Interview: Ska Joe looks back at The Ska Summit concert

Ska History Month and The Ska Summit Concert have always been linked together, at least in my mind, for the latter inspired the creation of the former.

After 1999, mainstream interest in ska music in the US plummeted. In the year 2000, I was living in Charleston, SC, and I can't recall going to a single ska show that year. 2001 would see me create Fort Skumpter in an attempt to start a ska scene in South Carolina from scratch.

So, when I heard, in 2003, that Ska Joe was going to host a large, outdoor ska concert in Las Vegas, I was both hopeful and skeptical at the same time. I was hopeful because it seemed to signal a revitalization in the American ska scene. I was skeptical because some of the bands on the bill were stalwarts of the very same "pop-punk-with-horns" of the 90's that caused ska in America to go belly up. I was determined that, if ska was going to make a comeback in America, that ska's roots and history was not going to be ignored.

In March 2003, 10,000 ska enthusiasts descended on Las Vegas.

In April 2003, Ska History Month was born.

Five years later, Ska Joe looks back at this pivotal concert.

1) Describe the American ska scene in 2003 as compared to 1998.

1998 had ALOT more amazing bands to offer because there was such a bigger audience for the music. After the ska scene left the mainstream a lot of the smaller big name bands went separate directions or back to college and then younger high school bands started filling in the open spots. The overall quality of music did drop a bit because it was now being played by the fans of the bands instead of the bands that inspired. Thankfully there were still some talented and devoted bands out there to keep the scene going.

So in short, the main difference is that 2003 was a lot smaller of a scene. The crowds were small, the venues were smaller, the amount of good bands was smaller but thankfully ticket prices were smaller too. However I think the ratio of devoted ska kid to average joe at the concerts has stayed about the same. Ska has always drawn in a mix crowd.

2) Was there a specific moment that made you decide to put on a ska concert in Las Vegas?

That specific moment was when Vince Pileggi (manger of Reel Big Fish) asked if I wanted to help put on a ska concert in Las Vegas. It is something that Vince had on his mind for quite some time and he is the man that could make it happen. I took care of a lot of the booking and promotion for the event but the event was the truly the product of Vince Pileggi and took care of everything that was need to make a big event like that happen. Also our buddy Scott Tucker was the third man in the trio and if I recall correctly he did a lot to get the sponsors and help scored The Selecter.

3) Were bands open to the idea or skeptical?

Every band on that show was 100% supportive of the event and knew it would be worth their time. The bands had to cut a lot of corners to play the event so if they were skeptical they would not have been there. Neville Staples was really excited to play the event and I remember working with the manager of Go Jimmy Go who was super nice and also put a lot on the line to get the boys all the way from Hawaii to Las Vegas. There were a few bands that showed skepticism but none of those bands were at the event. I do recall The OC Supertones being 100% about the money so needless to say, they were not booked.

4) What were some of the first bands to sign on?

Reel Big Fish was obviously the first and I think the next three were Voo Doo Glow Skulls, The Toasters, and The Selecter. At the time we started booking The Selecter just happened to call up Scott Tucker looking for places to play in the US that just felling into our laps.

5) Attendence was close to 10,000 people, did you expect that many people? Did things run smoothly?

We expected 6,000 people and the final turnout ended up being close to 12,000. Yes, we were pleasantly surprised. As far as I know everything did run smoothly, though I should have worn more sun block. After the event on of the police officers came up to us and said, "This was one of the biggest turnouts we had here and there was not one single incident that required any of our assistance." Vince replied with something along the lines of, "their ska kids, it's about the music and unity."

6) What was one of your favorite memory of the Ska Summit?

I loved it all, the road trip up there, setting up at 5am in the freezing cold morning, working with all the bands and seeing everyone have a great time. It was also pretty cool to walk around a major city like Las Vegas and keep running into people you know or people who know you. There is one memory that I would like to share though. If anyone recalls between some of the sets we had Chris Murray MC and play come acoustic songs while bands were setting up. Well Dan Potthast from Mu330 was also supposed to do that but had a change of mind at the last minute and didn't play at all at the event.

