Slapstick

With ska gaining mainstream traction in the U.S. once again, we put together a list of 64 essential ska albums from 1964 to present, with albums released during each of the past seven decades by artists from all over the world.

The 9-hour, 181-song playlist includes songs from all across ska’s long, rich history — from its origins in Jamaica to some of today’s best DIY ska bands — and it also includes ska-adjacent songs by The Beatles, Vampire Weekend, Weezer, Pixies, and more…

As Aaron Carnes gears up for the release of his ‘In Defense of Ska’ book, he’s been doing an accompanying podcast. He’s interviewed tons of notable ska musicians, plus members of some bands you might not expect to go as deep into ska as they do, like Joyce Manor and Thou. Here are some excerpts from those episodes and some quotes from Aaron, co-host Adam Davis (Omnigone, Link 80), and the bands themselves…

”Ska punk is truly ‘a young person’s game’ if there ever was one,” Bryan says. ”That being said, since I made this mixtape a couple of days ago, I’ve probably listened to it ten times.”

Bad Operation — the new ska band with members of Fatter Than Albert, PEARS, and more — tell the story of how this band came to be, the meaning behind their ”New Tone” ska label this band’s specific influences, and more…

This edition of ‘In Defense of the Genre’ takes a look at some of the most essential classic albums in ska-punk, a genre which — yes, really — is having a comeback.

Andrew WK in NYC in April (more by Dana (distortion) Yavin) As mentioned, Riot Fest Chicago 2012 goes down from September 14-16 in Humboldt Park, and now also at Congress Theater, who will host the opening night…