| THE THIRD WAVE |
 |
| The third wave of ska began circa 1986 with the introduction of bands such as Fishbone, The Voo Doo Glow Skulls, Operation Ivy, Hepcat, and others. Currently, the third wave is still going on, and ska music hit a peak of extreme popularity between the years 1996-1997 with bands such as Reel Big Fish, The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, No Doubt (before Return of Saturn), The Aquabats, The Hippos, Less Than Jake, and others. Ska has since died down slightly with the increased popularity of boy/girl bands and other pop acts, rock/rap, and other "mainstream" types of music. The third wave is really not characterized by any certain sound or movement. In fact, there are actually sub-ska genres now, which "have incorporated different genre's of music...such as Latin, Hard-Core, House/Rave, Funk, and alternative" (VanHoof: Current Incarnations 1) with the basic ska sound (guitar and drum emphasis on certain beats). "Ska's just gotten faster and faster" (Ska: Third Wave 1). The guitar is "frequently frantic sounding and even the horns...[are] tighter and louder" (Ska: Third Wave). Modern day ska bands all have some sort of punk influences, but they all somehow tie back to the original sound from the 60's. The image of the "rudeboy/rudegirl...reappeared with the third wave as well. This time not as an outlaw but as a supporter and fan (fanatic) of ska" (Rosenthal 5). They are still portrayed as wearing the 2Tone outfits from the second wave; However, the rudegirl has a skirt rather than a suit. The images are simply images and nothing else because the rudeboy/girl have become symbols to ska rather than actual people. Another symbol to modern-day ska is the flame. However, it is actually a symbol to ska and punk. No one knows where this symbol came from. Modern day ska concerts are held at typical concert venues rather than dance halls. At these concerts, on may find some concert-goers skanking; however, most of the time one will find the concert-goers moshing, slam dancing, or crowd surfing, possibly disturbing other concert-goers. Many issues of the world have been expressed through third wave ska. Fishbone's "Party At Ground Zero" is about the cold war and the fear Americans had of nuclear war. The third wave ska still promotes the message of unity, but in addition, some of the bands's lyrics express messages about relationships, hardships of life problems, and even, as in the Reel Big Fish song "Say Ten," make fun of vegetarians. A lot of the "crazier" issues that modern bands sing about tend to make fun of impractical ideas, but it is all in good fun, so they do not mean any harm. Also, in the third wave, the idea of "the sell out" came about. A sell out is defined as "anyone who changes their beliefs or their craft because of selfish-motivations" (Morris 1). In other words, they change their beliefs either to be "cool" or for personal greed. Reel Big Fish's song "Sell Out" makes fun of those people who have sold out to the public in music, but a sell out is not necessarily limited to the field of music. As before, the third wave ska appeals to the youth, and because of this idea, "most ska shows are all ages and inexpensive to accomodate this" (Rosenthal 5), and as always, the shows are energetic, lively, and overall fun. "Ska remains a harmonious unification of numerous types of musical styles and people who love it" (Rosenthal 5). |