The Uptones made big decisions--spontaneously. This is how guitarist Eric Din describes the group's career. Formed in 1981 in Berkeley, California as young teenagers in love with all things 2 Tone ska, The Uptones took the bay area by storm IMMEDIATELY with packed shows with lines out the door. They got their songs into heavy rotation on the radio by walking into the station and handing the DJs their demo recordings! But the band could never land a contract. Some of that could have been due to how quickly they were willing to completely shift gears and not be predictable.

By 1987 the band called it quits, but reunited in 1989 at Gilman and then in 1990 for the Earth Day ska festival. The next time they played was in 2002, effectively missing the entire Third Wave US Ska boom. 

Today we talk to two members of The Uptones: Eric Din (Guitarist) and Paul Jackson (Trumpet, Keys) They tell us the important influence they got from repeated views of Dance Craze at UC Theatre in Berkeley (With copious out-of-control dancing), as well as getting to see English Beat in their prime. They tell us about opening for the big names in New Wave at the time: R.E.M., Oingo Boingo, UB40, The Go-Go's, Madness and Billy Idol. And they tell us about the time Fishbone showed up at their rehearsal space to hang out. 

Eric and Paul also tell us about working with Rancid in the 90s. Eric co-wrote a handful of songs with Tim Armstrong, and Paul Jackson played the organ on "Time Bomb." Yes, that's his solo you've heard a thousand times on the radio. They also tell us how a young Jesse Michaels (Operation Ivy) used to stage dive at Uptones shows in the 80s.

All of this is a part of the ups and downs of the bay area's very first ska band, The Uptones. 

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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Walt Jabsco, the iconic dancing ska guy logo that came to symbolize the Specials and 2 Tone ska, was inspired by a photo of Peter Tosh from his '60s ska years. The Beat Girl, which the English Beat created as a logo for their band (though also came to symbolize 2 Tone ska) was inspired by a photo of a woman dancing with Prince Buster in 1964. Very little was known about the woman in this photo. Recently, Joanna Wallace, long-time ska fan and operator of Miss Upsetter Designs decided to learn more about Brigitte Bond, the woman in the photo. She dug in deep for 5 months and created a 30-minute documentary (Blue Beat Baby) of her findings.

Joanna discovered a lot! Her research revealed Brigitte to be a transgender bluebeat singer, dancer, actor and stripper. And Joanna found a handful of movies Brigitte acted, that she danced all over the world, that she was briefly engaged to Sir John Waller and that she even harassed Billy Graham when he came to the UK. All of this is discussed in Blue Beat Baby.

Joanna's film (and our conversation with Joanna) also sheds light on the London Soho scene in the mid-60s and how ska developed in the UK in general. We talk about the Flamenco Jazz Club, Prince Buster's role in spreading ska globally and we even try to understand the difference between "ska" and "bluebeat."

You can watch Blue Beat Baby here!

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.

Support In Defense of Ska by checking out StubHub: https://stubhub.prf.hn/l/DLXVmMB

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Metal-heads know that Kyle Shutt is a shredder. It's clear in his band, The Sword's music. Even non-metal-heads that played Guitar Hero knows that he can shred, and have likely played along to his guitar licks on "Freya." But Kyle also has ska roots. At age 15, he played trombone in the Hobbs, New Mexico Christian ska band Ten Betty Zane. When he was 17, he took a 24 greyhound bus ride to see Blue Meanies play a free show in Chicago. And in Austin, he was part of the Blue Meanies (And MU330) street team. 

On Oct 20, 2022, Kyle's two decade-long group, The Sword, broke up. For his first post-Sword interview, he did what all non-ska bands should do; he chatted about ska with us. Listen as we discuss Kyle's ska roots, break down the hundreds of metal subgenres, talk about meeting Anthony Bourdain during the No Reservations Austin episode, and discuss how he turned Pink Floyd's Dark Side of The Moon into DOOM side of the Moon. 

