Ska punk

Ska punk (also spelled ska-punk) is a fusion genre that combines ska music and punk rock music.^[1] Ska-core (sometimes spelled skacore) is a subgenre of ska punk that blends ska with hardcore punk.^[2] Early ska punk combined both 2 Tone and ska with hardcore punk.^[3] Ska punk often features wind instruments and especially horns^[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]

History[edit]

Predecessors and early development (Late 1970s, 1980s and early 1990s)[edit]

Ska punk band Operation Ivy performing live at 924 Gilman Street in 1988

Before ska punk started, many ska bands and punk rock bands performed on the same bills together and appealed to the same audiences.^[6] A ska revival occurred simultaneously around the beginning of British punk rock and the near-simultaneous rebirth of the late 1970s British Mod and skinhead 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 band the Clash incorporated influences from ska alongside a range of other genres on their seminal 1979 post-punk album London 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 included the Specials, the Beat and Madness, with both films like the 1981 documentary film Dance Craze and supportive radio stations like Los Angeles, California's KROQ, ska crossed the Atlantic.^[7] Many early ska punk bands mixed 2 Tone with hardcore punk, during the 1980s, ska punk was underground. However, Fishbone, one of the earliest ska punk bands, achieved moderate success.^[3] Other ska punk bands from the 1980s and early 1990s include Mr. Bungle,^[9] Operation Ivy,^[10] Culture Shock,^[11] Voodoo Glow Skulls,^[12] the Porkers,^[13] Sublime,^[14] Citizen Fish,^[15] the Mighty Mighty Bosstones^[16] and Dance Hall Crashers.^[17]

Mainstream success (Mid–late 1990s)[edit]

Ska punk band No Doubt performing in Worcester, Massachusetts, United States.

Ska punk band the Mighty Mighty Bosstones performing in 2008

Ska punk broke into the mainstream in the mid-1990s with bands such as Sublime, No Doubt, Goldfinger, Reel Big Fish, Smash Mouth, the Mighty Mighty Bosstones and Rancid 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's 1996 self-titled album, which was certified 5x platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) in 1999.^[19] Because of Sublime's popularity, the band's album 40oz. to Freedom was certified 2x 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 album Tragic Kingdom was certified diamond by the RIAA in 1999^[21] and was certified diamond by the Canadian Recording Industry Association in 1997.^[22] Tragic Kingdom sold at least 16,000,000 copies worldwide.^[23] Rancid's song "Time Bomb" peaked at number 48 on the Billboard Hot 100 Airplay chart^[24] and the band's 1995 album ...And Out Come the Wolves was certified platinum by the RIAA.^[25] Reel Big Fish's album Turn 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 the Billboard Hot 100 Airplay chart.^[27] Goldfinger's song "Here in Your Bedroom" peaked at number 47 on the Billboard 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 the Mainstream Top 40 chart,^[30] and number 17 on the Adult Pop Songs chart.^[31] Also, the Mighty Mighty Bosstones' song "The Rascal King" peaked at number 68 on the Billboard Hot 100 Airplay chart,^[29] the Mighty Mighty Bosstones' album Let'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] Smash Mouth's 1997 album Fush Yu Mang was certified 2x platinum in 1999.^[34]

See also[edit]

• List of ska musicians

References[edit]

Bibliography[edit]

• Walker, Matt (2016). Gainesville Punk: A History of Bands & Music. Arcadia Publishing. 
• Diehl, Matt (2013). My So-Called Punk: Green Day, Fall Out Boy, The Distillers, Bad Religion---How Neo-Punk Stage-Dived into the Mainstream. St. Martin's Griffin. ISBN 9781466853065. 
• Marciniak, Marta (2015). Transnational Punk Communities in Poland: From Nihilism to Nothing Outside Punk. Lexington Books. ISBN 9781498501583.