Afterwards he came up to me to apologize and tell me how bad he felt. Apparently the people who run the venue told him he had to also do shout outs for the sponsors and Dan refused to because a lot of these kids look up to Dan and he didn't want to tell them to support something he never even heard of. I told Dan that I supported his choice 100% and would have done the same thing if I was in his place, and then I ended up being the one apologizing to him for the venue trying to pull that sort of stunt with him. To top things off, Dan Potthast did play after all. He played to a small crowed after the event in the parking lot until the cops kicked him out.

7) You've now teamed up with Andy Jeter to create Ska Summit: The Ska Spot Network. How did that come about?

Well I have not had much time at all to run or update the Ska Summit site since I personally have strayed away from music promotion and focus all my free time now on being an activist fighting political issues to protect our freedom and also help push the advancement of medical progress and science awareness. I won't waste your time with that but because of the lack of extra time I started looking was to merge Ska Summit with a networking site. I stabled across ning.com which had everything I needed, except for the ability to add show dates but they say that feature will be available soon. Andy Jeter already had a Ska network set up on ning.com so it would be pretty messed up if I added one on there too. It's a small scene so we need to all work together. So I contacted Andy asking him about a merger and he was down with the idea. So basically we now have the name and reputation of SkaSummit.com added to The Ska Spot Network that Andy already had going.

A networking site is important because it build more of a community feel and I would like to point that I did give the site the new look to truly make it a ska summit site and I do also act as a moderator approving some of the videos and photos but Andy really is the one who does most of the work with the site and keeps it updated. There is also some guy named Andrew who contributes a lot to the site but I'm sure none of you want to hear about that guy.

8) For the uninitiated, what is Ska Summit: The Ska Spot Network?

In short, it is the number one place for anyone to go to for any ska related information. And soon it will once again be a database of upcoming ska shows around the world.

9) It's been 5 years since the Las Vegas concert, any plans to do another?

Nope. If you missed 2003 then shame on you.

10) What are some of your favorite ska bands out there?

Reel Big Fish was the first band I got into and their shows are always a ton of fun. Other bands I'm really into are Dance Hall Crashers, Big D, Mad Caddies, Hep Cat and the Chris Murray Combo. Off the top of my head those would probly be my favorites. CRAP, I forget the Slackers.

Ska Joe is a member of Ska Summit: The Ska Spot Network

http://skaspot.ning.com/

Many thanks to Ska Joe! If you have any memories of The Ska Summit concert you'd like to share, please leave a comment below.

-Andrew

What Can Comic Books Tell Us About Ska Scenes?

What can Comic Books tell us about maintaining a healthy ska scene?

Actually quite a lot.

In the world of modern-day comic book, editors don't really plan beyond 5 years on any given title. So it is rare to see a title last more than 60 issues. Why?

They found that there is a natural longevity to a comic book's run.

-People outgrow comic books.

-People lose interest.

-People can't afford a book.

But the biggest factor is that, if a title goes on for too long, it's really hard to attract new readers because new readers are often intimidated by 100+ issues of continuity.

So a lot of times, editors will simply relaunch a title, whether it's some sort of Infinite Crisis, or temporarily killing off a major character the way DC Comics killed off Superman, or how Marvel killed off Captain America. Editors recognize the need to shake things up to attract new readers.

Maintaining a ska scene takes similar tact...just don't kill anyone, please.

Take The Bluebeat Lounge in Los Angeles, CA. for example. Now in its 5th year, the Bluebeat Lounge has changed: Brian Dixon no longer hosts, bands have folded, people have moved away, new bands have formed, and new people have moved in. And as I suspected, having first touched on this subject in 2006, the 5th year Anniversary crowd was much different than the 1st, 2nd or even 3rd Anniversary crowds. Just like comic books need constant renewal to maintain interest, ska scenes do too. But how can this be done?

-Word of mouth seems to be the best way. Telling a friend or co-worker about your local ska shows, or better yet, taking a friend or co-worker to a ska show, works the best.

-Special events like a festival or a "Ska Prom" can attract newcomers.

-Personally, I wear ska buttons to work (I work at a Whole Foods...). I'm amazed at how many customers say, "Oh. I used to listen to Madness. Are they still around?" And then I plug my podcast in the hopes that they'll check it out and discover that, yes, ska is still around.

