I was listening to French radio today and came across this banger that I think this community would appreciate

Hi all, I've got what is hopefully not too weird, obscure a request (but I'm not super sanguine given I've had zero luck tracking this down). Back when I was teenager in the early aughts, there was a French skinhead ska band I absolutely adored called the Explorers (later, from what I can tell, when by Explorersz and even Eksplorersz to keep from being mixed up with the prog rock band). I had their first album, Fight, and the Ten Commandments EP - I don't even remember how the shit I got these in the States, just something I got from a friend of a friend of a friend and fell in love with. Both of those discs went missing when someone stole my CD binder from a jobsite years later, and I've never been able to find them any of their music again. What little internet presence they had in the aughts has mostly disappeared like so much internet ephemera, they have nothing on streaming services like Spotify, and if I ever do see one of their CDs for sale, it's always somewhere in Europe; I've never seen a copy pop up in the US since the aughts. If anyone knew where I could get my hands on a copy of any of their releases, they'd be my absolute hero; I've been going through old music and finding myself bummed yet again at the loss.

Our band, Uncle Frank Says No!, had the opportunity to play up at Fright Fest this past Saturday, so why not as Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem (well, most of them!) and some muppet additions! Had a blast of a time, and it was great to see all of the park goers who stopped by enjoying our music!

Given the time of year, I think this song is appropriate; to be honest, it’s one of their best, even if it is famous.

https://youtu.be/S8Ty8wPSsv8?si=7I68jBn0S_YJPRz4

WNC ska band, Heavy Lifters, play this Saturday at a great little venue called 185 King St. calling all rudies in the Western North Carolina mountains!! Long shot, but figured I’d put it out there.

This brazilian rapper is famous for his range and has dropped his ska EP, which is gonna be a series of 3.

The first one had children oriented lyrics and has a more "classical" sound. (Is it 2nd wave influenced? Im not sure).

He said the other ones are gonna be "angrier", so i expect a ska punk sound in the future.

How did I ever find out about this band? Because I have two CDs, in addition to this 4-song 7" EP, by them in my collection. Chances are, I probably saw 'em at 924 Gilman St. in Berkeley, CA. Quite charming, snotty and witty, snappy little ska punk outfit from Santa Cruz. Gives off "four friends who started a band just for fun" vibes. Poorly-Xeroxed lyric sheet with words that don't quite match the songs. I mean honestly, what's not to love? In a different dimension I was in a band like this in the '90s, but in reality I was too busy taking drugs and drinking during that time to create anything meaningful.

Very fine relic from a different era here, an excellent smattering of - mostly - European ska, with exceptional contributions from Les Frelons (France), Natural Rhythm (England), The Late Notes (Australia), and The Banditos (Scotland). Includes a great track from The Trojans which does not appear on their 'Ala-Ska' album!! Detailed written documentation of the mid- to late-'80s scene and history of Zoot! fanzine in the liner notes. No bad songs on this double LP! I have no idea where I picked this up, I've been carrying it around for years!

I’ll listen to basically anything

Hey r/Ska!

We just put together a 30-second teaser for our upcoming single, "Devolution," and wanted to share a quick preview with the sub.

The Concept: We’re taking the original drum, percussion, bass, and select horn tracks from our 2024 single "Revolution" and deconstructing the whole thing into a deep, atmospheric dub track. We stripped the vocal narrative entirely and rebuilt the arrangement with spacey melodica, fresh keyboard textures, rhythm guitars, and low-end baritone sax solos.

It’s part of a 3-track study in taking a single rhythmic foundation across different styles:

1. Revolution (2024) – Vocal-driven ska/reggae anthem.
2. Devolution (Drops late Oct) – Atmospheric, spacey dub reinvention.
3. Evolution (Coming soon) – Big-band ska-jazz workout (recorded exclusively for the upcoming On Safari with This Is Ska compilation on This Is Ska Records).

Check out the 30-second clip attached and let us know what you think of the dub mix!

More German ska! Ten bands and zero bad songs on this 1992 compilation. Fellow oldheads, and collectors of physical media regardless of age, will understand the importance an item can take on when it was found in a certain place at a certain time. I got this CD in Brattleboro, VT, at a store called Turn It Up! while on a trip in 2014 with the father who didn't raise me. Visited family from his side who hadn't seen me since I was two years old (I was 40 by then). As far as the album goes, I love it! There are seven volumes of the Ska... Ska... Skandal! series. My public library has them ALL through the Freegal Music service. I've listened to No 1 and this one so far...

Here it is, the ska punk compilation with a few bands that became huge (Sublime, LTJ, RBF) and others not so much. I know this one had a few different releases due to cover art copyright issues. Tracks by Slapstick, The Independents and Skankin' Pickle stand out for me. Lots of weird, self-referencial, in-joke type lyrics. Many of these bands, this is the only place I've ever heard them and I'm unsure what else they put out. This holds up though 30 years later, it's still a fun listen for me, with the exception of Gangster Fun's song making fun of overweight women.