We talk about how the metal scene differs from the ska and punk scenes, dish about Nickelback, Dead Milkmen, Zebrahead and Lit, he tells us about singing about poop with his daughter on the Dirty Restaurant of Death side project, and Kyle tells us what it was like to invent an entirely new metal subgenre: Shitgrind. 

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.

Support In Defense of Ska by checking out StubHub: https://stubhub.prf.hn/l/DLXVmMB

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John DeDomenici has played the bass in many bands. But most notably Jeff Rosenstock's solo band and Bomb the Music Industry. He also played a whole variety of instruments in Arrogant Sons of Bitches.

Today, we bring on John and throw every random and obscure question we can think at him. We talk about catching Covid in England, getting his own dressing room at the Gaslight Anthem Jersey show, drunkenly cutting his hand trying to open a bottle of wine, and joining Chris Gethard at Fest in a Smiths cover band. 

We also talk about green-screening his bass performance to Late Night With Seth Meyers, the time he almost joined Every Time I Die, and why he likes to listen to a punishing amount of 311 and Metallica cover songs. 

Plus he even tells us about the time in 2004 he did live sound for Donald Trump. Spoiler Alert, Trump was not a good guy. 

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.

Support In Defense of Ska by checking out StubHub: https://stubhub.prf.hn/l/DLXVmMB

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

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"Everything I do is out of necessity," Jay Vance tells us. He grew frustrated playing with Blue Meanies, then Skankin Pickle, and realized that the only way he was going to have a successful band with longevity is if he no longer played with other humans. So he built his own band called Captured! By Robots, where he is the only human member and the rest are robots.

Today, Jay tells us about the early days of Blue Meanies (He founded the band!), his year in Skankin Pickle (As their third bassist!), and the weirdest band to ever exist: Captured! By Robots. he spills all the details and rants angrily about the evils of the music industry in the process.

He also talks about his love for rocksteady, his hatred of ska, the role he may or may not have had in Skankin' Pickle bassist Mike Mattingly getting kicked out of the band, and the many unusual TV appearances Captured! By Robots made in its early days. He also says why he will never do America's Got Talent, no matter how many times they invite him.

Plus Jay explains what a dildo unicorn is and why he's tripping balls.

Here is a link to the rocksteady mix Jay mentioned during the interview

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.

Support In Defense of Ska by checking out StubHub: https://stubhub.prf.hn/l/DLXVmMB

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

For November's BONUS episode we talk about Fest. Specifically how it became SO ska. To do that, we speak with the man that books most of the Bad Time Records bands AND got Against All Authority to reunite: Brent Friedman 

To listen, sign up for the In Defense of Ska Patreon

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.

Support In Defense of Ska by checking out StubHub: https://stubhub.prf.hn/l/DLXVmMB

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

The Aggrolites have zero ska songs. Sure they play with a lot of ska bands, but their genre is REGGAE, specifically "Dirty Reggae." That means it was influenced by late 60s skinhead reggae, and given a modern, aggressive punk rock edge. The band formed in 2002, immediately appealing to the hardcore skinhead and rudeboy crowd. But in 2007, when they appeared on Yo Gabba Gabba (And performed the E.K. Bunch's classic reggae song "Banana") they gained a much wider audience. 

Today, we tell the story of The Aggrolites with singer Jesse Wagner and keyboardist Roger Rivas. We talk about the vibrant traditional ska scene they emerged from, and how they formed out of a Derrick Morgan recording project that was never released. We talk in-depth about the first three records and learn how the band went from recording spontaneous jams to thought-out (and sometimes experimental) songs. 

We talk about the group getting signed to Hellcat and backing Tim Armstrong on his debut solo album, "A Poet's Life" (The session included an Alkaline Trio cover that was released separately). We also talk about how rough it was opening for Dropkick Murphys on tour. We get into the group's style, which has a lot more in common with punk than reggae or ska. And we discuss how, even though they play reggae music, they don't fit into the reggae scene. 

