Third wave ska

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Fusion genres
Third wave ska
Stylistic origins	Ska, 2 Tone, Punk rock,Pop punk,Hardcore,Reggae, Rock, Pop, Jazz
Cultural origins	late 1980s in New York and California
Typical instruments	Guitar, Bass guitar, Keyboard, Trumpet, Trombone, Saxophone, Drums
Mainstream popularity	Mostly late 1980s to mid 1990s in North America and Europe
Ska punk

Third wave ska is a music genre that was a revival of Jamaican ska with various additional American and British styles of music, such as 2 Tone, rock music, punk rock, pop music, hardcore and jazz. The term third wave ska has also been used to refer to all ska music performed by bands, particularly American bands, that started in the 1980s or later. The original Jamaican ska period in the 1960s is considered the first wave, and the 2 Tone period in Britain during the late 1970s is considered the second wave.

The term was first used in 1989 by Tazy Phyllipz and Albino Brown of the Ska Parade radio show when bands such as No Doubt and Let's Go Bowling were submitting demo tapes in order to get airplay.^[1] The Toasters, formed in New York in 1981, are commonly referred to as the first US third wave ska band.^[2]

The third wave began primarily as an American continuation or revival of the British 2 Tone movement. The initial third wave bands, such as the Toasters, Fishbone and Bim Skala Bim played in a style similar to the 2 Tone bands. This style was characterized by brass instruments and a heavily-accented offbeat.^[3]. As the movement grew, some bands melded a faster version of ska with other music styles, such as hardcore punk or punk rock.

Many of the popular accoutrements of the 2 Tone and mod movements were also popular with the third wave of ska. These include black and white suits with skinny black ties. Many third wave ska songs were written about wearing a pork pie hat, however, the hat worn by bands and fans is more accurately described as a Trilby. The checkerboard pattern of the 2 Tone record label was also a popular stylistic element on third wave ska clothing, album covers, and posters.

Third wave ska reached the peak of its commercial success between 1995 and 1998. During this period, third wave ska bands such as Sublime, No Doubt, Reel Big Fish and The Mighty Mighty Bosstones achieved high record sales, mainstream radio play and video rotation on music video networks such as MTV. Most of the bands that received heavier airplay played ska-core or ska punk, however some bands playing a more traditional sound, such as Hepcat and Stubborn All-Stars, achieved some mainstream attention.

[edit] Record labels

In 1981, The Toasters' frontman Robert "Bucket" Hingley created Moon Ska Records, which became the biggest American ska record label. It featured many bands that became staples in third wave ska.^{[citation needed]} Moon Ska Records officially folded in 2000, but Moon Ska Europe continued operating in the 2000s, and later relaunched as Moon Ska World. In 2003, Hingley launched a new ska record label, Megalith Records. In 1996, Mike Park of the band Skankin' Pickle officially founded Asian Man Records, which was the biggest West coast United States third wave ska label.^{[citation needed]} In 1997, Brett Gurewitz and Tim Armstrong founded Hellcat Records, which mostly featured punk rock bands, but also featured several ska and ska punk acts. In Montreal, Canada, The Planet Smashers' lead signer and guitarist Matt Collyer founded Stomp Records in 1994. Fueled by Ramen was started by Less than Jake and features many lesser known ska bands.

[edit] Footnotes

^ Layne, Anni. "The Ska Parade Is Coming To Town". Rolling Stone. May 9, 1998. Retrieved April 26, 2007.
^ In Music We Trust - Toasters: Pioneers of the Third Wave Ska Sound
^ Moskowitz, David V. (2006). Caribbean Popular Music. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press, 270. ISBN 0-313-33158-8.

[edit] External links

SKAspot A ska music web portal with links to several 3rd wave bands and related websites
History of US Third Wave Ska BBC article
The Herenow of Ska Essay on third wave ska
Allmusic Section about third wave ska
Ska's Third Wave Online magazine article
The Ska Music Photo essay of Ska personalities
History of Ska A brief history of ska music.
Third Wave Ska Music Third Wave Ska on Pandora Radio