Dateline: 10/03/97 

Here is another Article that I found randomly floating around on the web. It was reprinted at another web site, but I do not remember the URL. I saved it because it's good stuff! 

It's tough to think of a question that can cause more acrimony among ska aficionados ("skaficionados?!") than "what counts as ska?" The term has been applied to such a wide range of musical forms that two equally dedicated "ska" fans may actually listen to two entirely different kinds of music. From the '50's club scenes in Jamaica to the thrash of punk-n-funk ska, those three little letters have been spread about as thin as the Lunar atmosphere (obligatory Moon pun). In 1997, we seem to be at the point where anything with upbeats gets labeled "ska." Can this magical word regain its integrity? 

For a lot of fans, of course, the only ska that really counts is pure Jamaican style, old rootsy Studio One Skatalites. This is where it all started, where the style was born. True, authentic ska is much more than the oom-pah oom-pah skinheads you hear on your radio. Laying off the down beat, the guitar scratches up while the bass drum kicks down on 2 and 4 and that bass just keeps bouncing along. That's Old School virgin ska. A lot of young, contemporary bands dedicate themselves to keeping the roots style alive. Bands like The Slackers, The Allstonians, and The Stubborn All-Stars are favorites of Old School fans. 

Of course, what makes things confusing is that most fans, in America at least, aren't introduced to ska in its pure form. Even many roots-minded fans will confess that their first taste was of modern ska-influenced acts like Fishbone and The Mighty Mighty Bosstones. I know that in my own early years I thought Fishbone was pure ska. I remember playing one of their albums for a friend in England who told me, "That's not ska! That's like ska meets rock-n-roll at 78rpm!" Coming to ska through rock can be quite a revelation once you hit that gold mine of Jamaican classics and many fans never look back, looking with scorn on any newer, equally ignorant fan who thinks the Bosstones are the greatest "ska" band around. 

But, for better or for worse, the term has been twisted and stretched to include an endless stream of variations. In the long run, this is a good thing as long as fans learn to differentiate between the roots and the branches. If Goldfinger is going to induce a few more kids to investigate this sound we call ska, then fine. Let them sell themselves as a ska band. For the record, I'd say the relentless association of ska with No Doubt in the mass media has gone beyond the limits to the point where it's not even interesting making that point anymore. But if you can go to something labeled a ska show and see six completely distinct bands, there's excitement and power in that. 

As long as the music shows some sense of legacy, some sense of knowing the history of ska, there's nothing wrong with adding your own flavor or experimentation. Go nuts, create your own sound till you have to call it something new. While there will always be fans who only accept pure ska, without any hyphenated extensions, those upbeats will always call for skankin' whether it's jazzy, punky, thrashy, or messy. 

Ska might just be like that other three-letter word that starts with G and ends with D: it takes many different forms but I think at heart we're all hearing the same vibe. 

Peace.