There are few—if any—genres that have endured a life cycle as chaotic as that of ska, a genre that was the peak of cool in its dub origins before ultimately becoming the butt of all pick-it-up jokes in the 2000s and, recently, seeing a revival more earnest, reverent, and deserved than the inexplicable nu-metal renaissance occurring alongside it. But unlike most trending genres, this movement appears to be a mostly grassroots revolution, with bands like Bad Operation establishing themselves firmly within the DIY DNA of their hometown of New Orleans.
And if their latest release is any indication, the ska figureheads are starting to take notice. Following up their 2020 self-titled debut, Bad Op is gearing up to put out a split alongside Mighty Mighty Bosstones bassist Joe Gittleman, who’s launching his bid as a solo artist following last year’s sudden breakup of the iconic ska ensemble. Released as Bad Time Records’ fourth installment in their Wavebreaker series, the collection is an intergenerational mixing of artists who clearly revere each other’s work, while both finding unique ways of integrating elements of the same original source material into their contemporized take on two-tone (aptly dubbed “new-tone”).
With the project dropping this Friday, June 16, we had both parties compile their favorite moments from ska’s past, present, and future for a playlist that neatly ties the genre’s entire history together. You can find their playlist and write-ups for each track included below, and you can pre-order the split via Bad Time Recs right here.
JOE GITTLEMAN
PAST
The English Beat, “Whine and Grine / Stand Down Margaret”
The first big ska show I saw was The English Beat in 1983 at Boston University’s Walter Brown hockey arena. My friend and future Bosstone bandmate Nate Albert asked his mom to drop us off. R.E.M. opened the show, but the Beat was pure magic. And we were totally hooked. I saw the band a few years ago on Cape Cod. It was a super fun show and those songs are still just awesome.
Bim Skala Bim, “Wise Up”
Bim Skala Bim had a big influence on me as a kid. They’d put on all-ages shows at this church in Harvard Square and worked hard at growing the Boston ska scene when there wasn’t much scene to speak of. Bim’s trombone player Vinny Nobile later played on the Bosstones’ Devil’s Night Out, and their singer Dan was always generous with advice and opening slots. There’s a ton of cool older and newer Bim music to check out.
PRESENT
Fishbone, “All We Have Is Now”
Of course that first EP changed the direction of things. Fishbone reignited the ska scene and ultimately broadened the genre. The Bosstones lucked out and opened for them in Cambridge on their first East Coast tour. And we did a whole European tour together maybe eight years later. So yeah, they’re a huge influence. Fishbone shows are wild, next-level happenings that need to be experienced to be understood. I’m super excited for the new stuff they’ve got coming out, too.
Big D and the Kids Table, “Steady Riot”
I was lucky enough to work with Big D on Strictly Rude. “Steady Riot” kicks off that record and it’s always been one of my favorites. Perhaps for its simplicity. That’s me singing the “Always in me” response lines toward the end. And I worked on the next album as well, Fluent in Stroll. Which I love also, but for entirely different reasons. The stylistic distance between those two records is quite broad. And that distance speaks to the creative drive of the band. It’s cool how they set out to make bold records and always bring an open-minded excitement to their creative endeavors. Big D’s music has a youthful enthusiasm and hopefulness that just won’t go away. I’m interested to see what they do next.
FUTURE
Catbite, “Bad Influence”
I’ve been a Catbite fan since the “Bad Influence” tripping on banana bread video came out. I love this song. It’s a perfect little pop-ska gem. I admire their writing especially—there’s humor and honesty at work there, and I’m getting stoked to see them live very soon.
Bad Operation, “What Keeps Us Moving”
I love Bad Operation because they sound like no one else. But there’s plenty of two-tone DNA in their new-tone sound. And I like that. I feel it in the inspired grooves and hear it in the melodic texture. But it’s all mashed up and filtered through some kind of home made still somewhere in New Orleans. It pours out as a fresh and unique cocktail. The perfect aperitif to bring people together and keep ’em moving late into the night!
