Orange County ska

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Orange County Ska refers to the Ska Punk music scene from Orange County, California, United States.

The Orange County third wave ska scene during the 1990s was large and influential. Many of the bands that emerged from that scene continue to have success, with some moving into other music genres.

Anaheim's No Doubt has had the most enduring commercial success of the Orange County ska bands. [1] They had several #1 singles and a diamond-certified album, Tragic Kingdom . In the mid-1980s, No Doubt used to open for Los Angeles bands such as The Untouchables and Fishbone. [2]

Another third wave ska band originating in Orange County that had commercial success is Reel Big Fish, whose song "Sell Out" reached #10 on the Billboard Modern Rock charts in 1997. The Hippos and Save Ferris have experienced some commercial success with the albums "Heads Are Gonna Roll" and "It Means Everything", respectively. [3] Both acts were featured on several major film soundtracks during the 1990s. The Aquabats remain one of the few original Orange County third wave ska bands who still play today. [4] However, the band generally doesn't play ska-influenced music in their most recent release, Charge!!. The same applies to Goldfinger, who, despite once being an active forerunner in the scene, dropped the ska sound in 2001.

After emerging out of Orange County's suburban ska scene in the 1990s, the band Pharmaceutical Bandits later became known as Rx Bandits and altered their sound to embrace pop punk, emo and prog rock influences. [5] The band's members met at Los Alamitos High School in Orange County, where members of Save Ferris, Reel Big Fish and Bad Religion were also students. [5] Reno ska jazz band Keyser Soze has Southern California roots, including members from Orange County and Los Angeles (which borders Orange County). [6]

Notable bands

Related Research Articles

Ska punk is a fusion genre that mixes ska music and punk rock music. Ska punk tends to feature brass instruments, especially horns such as trumpets, trombones and woodwind instruments like saxophones, making the genre distinct from other forms of punk rock. It is closely tied to third wave ska which reached its zenith in the mid-1990s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Save Ferris</span> American ska punk band

Save Ferris is an American ska punk band formed circa 1995 in Orange County, California, United States. Their name is a reference to the 1986 film Ferris Bueller's Day Off. In 1995, the band began to perform underground venues in Southern California. In 1996, the band won a Grammy showcase award for best unsigned band and a contract with Epic Records. Their album It Means Everything from 1997 was their first full-length album. By 1999, the band moved from ska-pop into pop-punk. After a hiatus, in 2017, Save Ferris released the Checkered Past EP.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rx Bandits</span> American band

Rx Bandits are a band based in Seal Beach, California, United States. The band formed in 1995 in Orange County, California. They have appeared on the Vans Warped Tour, at the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival, Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, and The Bamboozle. In the UK they have appeared at Reading/Leeds Festival & Slam Dunk Festival.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Aquabats</span> American rock band

The Aquabats are an American rock band formed in Huntington Beach, California, in 1994. Throughout many fluctuations in the group's line-up, singer the MC Bat Commander and bassist Crash McLarson have remained the band's two constant fixtures. Since 2006, the Aquabats' members also include keyboardist Jimmy the Robot, drummer Ricky Fitness and guitarist Eaglebones Falconhawk.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The O.C. Supertones</span> American ska band

The Orange County Supertones were a Christian ska band from Orange County, California. The band was signed to Tooth & Nail Records and its imprint, BEC Recordings, before becoming an independent band. The band temporarily disbanded in 2005, reunited in 2010 to resume touring and recording, and permanently disbanding in 2017. The OC Supertones were one of the first widely successful Christian ska bands.

<i>Stomping Ground</i> 2000 studio album by Goldfinger

Stomping Ground the third studio album by American punk rock band Goldfinger, released on March 28, 2000. The song "The End of the Day" contains a brief sample from the Dead Kennedys song "Nazi Punks Fuck Off." The album was produced by Tim Palmer and John Feldmann and mixed by Tim Palmer.