Keeping interest in ska music high is necessary so that ska scenes can continue and bands can continue to play the music that they love. Next month is Ska History Month. There will be special podcasts and interviews. So tell a friend! Or better yet, tell someone you don't even know.

Stay tuned, True Believers!

-Andrew

What can "Children Of Men" teach us about the US Ska scene?

In the Alfonso Cuaron thriller, based on the novel by P. D. James, ”Children of Men” shows a world dissolving into ruin as women have been infertile for 18 years. I feel that the American ska scene is suffering a similar fate. As fans and musicians grow older, fewer and fewer young people are coming into the scene. And that path, if not reversed, can only spell ruin.

Simply put. Ska music cannot be the domain of guys in their 30’s and 40’s.

If you look at the American ska scene in the late 80’s to early 90’s, you see musicians getting together in their garage, or basement and forming new ska bands. What is more common today is to have veteran musicians forming new groups out of the ashes of old groups.

If you were to take the number of American bands formed from 1990 to 1997 and compare it to the number of bands formed from 2000 to 2007, there is no comparison. And if this downward trend continues, I shudder to think at how few bands will be around in the next decade.

I feel that the core of this problem is that many schools around the US are either scaling back their music programs, or eliminating them all together. Ska music cannot survive if kids aren’t learning to play saxophone, trumpet, or trombone. A simple way to fix this would be to have ska musicians and/or fans of ska music revisit their middle schools and high schools from time to time and make sure that their alma maters have a band program.

Another problem aggravating the situation is the slow erosion of regional ska scenes and their websites. When Nick Hardy pulled the plug on SouthernSka.com, the consequences were rapid and many bands, without a regional way to network and book shows, soon folded. Other regional websites like Planet Ska, Oregon Ska have also folded in recent years. And I certainly hope that DC Ska will soldier on, lest a 1/4th of the nation go without any regional ska website.The solutions, though not easy, are fairly clear.

Ska bands must show an eagerness to perpetuate ska music.As I’ve stated elsewhere, it would probably be beneficial to join the organization, “Save The Music” to keep school music programs running. Tomorrow’s ska musicians are learning to play an instrument today.

I’m always amazed at how many ska bands don’t have a single song on their My Space page that people can download. Giving away music for free often leads to paying customers later. You wouldn’t buy a car without test driving it, would you? Play at a county fair, or a high school prom, even if for free. New converts will pay to see you another time.

I remember a PSA from the 80's in which a drug dealer gives away free drugs to kids. His dope-dealing padawan asks him why he's giving away drugs for free. "Once they're hooked, they'll pay." Well, as much as I hate to say it, that's Marketing 101. How many times have you gone to a grocery store and they have free samples set up? The same is true for music. Let your consumers try for free. They'll pay later.

You cannot go to a newsstand and pick up a magazine about ska music.
You cannot turn on an FM radio and hear ska music.
You cannot turn on MTV and watch ska music videos.
So ska bands have to be creative in getting their music out there for free.

Street Teams. I used to street team for Johnny Socko. They’d send me flyers in the mail; I’d pass them out; they’d put me on the guest list. Simple, free, word-of-mouth advertising. Don’t like to street team the old-fashioned way? Fine. Use what ever electronic means works best for you. But every band should have a bunch of kids telling other kids about your band, your music, and your shows.

Podcasters. All four of us bloggers also have a podcast. And all four of us have listeners around the globe. If you know someone who is a podcaster, send them an mp3 or two. It’s FREE ADVERTISING.

Work with promoters. Chances are, they are there to help you. Find out who promotes shows and develop a business relationship with that person. Madonna makes more money from concerts and merchandising than from cd sales. As a band, your goal should be to get people to show up to your shows. Why? Because people who see you in concert are more likely to buy your cd or t-shirt. And that's where you're going to make your money.

Finally, fans of ska music have to participate as well.

It can’t be left solely to ska bands to perpetuate the genre. If there’s a band you like, take a friend along to a show. Buy a cd for a friend, brother, sister, neighbor, etc. Need a band for a high school dance? Ask a local ska band to play. Or, if you play an instrument, see if some people want to start a band. (That’s pretty much how every band in your collection got started.)

Ska music is a fantastic and colorful genre that can be enjoyed by people of all ages.

Its survival is up to all of us, musicians and fans alike.