Ska punk

Ska punk
Stylistic origins Ska - 2 Tone - Punk rock - Hardcore punk
Cultural origins 1980s, United Kingdom
Typical instruments Electric guitar, electric bass, trumpet, tenor trombone, tenor saxophone, drums
Mainstream popularity United States: highest in late 1990s
Spain and Latin America: highest in mid 2000s
Subgenres
Ska-core
Other topics
List of ska musicians

Ska punk is a fusion music genre that combines ska and punk rock.[1] It achieved its highest level of commercial success in the United States in the late 1990s.[2] Ska-core (sometimes spelled skacore) is a subgenre of ska punk, blending ska with hardcore punk.

The characteristics of ska punk vary, due to the fusion of contrasting genres. The more punk-influenced style often features faster tempos, guitar distortion, onbeat punk rock-style interludes (usually the chorus), and punk-style vocals. The more ska-influenced style of ska punk features a more developed instrumentation and a cleaner vocal and musical sound. The common instrumentation includes electric guitar, bass guitar, drums, brass instruments (such as trombones or trumpets), saxophones, and sometimes an organ.

History

Ska and punk rock were first combined during the 2 Tone movement of the late 1970s,[3] by bands such as The Specials, The Selecter, The Beat, and Madness. The fusion of the two genres became most prevalent in the 1980s, during the third wave of ska, and this is what most people associate with ska punk.

Operation Ivy formed in 1987 in the East Bay area of San Francisco and is widely considered a pioneer of the genre. One of the first appearances of the term ska-core was in the title of The Mighty Mighty Bosstones 1993 album Ska-Core, the Devil, and More. Bands like Sublime and No Doubt gained mainstream popularity as ska-punk with No Doubt's 1995 Tragic Kingdom, and Sublimes's 1996 self-titled album, which would both go Platinum multiple times with No Doubt going on to diamond certification , although Sublime is mostly associated with Ska and Reggae styles where as No Doubt used elements alternative Rock and dance music. The Mighty Mighty Bosstones appeared in the movie Clueless, and their 1997 album Let's Face It went platinum.[4] Save Ferris appeared in the film 10 Things I Hate About You, and Reel Big Fish performed songs in the movie BASEketball which were also included on the soundtrack. The Offspring and Rancid also have used the genre in songs such as "What Happened to You", "Don't Pick it Up", and Why Don't You Get A Job by The Offspring and "Roots Radicals", "Time Bomb", and "Bloodclot" by Rancid.

References