<i>It Means Everything</i> 1997 studio album by Save Ferris

It Means Everything is the debut studio album of American rock band Save Ferris; it was released on September 9, 1997, through Epic Records and Starpool Records. Save Ferris formed in 1995 after its members appeared in other bands. Vocalist Monique Powell became the band's manager because of her connections in the Orange County music scene. Following the release of their debut EP Introducing Save Ferris (1996), they received radio airplay on KROQ-FM, after which the EP sold 12,000 copies. The band performed at the Grammy Awards, which led to them signing with Epic Records. Their debut album was mostly recorded at NRG and The Hook studios, in Hollywood, Los Angeles, between April and June 1997. It Means Everything is a ska album that includes influences from swing music and has been compared with the works of American band No Doubt.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Suburban Legends</span> American ska punk band

Suburban Legends are an American ska punk band that formed in Huntington Beach, California, in 1998 and later based themselves in nearby Santa Ana. After building a fanbase in the Orange County ska scene through their numerous regular performances at the Disneyland Resort, a series of lineup changes in 2005 introduced elements of funk and disco into the group's style.

The Hippos were an American rock band formed in 1995 in Los Angeles, California, and disbanded in 2002. The band released three full-length albums. Their early work is best classified as part of the third wave of ska music, or as ska-punk, though in the later years of their career the band transitioned to a more synthesizer-driven power pop and rock sound.

<i>Were Not Happy til Youre Not Happy</i> 2005 studio album by Reel Big Fish

We're Not Happy 'til You're Not Happy is the fifth studio album by ska punk band Reel Big Fish. It was released on April 5, 2005 on Mojo Records to mixed reviews.

Ska Parade, also known as SP Radio One, is a southern California radio show whose goal is to promote up-and-coming ska artists, as well as other types of new bands. The show was created by Tazy Phyllipz and Albino Brown. The show was a part of the Orange County third-wave ska movement of the mid-1990s. In 1998, the Ska Parade was raided by the heavy metal band Gwar, who fought The Aquabats. Ska Parade's first compilation album, Step On It: The Best of The Ska Parade Radio Show, helped the career of Sublime and helped launch third wave ska onto the airwaves of many commercial radio stations. Ska Parade's second compilation, Runnin' Naked Thru the Cornfield, featured exclusive tracks by Reel Big Fish, The Specials, Save Ferris and The Aquabats. **Ska Parade currently airs on www.DirtyRadio.FM every Sunday from 8p-10p Pacific.

The Nuckle Brothers were a third wave ska band from Huntington Beach that was part of the early 1990s music scene in Orange County, California, United States, inspiring such bands as Reel Big Fish, Save Ferris and The Aquabats.

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"Sell Out" is the debut single by American ska punk band Reel Big Fish. Released as the first track on the group's second album Turn the Radio Off on August 13, 1996, the song has proven Reel Big Fish's most popular release.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Super Rad!</span> 1997 single by The Aquabats

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Trust (music production duo)</span> American record production and songwriting duo

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References

  1. ↑ "Orange County's own No Doubt." The return of No Doubt by Dustin Schoof Tuesday November 25, 2008 Lehigh Valley Live http://www.lehighvalleylive.com/music/index.ssf/2008/11/the_return_of_no_doubt.html
  2. ↑ Reunited Ska-Punk Band Plays Shoreline July 19, 2009 KTVU
  3. ↑ "Orange County produced Richard Nixon, but also that weird moment in the early 1990s when surf and punk met ska and produced (among others) No Doubt, Save Ferris, Reel Big Fish and – coming this Friday – The Aquabats." December 11, 2008 by Ron Garmon LA Citybeat http://www.lacitybeat.com/cms/story/detail/december_11_2008/7846/
  4. ↑ "The outside world may think it has Orange County ska-rock pegged as a particularly lightweight musical form, but the outside world hasn't seen anything yet. Here come the Aquabats." Los Angeles Times Mike Boehm October 28, 1997 Part F page 1
  5. 1 2 Michael Senft Get to know: The Rx Bandits June 30, 2009 Arizona Republic
  6. ↑ Tony Sauro Stockton native brings Keyser Soze home Stockton Record July 23, 2009 Stockton Record
  7. ↑ "'Chase the Supertones' already is the name of the game in the ska-rock genre in general. With its third album, the Mission Viejo band confirms and builds upon its excellent 1997 release, 'The Supertones Strike Back.'...That album's meld of catchy melody, shining playing, and the warm, bracing urgency and heart that singer Matt Morginsky brought to his songs of mature spiritual struggle marked the Supertones as the only Orange County ska band that matters. Mike Boehm February 23, 1999 PART- F LA Times"
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