Skapone

If you count it's earlier incarnation as State of Emergency, this Chicago ska outfit has ben around for at least a decade, minding its own business even as ska became a youth cult and a commercial powerhouse on modern rock radio. Often tagged as "traditionalists", tending the flame lit in Jamaica in the 60's and fanned by English 2-TONE in the late 70's, their second album, Bold New Flavor, is an irreverent mix of ska, R&B, punk, rap, and the kitchen sink. For example, ‘So Bad" begins with a delerious rap, syncopated guitar, and horn section quotes from "Rhapsody in Blue". While some tracks fret over the use of guns, spread of crime, and nuclear weapons, many others inject good-humored soul, singing the praises of bacon and eggs on ‘Breakfast", and a spy w/ his teen daughter parody on "Samantha Clench". In short, Skapone epitomizes what a 3rd wave ska band ought to be, effortlessly incorporating styles from throughout the music's four decade history in a high energy mix powered by tight vocal harmonies and a nuclear fueled horn section. From JumpUpRecords.com Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.