The Scholars (band)

Last updated

The Scholars were an American band. Like the Nuckle Brothers, No Doubt and Reel Big Fish, they are one of the main founding bands of the Orange County ska scene.

Contents

The Scholars' lineup changed on a regular basis. Current and former members of Reel Big Fish Aaron Barrett (Guitar/Vocals), Grant Barry (Trombone) and Scott Klopfenstein (Trumpet/Vocals) all played in The Scholars. Jay Layafette, a member of the now defunct O.C. ska band called The Forces of Evil, played trumpet for them in their final days of playing shows. Their singer, Jesse Wilder, fronted a power pop group known as Teen Heroes, and also played Saxophone and Keyboard for The Scholars. He and Scott Klopfenstein later collaborated on a number of projects, including The Littlest Man Band and PAL with Scholars bassist Jake Berry and drummer Greg Parkin.

Their only main release, an 8-song demo called I'm In A Band, can be found on their anthology Last Great Record of The 20th Century on Vegas Records, along with numerous live songs and goofy pre-studio tracks they recorded with a tape deck in their drummer Greg's garage. They were a hit at the local high school Los Alamitos High School, where they were also students. They opened and headlined shows with more unknown local acts such as Exit Smiling, Leonard's Lunchbox, The Nuckle Brothers, The Goodwin Club, Suburban Rhythm and others.

Scott, Jake, Jesse, and Greg later went on to form The Littlest Man Band along with Dan Regan of Reel Big Fish, and Suburban Legends singer Vince Walker.

Reunions

Reel Big Fish announced on their Facebook page that Scott and Aaron would be reuniting with the band for a one-off show for The Ska Parade 20th Anniversary Party at the Glass House, O.C. on 25 September 2010. The band reunited with Scott Klopfenstein on August 13, 2021, for the 1st annual Summer Sizzler at the Garden Amphitheatre.

Band members

Discography

Albums

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reel Big Fish</span> American ska punk band

Reel Big Fish is an American ska punk band from Huntington Beach, California. The band gained mainstream recognition in the mid-to-late 1990s during the third wave of ska with the release of the gold-certified album Turn the Radio Off. Soon after, the band lost mainstream recognition but gained an underground cult following. As of 2006, the band was no longer signed to a major record label and has since been independent. After numerous line-up changes, frontman Aaron Barrett is the last remaining founding member still performing in the band.

<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.

The Forces of Evil was an Orange County-based ska punk band, formed in January 2001 with the intention of creating a ska supergroup, being the side project of fellow ska punk band Reel Big Fish. The band split in 2005 after releasing a four-song EP, which was available on their website.

<i>Turn the Radio Off</i> 1996 studio album by Reel Big Fish

Turn the Radio Off is the second full-length album by ska punk band Reel Big Fish. It was released in the U.S. in 1996 on Mojo Records.

<i>Hang-Ups</i> (album) 1997 studio album by Goldfinger

Hang-Ups is the second studio album by American punk rock band Goldfinger, released by Mojo Records on September 9, 1997. Many of the album's tracks feature more of a ska sound than their debut. The album's first single "This Lonely Place" was not as successful as "Here in Your Bedroom", a single off their debut album, but it did gain them numerous talk show appearances and spins of the video, which parodies the 1979 film Alien.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scott Klopfenstein</span> Musical artist

Scott Allen Klopfenstein is an American musician and a former member of the band Reel Big Fish. He sings and plays trumpet, guitar, and keyboard.

The Littlest Man Band was started by Scott Klopfenstein of Orange County, California. Scott was a long-time member of Reel Big Fish, a popular ska punk band. Scott had written a number of songs over the years that did not conform to the usual style of Reel Big Fish. He performed some of these by himself under the pseudonym "The Littlest Man" before being joined by several musicians well known to him from the Long Beach music scene, the majority of whom are fellow ex-members of the band The Scholars.

<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.

<i>Everything Sucks</i> (Reel Big Fish album) 1995 studio album by Reel Big Fish

Everything Sucks is Reel Big Fish's first full-length studio album. It was recorded at Sound Art Studios in 1994 and 1995, and released in 1995 on Reel Big Fish's independent label Piss Off Records. The album was engineered by John Gregorius.

<i>Why Do They Rock So Hard?</i> 1998 studio album by Reel Big Fish

Why Do They Rock So Hard? is the third full-length studio album by the ska punk band Reel Big Fish.

<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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vincent Walker</span> Musical artist

Vincent Francis Walker, better known as Vince Walker, is an American multi-instrumentalist, best known as the lead singer of third-wave ska band Suburban Legends. He was formerly the lead trumpet player and left sometime after the release of Rump Shaker but returned to the band in September 2005 for the band's appearance on the Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon, which happened to be lead singer Tim Maurer's last performance. He replaced Maurer as the singer in an odd switching of roles and continues with the band as frontman.

Jeffries Fan Club was a southern California Third-wave ska band formed in 1996. The band released several albums on now-defunct Vegas Records before breaking up in 2001. The band played their final show January 6, 2001, at The Glasshouse in Pomona, which was later released on CD under the title Last Show at the Glasshouse. Their breakup was the cover story in the OC Weekly issue dated January 5, 2001. In the OC Weekly article, it was revealed that the primary reason for the band's breakup was lead singer/guitarist Mike Dziurgot's desire to return to school. In the article, he also mentioned that he and several of the members didn't enjoy performing unless they were under the influence of alcohol, and that this affliction had prompted him to return to his Christian roots.

Suburban Rhythm was a ska punk band from Long Beach, California. Formed in 1990, they played numerous shows in small-venue clubs with many now famous O.C. bands opening their performances, including Sublime, No Doubt, and Reel Big Fish. Suburban Rhythm met with various roster changes and broke up in 1994. Three years later in 1997 their only full-length album, Suburban Rhythm was released.

<i>Monkeys for Nothin and the Chimps for Free</i> 2007 studio album by Reel Big Fish

Monkeys for Nothin' and the Chimps for Free is the sixth studio album from Reel Big Fish, This is their first studio album after being dropped by Jive Records and their final album with bassist Matt Wong.

<i>Fame, Fortune and Fornication</i> 2009 studio album by Reel Big Fish

Fame, Fortune and Fornication is a cover album by ska punk band Reel Big Fish.

<i>Candy Coated Fury</i> 2012 studio album by Reel Big Fish

Candy Coated Fury is the eighth studio album by the American ska punk band Reel Big Fish, released on July 31, 2012. The cover art was made by artist Thom Foolery. The album was recorded at the band's personal studio in Orange, California.

<i>Life Sucks...Lets Dance!</i> 2018 studio album by Reel Big Fish

Life Sucks...Let's Dance! is the ninth studio album by American ska punk band Reel Big Fish, released on December 21, 2018, through Rock Ridge Music. It is their first album since 2012's Candy Coated Fury. It is supported by the lead single "You Can't Have All of Me".