Ska Punk!

Yeah, ska punk was a thing. It was pretty big in the ‘90s when California bands like Sublime, No Doubt, and Rancid helped introduce ska music to the MTV masses during the so called third wave ska revival. For me, Rancid pretty much is ska punk and my friends and I were lucky enough to see Rancid play at Wetlands in New York City where they gave the greatest live performance I have ever seen (although that was in 1994 just before their ska punk period). Talk about energy!

Rancid

Ska was born in ‘50s Jamaica where it was the forerunner to reggae music. The Clash in England were the first punk band to incorporate reggae into their music but it was Northern California’s Operation Ivy (with future members of Rancid) who burst onto the punk scene in the late ‘80s with their own unique blend of punk and ska and whose sound helped usher in the ‘90s ska punk phenomenon. It didn’t last long- and there were lots of misfires (and casualties)- but to me ska punk represents fun, dancing, freedom, and building bridges. Who knew there would come a time when we’d look back at ska punk as the good old days? Here are some of my favorites. Enjoy!

Operation Ivy and friends

01. Common Rider – “Cool This Madness Down” (2002)

02. The Mighty Mighty Bosstones – “The Impression That I Get” (1997)

03. Sublime – “What I Got” (1996)

04. Operation Ivy – “Sound System” (1989)

05. Rancid – “Fall Back Down” (2003)

06. Sublime – “Badfish” (1992)

07. Rancid – “Up to No Good” (2009)

08. Rancid – “Coppers” (1998)

09. Rancid – “Wrongful Suspicion” (1998)

Listen to the playlist on Spotify...