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.

Support In Defense of Ska by checking out StubHub: https://stubhub.prf.hn/l/DLXVmMB

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Five days after Ryan Seaman graduated from high school, he hit the road. His gig: drumming for The Eyeliners on Warped Tour 2002. This was just the beginning for Ryan. He'd go on to play in Fairview, Falling In Reverse, I Am Ghost, and I Don't Know How By They Found Me. That last band played Ellen and Jimmy Kimmel. But before any of this, Ryan was a ska-punk kid going to as many shows in Salt Lake City, Utah as he possibly could.

On today's episode, we chat with Ryan about his SLC ska-punk scene years. He tells us how transformative Green Day's Dookie was for him, discovering The Stereo in 1999, road managing The Aquabats in 2019, and how a Link 80 show at Area 51 was one of the greatest shows he saw in his life. 

We also talk about the movie SLC Punk, The Used, and Adam tells us about the time he saw Mr. Bungle in Utah. We also discuss Utah ska bands, including Insatiable, Sturgeon General, My Man Friday, Stretch Armstrong, Hospital Food and The Knockouts. 

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.

Support In Defense of Ska by checking out StubHub: https://stubhub.prf.hn/l/DLXVmMB

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

The Chris Gethard Show was supposed to start like normal, but the audience had their own idea. They shouted "Eat More Butts" at Chris to a degree that he couldn't start his show. The musical guest, Jeff Rosenstock, even gave them a musical accompaniment. For 15 minutes, the show descended into madness. But Chris also didn't fight it because he knew that this would be great TV. Having grown up in the DIY punk scene, he was aware that this type of chaos was where a show's best moments would be.

Today, we speak to Chris Gethard about his punk roots. His first show ever was in a Jersey church basement with all local bands. His 2nd was in a friend's backyard. A young, Less Than Jake was also on the bill. Less Than Jake became Chris's favorite band for a while. During this time, he also saw Slapstick, Skankin' Pickle, Mephiskapheles, Catch 22, and was a fan of other ska bands like Mustard Plug and MU330.

We also talk about Chris's recent experience hitching a ride with Catbite. He also talks about bringing on Take Today to play his live "New Jersey is the World" show a few times. (He loves, "Do You Still Hate Me?," their Jawbreaker cover and their ska song, SKAdiving.). He talks about his recent interview with Bigger Thomas singer Roger Apollon. And we also talk about his passion for all things New Jersey...he tells us where we can get REAL Italian Ice!

Plus Chris tells us how surreal it was recently to see Jeff Rosenstock play a huge show opening for Gaslight Anthem. 

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.

Support In Defense of Ska by checking out StubHub: https://stubhub.prf.hn/l/DLXVmMB

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

New York's Stop The Presses were all set to hit the road hard in March 2020. The day they scheduled to leave, New York went into lockdown. So instead, they hunkered down and made an excellent pandemic record, Got It, released on September 29 on Jump Up Records. The group showcases their uniquely dreamy and washy ska-pop sound, rooted in an aesthetic that takes its vibe from the 1960s-1980s, in all its reverb and space echo-y goodness.

On today's episode, we interview three members of Stop The Presses, and get deep into their history, first starting in the primarily Spanish-speaking town of Hialeah, Florida in 2010 to their elaborate Halloween-themed shows (One year it evolved into a complete theatrical production called "It's Pronounced Nuclear") to relocating to New York in 2015. Once in the Big Apple, they locked in a new lineup and started working with Agent Jay of The Slackers to produce Money In The Bank (2019) and Got It (2022)

We also discuss their three separate RVs, the Cuban roots of The Skatalites, the touring game that gave them their new album cover, and we break down their fantastic cover of Bikini Kill's "Rebel Girl" (Complete with a Dolly Parton "9 to 5" introduction) 

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.

Support In Defense of Ska by checking out StubHub: https://stubhub.prf.hn/l/DLXVmMB

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy