I have quite an eclectic taste in music. My recent music library consists of Blink-182, Zac Brown Band, Streetlight Manifesto, A Day To Remember, the Moana soundtrack, Eminem, Sam Smith, Green Day, Elvis… I can go on. I don’t restrict myself to specific genres. If I like a song, then I like it; I’ll probably listen to it over and over. However, when I’m asked about my favorite kind of music, I always have to mention ska, and people often reply with, “hm… I’ve never heard of them before.” Indeed, you haven’t — ska is a music genre, not a band. Ska is one of my favorite genres, and I can’t believe it took me until 2014 to discover it. Here is a basic summary of what kind of music ska is, to educate the less fortunate.

Ska originated in Jamaica in the late 1950s. The music has a walking bass-line with rhythms on the off-beat, and is typically exciting, upbeat, and easy to dance to. By the 1960s, ska was the most popular music of Jamaica. Since then, it has gone through three waves leading up to where the music is now. One of the things I love most about ska is the prominent horn section. It’s very common for these bands to consist of brass and even some woodwind instruments — such as saxophones, trombones, and trumpets. I’d say ska’s biggest influences are reggae, swing, punk, and jazz.

Ska is fun, happy music. I’ve seen a few bands live and they undoubtedly have the most exciting crowd you could be in. It even has its own dance: skanking. It may sound odd, but it’s only a dance. Not an insult. Basically, you’re running in place and kicking your legs while simultaneously moving your arms like you’re running… all to the beat. You can subtly/gently skank, or take the ‘go hard or go home’ route. Moshing is pretty common at shows as well, but it's more to express yourself and feel the music, rather than to show aggression. There is little to no judging at ska shows. It’s pretty common for people to show up in bizarre clothing and even costumes. It wouldn’t be a ska concert without the guy in the banana suit.

The first ska band I came across was Reel Big Fish. Truthfully, many of their songs don’t mean too much. They repeatedly sing about how relationships always go wrong and that they love drinking. But hey, the music really gets me goin’ and I never get bored of it. Honestly, there is a lot of ska music that does not consist of deep meaningful lyrics. And then there is. For example, Streetlight Manifesto. They sing about real life and deep things, while still sounding amazing. (Granted, there are most definitely ska bands similar to them that I am just unaware of. I'm sure they're amazing. Streetlight is just one of my favorites. Please forgive me.)

Ska hasn’t been very popular since the 90s, but it’s on its way to making a comeback. There has been at least one ska band at Vans Warped Tour every year, which I am very thankful for. (God bless Warped Tour.) I’ve introduced many friends and acquaintances to ska and I’m so glad to see people enjoying it. I'm not sure how else to describe ska without simply providing you with music. First, I'd recommend Sell Out by Reel Big Fish, Somewhere in the Between by Streetlight Manifesto, The Impression That I Get by The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, All My Best Friends Are Metalheads by Less Than Jake, and Date Rape by Sublime. There's tons of great bands and songs, but there's your deluxe starter pack.

I hope those of you who didn't know much about ska choose to take a listen! If you enjoy it, I highly recommend listening to other bands, and don't stop skankin' (Reel Big Fish reference)... or, start skankin'.