2tone

2Tone

Ok 2Tone isn't a band its a style of music but like I said on the first page on this site I am a tad strapped for space so I decided to lump all the 2Tone ska bands into one place.

What is 2Tone you may ask? Well lets start from the beginning. Ska is the music of Jamaica, it is rooted in reggae. For all practical pourpose lets just say Ska is pretty much music played on upbeats. In other words, when playing ska you strum up on the guitar instead of down. Traditional ska is slow and melodic kinda like reggae but there is a slight difference that I honestly can't hear. 2Tone ska came about in the late 70's and early 80's. 2Tone was actually a record label started by the members of the Specials. The 2Tone label featured such great bands as Madness, Prince Buster, The Selecter, The (English) Beat, and of course The Specials. 2Tone ska is much more upbeat than traditional ska and about 20 times faster. The 2Tone style is making a strong comeback as of late and all I have to say is its about time. The "Ska" bands you hear today are, in my opinion, not true Ska bands. I mean yes they do play on upbeats and they sound just as bouncy as their forefathers, but there is something missing in the bands today. Bands like No Doubt, The Mighty Mighty Bostones, Goldfingure, and even Rancid have major Ska influences but they are not ska bands. I guess the reason why these bands are making it is because the have a gimmick. Unlike the 2Tone bands these new bands are doing things a bit different. In closing I just have to say that I love the bands from the 2Tone Label and I'm glad to see they had such an influence on the bands of today. I'm also glad to see that some of those bands are even still touring. So if ya get a chance check out the Selecter or the Specials if they come to a town near you, I think you will gladly suprised.

If you'd like to learn more about the 2Tone labile or ska in general check out this site. EASY SKANKING!

And also check out the best Third Wave ska band in the world, well Northern California anyway. These guys are friends of mine. But please don't refer to them as 2Tone because they really don't like the comparison.