BAD OPERATION
PAST
Fats Domino, “Be My Guest”
Desmond Dekker, “Honour Your Mother and Father”
If I’m asked about my favorite ghosts of ska past, I’d be remiss to not go all the way back to Jamaican ska and the Black American rock and roll that inspired it. As the Desmond Dekker selection suggests, I think it’s important to honor our elders, those who came before us, the originators who walked so we could walk a little faster (I don’t like to run). When Fats Domino and other rock and roll creators were at the top of the charts in North America, their songs were being blasted from sound systems in Jamaica. I chose these two songs because you can really hear the similarities between the walking ’n’ rolling bass, the upbeats on the piano, the use of horns, and the joyous vocal styling especially well. While these are two similar but very different styles, it will always strike me as incredible the way music can cross oceans and evolve for generations.
The Selecter, “Three Minute Hero”
This song goes so hard. Pauline Black is such a fantastic vocalist and front person. The way the band changes it up so much in this song is just frantic enough. The bass line is in on one at the beginning of the song, then that first verse it’s giving some space. The snare is on the upbeat in the verses and then it’s on the down beat for the chorus. It’s the perfect sonic accompaniment to lyrics about being three minutes late to a shit lower-middle-class job, putting on a face like everything is OK.
PRESENT
Jeff Rosenstock, “Liked U Better”
We’ve been sharing bills with Jeff and crew since we were teenagers. ASoB, BtMI!, MU330, and The Fad have all been our guests several times here in New Orleans and they’ve graciously returned the favor when we were in their towns. We even borrowed the “free download” aspect of Community Records from Quote Unquote. These folks have been doing and continue to do the damn thing year after year, band after band, and it’s super inspiring. Not only do they have an immense amount of talent, but they’ve got beautiful hearts and minds to boot. This song isn’t their most ska, but it’s certainly ska and it’s their most “present” single, so boo.
FUTURE
JER, “Garden of Understanding”
When I think of what I want the future of ska to be like, it’s JER. They’re the full package: infectious, well-composed songs with socially conscious lyrics regarding the human condition living within a white-supremacist, capitalist patriarchy and their style and grace is absolutely un-fuck-withable. All the songs off Bothered/Unbothered are hits, but “Garden of Understanding” hits different. Musically, it feels like it’s cohesively progressing the band’s sound while still being firmly planted in ska. Lyrically, I absolutely love the compassionate viewpoint of how we can move forward societally:
Let’s settle down
And breathe it out
This world is ever-changing
Times are growing, rearranging
Because I know
That we can grow
A garden of understanding
If we try, it’s not that demanding
Eichlers, "My Checkered Future"
Hyperska to tha future. Suuuuuuper into the way Eichlers utilizes electronic elements and samples into the production of this evolution of ska. It reminds me of the evolution of reggae into dub with the addition of synth and spaceship sounds. The lyrics are witty and posi, but they’re also real. Honestly so sick.
Kmoy, “Since 1989”
Tape Girl, “Half-Pipe (The Art of Vocal Feminization)”
These BFFs are creating some of the most fun and creative ska out there right now. It hits my same nerve as musical theater, soap operas, and video games, and I love it. Their music has pop elements of third wave ska, it’s got vocal harmonies stacked akin to Queen, synths straight out of your favorite 8-bit video games, and real-ass lyrics about dealing with mental health and gender identity within our current hellscape reality.
LEGEND
Joe Gittleman, “Carrie O”
If you would've told 16-year-old me, sheepishly standing in the corner of my friend's garage, desperately trying to learn the trombone line to “The Impression That I Get,” that one day the band I’m in would get to release a split with Joe Gittleman, I would’ve said “That is not the impression that I get”—or something equally stupid and cheesy. Joe has penned more influential songs of our punk-ska fabric than I and most folks may realize. He is a damn songwriting alchemist and we’re fortunate to have him directing his talents toward ska-punk-pop gems. He is the past, present, and hopefully future.
