Everyone likes predictions right? I mean, that's basically why the movie "2012" even sold any tickets. So now it's my turn to make my own prophecy: Ska is making a comeback.
I've run into a surprising amount of people who don't know what Ska is, or at least have never heard the name of the genre. Let's start with a brief history of the genre. Ska started in the 1950s and was essentially a fusion of Caribbean Calypso and American Jazz and R&B. Eventually, from the womb of Mother Ska came Reggae. Decades later, Two Tone Ska emerged in England in the 1970s.
Two Tone emerged as a more up-beat, quick-tempo version of Ska, mixing in some traits of British Punk music. In the 1990s, Third Wave Ska was born, featuring some large brass horn sections and more powerful guitar riffs. Some headliners of this movement include Reel Big Fish, Less Than Jake, and The Mighty Mighty Bosstones.
One of the reasons why Ska became such a well-known genre at the time was because people began to grow tired of the sad tone in music that was found in the popular grunge music of the day. The younger generation wanted to leave their music about depression and drug abuse behind, moving on to something lighter and less serious. Third Wave was never meant to be taken seriously. It was more light-hearted and fun.
Most recently, however, there have been a few honorable Ska mentions such as Streetlight Manifesto and Voodoo Glow Skulls, who forsake some of the fun and games in order to create some more serious songs. Despite these somber lyrical pieces, there has yet to be a Fourth Wave of Ska. With that being said, if there is to be a new revival, it is expected to come within the next few years, seeing as there has been a new wave just about every 20 years or so.
With the country music scene being flooded with "Bro Country" over the past few years, and the lack of original content coming out in the quite popular Hardcore scene, I would guess that Fourth Wave Ska would either consist of a simpler sound with more acoustic influence, or that it would take the complexity and technicality of the Hardcore metal and lighten the tone by bringing the horns from Third Wave Ska into the mix. Whichever direction Ska goes next, we can be sure it'll make it's way back into the scene eventually, so go do yourself a favor and get ahead of the crowd! Grab your trumpet, saxophone, and your trombone; break out the Vans and flannel; and go follow Reel Big Fish's advice and "Sell Out!"
