Ska punk is a fusion of Jamaican ska and British and American punk rock. The earliest combinations of the two sounds occurred in the late 1970s as punk's revolutionary lyrical content led to a natural affinity with similarly styled reggae and other Caribbean musical styles. The second wave of ska (2 tone) was primarily British, and was followed closely in the late 1980s and 1990s with American skacore (Third Wave), which achieved much mainstream commercial success.
History
Origins (first wave of ska)
Ska was born in 1950s Jamaica, combining jazz and mento (a native folk music) with influences from American R&B and rock and roll. The music was fast-paced and highly danceable, and it was often politically revolutionary in its lyrical subjects. Ska fans dressed like Hollywood gangsters, in thin ties, pork pie hats and black suits and called themselves rude boys. In the 1960s, ska adapted slower beats, forming rocksteady (a precursor to reggae).
Initial spread (second wave of ska)
By the late 1970s, ska was popular in the United Kingdom, aided by Jerry Dammers' (of The Specials) record label, 2Tone Records. The Specials, The English Beat and Madness, among others sped up ska and added punk rock elements to form Two Tone. Some hold that Bob Marley's "Punky Reggae Party" (1977) began the fusion. Ska also gained popularity in the rest of Europe.
Supplementing the lilting Jamaican rhythms of ska with punk rock's uncompromising lyrics and brutal guitar chords resulted in a hybrid that slaked a thirst for a moshing groove, plenty of melody via the horns, and thoughtful, irreverent, or politically charged lyrics.
Popularization (third wave of ska)
In the 1980s saw the blending of 1970s 2 tone ska-punk with 1980s punk, the result being what is known today as ska-core.
Christianization (fourth wave of ska)
The 1990s saw the creation of a fourth wave of ska, basically an offshoot of the third wave. It is the commencement of the appearance of Christian Ska. Occasionally construed to be a mixture of straightedge rock, in the sense that vulgarity and peace were weighty issues, and ska-punk, Christian Ska bands, like the Supertones and Five Iron Frenzy emerged into the popular music scene. Christian Ska, however, is not nearly as popular as the other three styles, in the sense of the mass-media being interested, mostly a result of is sounding so dissimilar to the original style.
Other notable ska punk bands
Lyrics
Ska Punk Lyrics
Last updated: 08-26-2005 20:26:00
