Please answer the following question: Facts: - years active: 1992 & ndash ; 2000 - past members: michael lethridge uc buu valladares jeff kamalian chris barry-smith ross stevenson musashi - caption: left , barry-smith to right : valladares , lethridge , kamalian - origin: san francisco , usa - label: moon records - genre: punk rock ska rocksteady - name: critical mass - image size: 240 - background: group_or_band - image: cm01.jpg Based on these bullet points, write a short biography describing the life of critical mass -lrb- american band -rrb- .
A:
critical mass is a ska band , formed in 1992 , from the san francisco bay area .the band has played shows with the skatalites , the untouchables , and others .they won the award for best ska group at the 1998 sf weekly music awards -lrb- wammies -rrb- ; received a 1998 california music awards -lrb- bammies -rrb- nomination for outstanding ska artist , as well as performing at the awards show ; and the 1996 ticketmaster national showcase .