Organization: University of Maine System
Date: Tuesday, 5 Jan 1993 17:44:25 EST
From: <IO81373@MAINE.MAINE.EDU>
Newsgroups: alt.music.ska
Subject: Jennifer, Bim Skala Bim, etc.

Don't worry... she's just sort of strange.
I'm Back!

I saw a GREAT show on New Year's Eve at the Channel in Boston.
The ALLSTONIANS opened.... they were amazing.  Heavy influence of
'60's ska and rocksteady.  It was their first show out and they
were amazing!!!!  Two saxes, A 'bone and two trumpets.. they were
so damned tight!!!!!! :-)   Watch out for them.

DID THIS was ok, but certainly not a ska band, and didn't make
for good continuity of acts.  They should have been the opener,
but I'd guess it wasn't their FIRST show.

MR. CRANKY was also incredible.  I don't know if they're signed or
anything, but MAN do they do a show!!  Also heavy Rocksteady influence,
and good horns. :-)

Finally, BIM SKALA BIM.  Now, I know there's an anti-bim mood on here,
but they happen to be one of my favorite bands, if not THE favorite
band.  So they aren't really 'ska'.. they're a different type of music,
known as 'good' music.  Dan Vitale (vox) admitted to me the first time
I saw them in '89 "we aren't really ska...".  He really shyed away from
that label.  You want an explanation?  OK.
   BIM SKALA BIM does NOT, in fact 'shamelessly pose as a ska band'.
They hate the label, in fact.  They do a wide variety of musical styles
with extremely varied influences, one of which happens to be Ska.
Evidence of this is clear in the bands that they cover- Bob Marley,
Cream, Pink Floyd, Neil Young, the Heptones....

   'So why is SKA right there in their name?'
       Their first album, released in the early '80s and now QUITE
rare, was called BOSTON BLUEBEAT, and was an import on (get this)
Oi! Records.  It's now out of print.  If you can manage to get a hold
of it, you'll hear that is is completely representative of the 'real Ska'
that was coming out at the time.  They've since done someting that
evidently some feel no band should ever do... they expanded their
style to include other music that they liked, mostly because they were
becoming a better and better band and finally had the ability to do
so.   They're still generally considered a SKA band only because it's
the closest style to what they do now, but if you ask them what kind
of music they do, they won't tell you ska.  'A mutt' is what Dan called
it.

P.S.- Skanlin' Pickle people: Someone send me some Skankin Pickle
music soon so I can get some on SKA!turday morning w/Dougly on
91.9 WMEB Orono, Maine!!!  Please!!!!
Address:    Dougly
            113 Knox Hall
            5793 Knox
            Orono, ME 04469-5793



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&&Douglas Julien|Opinions expresed here are neither those of the    &&
&&aka Dougly    |University of Maine nor of the Universitaet        &&
&&              |Salzburg, but what do THEY know???                 &&
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&&io81373@maine.maine.edu                       IO81373@MAINE.bitnet&&
&&==================================================================&&
&& "Ich glaube, der Mensch traeumt nur, damit er nicht aufhoere zu  &&
&& sehen."   -J.W. von Goethe   'Die Wahlverwandtschaften'          &&
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