Spring Break
Ska Bands Steal The Show
Tom Crosby
Issue date: 9/24/07 Section: Focus
SUBOG's ska concert at Dow Field on Saturday may be the surprise hit of first semester. The audience was absolutely blown away by Johnny 9 and The Racers, Dan Pease and The Regulators and Tip the Van, three local up-and-coming ska bands.
Johnny 9 and The Racers were the first to play. A long-overdue ska ensemble, this six-man band from Cheshire has been together for more than seven years, and it shows. Full of life, vibrant, with rich sounds and a refreshingly upbeat theme to their catalogue, Johnny 9 and The Racers inspired everyone to get up and skank (dance around while waving fists and feet in a running motion.) The crowd-favorite instrumental, "The Wrath of Tony Danza," really set the tone for what the audience would get from the rowdy Racers - a lively, in-your-face invitation to get up and dance. However, the band also showed their ability to change pace with "Inside Out," prompting charismatic frontman Dave J. to encourage the crowd to "look to the left, look to the right, grab that someone special and hold them close."
Although ska has become somewhat of a niche genre, they manage to deftly defy stereotypes while maintaining energy and feeling. As they put it on their MySpace page, "Ska doesn't suck, you do." That really sums up the band: confident, fun and ready for their close-up. The band is currently working with Stubborn Records in New York to get themselves in the limelight.
Next up was Dan Pease and The Regulators, or DPR for short. Although most of the audience was there to see the more local Johnny 9 and The Racers, these guys stole the show. A fusion of "rock, reggae, ska and hip-hop," according to lead singer Kenn Kosiba (or Verbal Kenn as he is also known), this band is the closest thing to seeing Sublime live. The band from South Hadley, Mass. has amassed an impressive 20,000 friends on MySpace (the gold standard for unsigned bands). But what's even more impressive is that they've only been together since 2005.
Seeing is believing with DPR. Their stage presence is absolutely flooring - big beards, dreads and mohawks, larger than life in sound and stature. Although Kosiba's raspy lyrics ring reminiscent of Bradley Nowell and bassist Jake Curran lays down funky reggae basslines, flawlessly nailing "April 29th, 1992" and "Caress Me Down," don't call them Sublime - they're truly unique and they absolutely own it.
Johnny 9 and The Racers were the first to play. A long-overdue ska ensemble, this six-man band from Cheshire has been together for more than seven years, and it shows. Full of life, vibrant, with rich sounds and a refreshingly upbeat theme to their catalogue, Johnny 9 and The Racers inspired everyone to get up and skank (dance around while waving fists and feet in a running motion.) The crowd-favorite instrumental, "The Wrath of Tony Danza," really set the tone for what the audience would get from the rowdy Racers - a lively, in-your-face invitation to get up and dance. However, the band also showed their ability to change pace with "Inside Out," prompting charismatic frontman Dave J. to encourage the crowd to "look to the left, look to the right, grab that someone special and hold them close."
Although ska has become somewhat of a niche genre, they manage to deftly defy stereotypes while maintaining energy and feeling. As they put it on their MySpace page, "Ska doesn't suck, you do." That really sums up the band: confident, fun and ready for their close-up. The band is currently working with Stubborn Records in New York to get themselves in the limelight.
Next up was Dan Pease and The Regulators, or DPR for short. Although most of the audience was there to see the more local Johnny 9 and The Racers, these guys stole the show. A fusion of "rock, reggae, ska and hip-hop," according to lead singer Kenn Kosiba (or Verbal Kenn as he is also known), this band is the closest thing to seeing Sublime live. The band from South Hadley, Mass. has amassed an impressive 20,000 friends on MySpace (the gold standard for unsigned bands). But what's even more impressive is that they've only been together since 2005.
Seeing is believing with DPR. Their stage presence is absolutely flooring - big beards, dreads and mohawks, larger than life in sound and stature. Although Kosiba's raspy lyrics ring reminiscent of Bradley Nowell and bassist Jake Curran lays down funky reggae basslines, flawlessly nailing "April 29th, 1992" and "Caress Me Down," don't call them Sublime - they're truly unique and they absolutely own it.
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