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The Ska Rockets, Bangor’s premier ska band, are playing at Soma 36 in Orono this weekend.
Ska? Who listens to ska anymore? The last ska song anyone remembers is “Sell Out” by Reel Big Fish. Who cares?
Turns out, plenty of people.
A little background, for the uninitiated: Toots and the Maytals, Desmond Dekker and the Skatalites started ska in Jamaica in the ’60s. A revival in England in the late ’70s, known as “two-tone,” popularized the “rude boy” (and “rude girl”) image. American bands like the Mighty Mighty Bosstones and the Toasters revived it again in the ’90s, with an updated sound influenced by many different genres. And seemingly, that’s been it. Ska doesn’t really cross the popular radar anywhere these days.
And yet, go to any town with a bit of a punk scene, and you’ll find at least one ska band. You’ll see plenty of people getting up and dancing. People aren’t afraid to don checkered hats and shoes, the traditional ska uniform. And everyone loves the trumpet and sax players. Ska might not be on MTV or on the radio, but it has as big a following as ever.
The Ska Rockets have already opened for legends the Slackers, the Toasters and Big D and the Kids Table. They’ve honed a style that’s rooted in traditional ska but branches out into rock, punk and swing, with an energetic live show. They have got lots of eager fans. And so far, no one in the current lineup has graduated from high school.
“I listen to a lot of ska, some pop-punk stuff, as well as techno,” said 18-year-old principal songwriter Zivi Krieger. “I attribute a lot of my personal musical intuition to my Jewish background, growing up in a very singsong environment, singing lots of songs every Friday and Saturday for Shabbat.”
The current lineup features Krieger on bass and vocals, Zack Bence on guitar, Matt Ireland on tenor sax, Parker Harris (filling in for permanent member Andy Eyerar) on drums and Rachel Wiseman on trumpet. Wiseman has the special part of being one of the few girls in the local music scene, as well as one of the youngest people in the local music scene (she’s only 15). You wouldn’t guess it, with her stage presence and musical talent. But you wouldn’t guess any of these guys are still Bangor High School students.
Many of the band members will be graduating soon. What will the fate of the Ska Rockets be after they head off to college?
“I’d hate to lose all this time that we have all put into this project to college, but it’s impossible to say because we all have very different hopes in life,” said Krieger. “It’s hard to get out there and be able to support yourself on the road. We’d love to play some reunion shows, though.”
Despite some naysayers, one of the best live music experiences you can have is seeing a really good ska band. There’s a kind of positive energy that comes with it, that beckons you to let go of your inhibitions and jump into the pit and dance. At least for this summer you can get that kind of fun right here in Bangor with the Ska Rockets.
The Ska Rockets will play at 9 p.m. Saturday at Soma 36 with Paul “The Beat Mechanic” Bosse. There’s a $2 cover charge and you must be 21 or older to attend. Emily Burnham can be reached at eburnham@bangordailynews.net.
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