaica in the early 1930s out of Biblical prophecy, black social and political aspirations and the teachings of the Jamaican-born black publicist and organiser Marcus Garvey, generally seen as its originator. More details.
reggae - musical genre that originated in the late '60s in Jamaica and in its earliest days was virtually indistiguishable from ska; the primary difference is that roots (original) reggae is played more slowly and focuses on various instruments which rarely include horns
reggae-ska - new term that is increasingly being used to describe the fusion of roots reggae with traditional ska that is becoming more and more popular worldwide
rocksteady - intermediate music form between ska and reggae, it sounds like reggae without the pronounced beat; a very common variation for traditional ska artists
roots - back to the original, as in the origins of ska and reggae music in the '60s
rude - much abused term in ska circles, originally "rude boys" were gangsters in Jamaica and being "rude" was the idea of being aligned with those gangsters; over time, the term has come to be associated with degrees of being into the ska scene (hence the band name, "Ruder Than You") and is interchangeable with being into ska music
RUSH - Racial Unity Skin Heads, a non-racist skinhead crew based in Rochester that was a fixture at local shows in the late '80s
scene - an identifiable group based on some common interest; most commonly used to describe subcultures like the ska community on a local, regional or worldwide basis
scooter - motorscooter like Vespa or Lambretta; they have been associated with mod, skinhead and ska circles since the late '60s in England; it is not uncommon to see Vespa scooters at ska shows or ska bands performing at scooter rallies because of the historical connection
scooter rally - organized event, often over a weekend, where scooter owners (primarily Vespa or Lambretta) get together to celebrate their machines; camping and music (often ska) are frequently a part of the festivities
2nd Wave - according to the "wave theory", this would include all the ska artists in England and America from about 1977 (the beginning of Madness and other bands) until about 1982 or so, though American bands like Fishbone and the Untouchables do not neatly fit into this idea
ska - early Jamaican dance music characterized by the emphasis on the "upbeat" notes by the guitar and drums especially; commonly has featured noticeable horn parts, though it is not strictly required; it clearly evolved from a fusion of rhythm-and-blues, jazz, soul and mento (a Carribean music similar to calypso) into a new form that was clearly identified by 1962, though it may have appeared as early as 1955; it today enjoys a worldwide following, most especially in Europe, South America, Japan and to a lesser extent, the USA
ska beat - the distinctive "upbeat" of ska; because the beat is so unique, yet hard to master for novices, it if often a source of contention whether a "ska band" is actually playing a "ska beat"
ska-core - the combination of ska and hardcore probably first made popular by the Mighty Mighty Bosstones and then later countless others; somewhat controversial since the "ska beat" is often hard to detect under the blaring guitars and because it seems to bear little relation to '60s style ska; "ska-core" in fact is almost considered the polar opposite of "trad" ska
ska fest - large festivals of ska music
ska-jazz - traditional variation that is closely akin to jazz music, but with the underlying "ska beat"; this is a very popular subgenre of ska today all around the world
skanking - at the most basic, it is dancing to ska music in almost any style, though it more commonly refers to a few dances known especially to be associated with ska that include exaggerated leg and arm movements, somewhat like running in place; there is never intentional physical contact, which is what sets it apart from "moshing"
skank pit - "new school" variation where one "skanks" in either a circular area in front of the stage en masse or in a circular motion, which would be called a "circle pit"; it is a variation on the dance "pits" common to punk and hardcore
ska pun - from the earliest times, ska artists and fans have taken advantage of "ska" being such a short, punchy word that it can be easily combined with other words with humorous effect; the Skatalites (ska+satellite) were the first to use the device, but since then, it has become a rampant feature in the worldwide ska scene
ska-punk - literally ska+punk, it combines elements of both, though many bands make only meager attempts to actually play a pronouced "ska beat", such that more and more bands are actually using the more correct term, "punk with horns" to more accurately reflect their style; easily the best known early proponent of "ska-punk" was Operation Ivy from Calfornia; today, Europeans often use the term for what Americans would call "3rd Wave" ska, to differentiate it from the still popular "2-Tone" ska there
ska scene - the identifiable ska community on a local, regional or worldwide basis; each "scene" tends to have clear preferences in local bands, musical variations and fashion styles, along with local traditions and personalities
Skatalites - though often mistakenly referred to as the first ska band, they easily were the first well known band to play ska worldwide
skin - popular slang for skinheads
skinhead - extremely misunderstood term, it mostly defines a non-racist subculture that originated in England in the late '60s and early '70s that included both black and white factory workers, so-called for their habit of shaving their heads; early on this subculture became deeply entertwined into ska music and they have been closely associated ever since; the very small minority of racist skinheads are more commonly called "boneheads" and are not tolerated in skinhead or ska circles
sound system - early Jamaican practice of setting up a PA system for playing dance records of the latest tunes available; much early ska was recorded as various sound systems in Kingston feverously competed with one another for the affection of the dance crowds
straightedge - movement that commonly avoids the use of alcohol and illegal drugs; while most closely associated with the "hardcore" scene, a significant element of the local ska scene has always been associated with these beliefs as well, most especially younger members
Studio One - famous Jamaican studio that produced much of the earliest '60s ska; there was so much recorded back then that new releases of archival material keep cropping up with great regularity
sXe - shorthand notation for "straightedge"
3rd Wave - according to the "wave theory", this would include all the ska bands that originated after the Toasters in 1981 or possibly even Fishbone in 1979
toasting - Jamaican precursor to rapping, it is a stylized talking over music that continues to be done to the present time; the band called the Toasters takes its name from this practice
trad - slang for traditional, it refers to love for the original '60s sound of ska and its modern interpretations, as done by groups like the Slackers, NY Ska-Jazz Ensemble, Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra and others; "trads" also often refers to those with an "old school" outlook, including dress apparrel
2-Tone - this term actually refers to many different things: most narrowly, it was a famous British record label in the '70s & '80s with mostly ska bands like Madness and The Specials; it also became the name of a movement based in the English ska scene promoting racial understanding and harmony; probably most famous for a distinctive music style of very poppy, bouncy ska that is still widely imitated today, most especially in Europe
unity - much used and abused term in ska circles, it refers both to unity of races and cultures around the inclusiveness of ska music and also to the unity of the various subcultures that comprise the larger ska community (mods, skins, rude boys, scooterists, etc.)
upbeat - referring to the proper placement of the unique ska beat, which is played on the "upbeat", instead of the usual "downbeat" in most rock-oriented music; the upbeat is what gives ska it's unique bouncy sound
USC - Upstate Skinhead Crew, non-racist skin crew based in Watertown NY that was a fixture at local ska shows in the '90s
vegan - extreme form of vegetarianism that excludes all animal products, including dairy and honey; it is more common in the hardcore scene, though some in the local ska scene follow this practice also
Walt Jabsco - famous fictious character from the 2-Tone movement
wave theory - popular theory espousing that ska has had 3 primary waves of interest and that all bands fit into one of those waves; not universally accepted, especially outside the USA
Westcott - local slang for the Westcott Community Center, a popular location for ska shows
Zopies - famous local coffeehouse that closed in 1998; served as an important meeting place for the local ska scene for many years
