On April 23, ska-punk band We Are The Union, released one of its greatest singles of the band’s career: A catchy ska-punk tune called “Morbid Obsessions.” The song was also released alongside a huge announcement: We Are The Union’s lead singer Reade Wolcott was coming out as a trans woman. And the song “Morbid Obsessions” spoke to this journey openly, directly, and with plenty of emotion. And so far the ska community has embraced Reade’s announcement with open arms. 

The tune was the lead single off of We Are The Union’s new album, Ordinary Life, set to release on June 4, 2021. It is a phenomenal record that will not only elevate the ska-punk genre but expand its borders. On this episode of In Defense of Ska, we talk with Reade about the new record, her journey to be her true self, and some other fun We Are The Union stories over the past decade. Fun pancake-themed kickstarter campaign videos anyone? 

If you’d like to support us and listen to early access, ad-free episodes with bonus content, check out our Patreon! 

If you like our theme song, go download the EP Lives by Slow Gherkin. They wrote the opening and closing songs for our podcast. You can get both tunes from their Lives EP. Also, check out Dan P and the Bricks two LPs. They provided the mid-roll ad transition music. 

Support the In Defense host Aaron Carnes by purchasing a copy of his book, In Defense of Ska. The 2nd, expanded edition of In Defense of Ska will release in Oct 2024. 

Co-host Adam Davis has a band called Omnigone. Their latest record, Against The Rest released on March 31, 2023. 

The In Defense of Ska editor Chris Reeves runs a record label called Ska Punk International. They have new releases coming out all the time.

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