Hi pals! If you're a fan of Less than Jake, Half Past Two, Blink 182 and Paramore you should check out my band PINK SLIP's new music video!

Filmed in our friends' backyard in Boston, MA with all of our nearest and queerest, this music video is a tasty, bratty little bite of hooky ska punk. Featuring multiple members of the Boston League of Wicked Wrestlers (BLOWW), this video is a messy, sweaty ode to chaotic chemistry topped off with an ICONIC hot dog makeout sesh.

Hope you have as much fun watching as we did making it! 💖

I’ll start with “Livin’ La Vida Loca”

Just a thought experiment of sorts (although I'm pretty certain that's actually not a great description🤷‍♂️)...

What is the song that you know of with the highest BPM that still has what might be called a stereotypical trad drum rhythm? I realize that the percussion of First Wave ska was actually more diverse than we tend to give it credit for, but for the purposes of this question, I just mean a drum pattern that makes use of classic ska elements as pioneered by Lloyd Knibb (kick drum often on 2 and/or 4, side stick vs. standard snare for the backbeat, perhaps some intricate hat work and offbeat cymbals)...the stuff that was largely gone from 2tone other than songs that intentionally invoked the trad sound.

Honestly, I don't even have a good answer for this myself...it just seems like there must be some band that I haven't heard or am not thinking about that would make listeners think: "They're playing trad ska, but it's FAST!" (I guess maybe some Scofflaws song could be my answer...?🤷‍♂️)

Thanks to anyone indulging me in this effort to just shoot the shit about ska...😅

2026-08-30 - Bogus Gasman -- Punishment Bumfinger
2026-08-31 - Fat Chance -- Itch
2026-09-01 - CBJ -- Whipping Boi
2026-09-02 - Dirty Bees -- He Has Trusted
2026-09-03 - Huge Puppies -- Richy
2026-09-04 - Dallax -- 1 or 6
2026-09-05 - Dr. Octopus -- Step Right Up
2026-09-06 - Do It With Malice -- That Guy
2026-09-07 - Subb -- The Feeling You Lost It
2026-09-08 - 69 Fingers -- End of the Beginning
2026-09-09 - Late for Life -- Bad Habits
2026-09-10 - Poor Jeremy -- Braindead
2026-09-11 - Lame Ducks -- Gonna Break It
2026-09-12 - Me Me Me Now Now Now -- Confidence
2026-09-13 - Plastic Presidents -- Ends Meat
2026-09-14 - Butter Beans -- Soul Mining
2026-09-15 - Murder Majesty -- Hidden Politics
2026-09-16 - Cryptorchid Chipmunk -- A Song That Andrew…
2026-09-17 - Angry Angency -- Brick By Brick, Bomb By Bomb
2026-09-18 - Rollerstarter -- Another Asswipe
2026-09-19 - Public Access -- Piss on Pity
2026-09-20 - PO Box -- 59'99
2026-09-21 - Eli Whitney & The Sound Machine -- Italian Alzhiemer's
2026-09-22 - Thread Level Burgandy -- Unidentified
2026-09-23 - Stand Out Riot -- Count For Something
2026-09-24 - Pinstripe Melee -- Can't Stop Running
2026-09-25 - La Chaparralta -- English Version
2026-09-26 - Late Night Munchies -- In Gold We Trust
2026-09-27 - The Couch Addiction -- One Day, One Anthem
2026-09-28 - Los Skagaleros -- 2 Tales of the Working Class
2026-09-29 - The Prosecution -- In Your Head
2026-09-30 - Kickback UK -- Breaking and Entering
2026-10-01 - Escape From the Zoo -- Draft Dodgers
2026-10-02 - The Hostiles -- Ed Knows
2026-10-03 - Manitoba Lights -- Americal Besieged
2026-10-04 - Hoverhounds -- Exponential Decay
2026-10-05 - The N.C. Thirteens -- It's Been Fun
2026-10-06 - Looking Up -- 3 Times 75
2026-10-07 - Madaline -- White Swan
2026-10-08 - The Popes of Chilitown -- The Last Elephant
2026-10-09 - The End Times -- The Mourning After
2026-10-10 - Chilled Monkey Brains -- Note To Self
2026-10-11 - One Eyed God -- Rubberface
2026-10-12 - Be Like Max -- Yeah, So What
2026-10-13 - Out of Nothing -- Eulogy for a Comic Book Hero
2026-10-14 - The Filaments -- Life's Not a Priviledge
2026-10-15 - Summerintibet -- Razorblades…
2026-10-16 - Sock full of pennyz -- Bleeding
2026-10-17 - Day Labor -- Bezerk
2026-10-18 - Ghetto Blaster -- The Art of…