Three Skanks and a Game Boy
Sgt. ScagNew Haven’s Sgt. Scag played a “ska adjacent” show at Midway Cafe on the night of Saturday, 3 December 2022. Double Star, Threat Level Burgundy, and Battlemode bookended the bill.
What is ska music?
It’s a genre that knocks on the door of reggae and rocksteady. It’s a genre that’s seen a lot of action since it came out of the Caribbean in the middle of the 20th century. It’s a genre that has so much history under its belt, it’s hard to see it undergoing any radical update or evolution in the future.
But that’s not what fans and musicians of the genre are really looking for. They’re looking for an accessible, inclusive, fun time. Ska music is like a Band-In-A-Box building activity with clearly-written instructions. That doesn’t mean it’s easy to pull off, or that anyone can do it well. If you put in the effort, though, you’ll do alright. And that sense of accomplishment spreads good vibes all around. Even the most aggressive strains of ska punk are rarely mean-spirited.
Double Star
Double StarBoston’s Double Star is no stranger to Jamaica Plain. The band played as a five-piece on the 10th Anniversary of the JP Music Festival at Pinebank Field in September. On Saturday night at Midway Cafe the band played as a four-piece, shedding an extra horn.
Their fully-constituted sound already rides the line between rock and ska, so losing a little brass pushed them more decisively into the former genre. There’s a fun bounce to their guitar rhythms, though, that will always make them good dance partners at any Ska Prom.
Threat Level Burgundy
Threat Level BurgundyFellow Ska Prom veterans Threat Level Burgundy can pack a stage. Their six-person lineup ate up all the square footage available.
The Boston-based band was talking up a new drummer, who was sitting in on the gig with minimal preparation. If he missed a beat, no one noticed it over the twin trombones lighting up the venue.
The band plays uptempo, upstroke-driven ska with big brass refrains and punk rock breakdowns. They didn’t revive their legendary cover of the “Water Country” theme song, but they did trot out a SpongBob SquarePants tune that turned some heads.
Sgt. Scag
Sgt. ScagNew Haven’s Sgt. Scag keeps up a good stage banter. The frontman of the six-piece kept up a running dialogue with the crowd. Among the items that came to light are the following:
He’s none too impressed with the local pizza offerings, which he rates poorer than New Haven-style pies. (Hard to compare “styles” when Boston doesn’t really have one. That might be part of the problem though.)
The six-piece is really a seven-piece, but the missing member (who contributes on keys and vocals) is looking after her sick kid.
Sgt. Scag is planning to release a new record in 2023 on a label TBA.
When not engaged in good banter, the ensemble played tight ska tunes, highlighted by bright brass melodies, lyrical wit, and a solid rhythm section. Shout out to the song about having an awkward chicken dinner at your girlfriend’s family’s place.
Battlemode
BattlemodeIf there’s one genre that needs to fight for recognition and respect more than ska, it might be chiptune. The 8-bit gaming-inspired sound world of Battlemode was a curveball addition to the end of a night of upstroke auteurs.
The Boston two-piece loaded in a keyboard, a violin, and an electronics rig that includes a sampler routed through what looks like a Gameboy. Against the backdrop of ska punk, the gaming device looks a bit like a gimmick, but it’s not uncommon in the land of 8-bit. They used the rig to good effect to lay down poppy, uptempo, beats-forward, techno meltdowns. Shades of Born Gold.
Battlemode has the plug-n-play look of a band that can set up shop on any bill, do their thing, and have a good time. (Variety is the spice of life at Midway Cafe.) But they’ll surely appreciate being surrounded by like-minded musicians on 12/11 for the Boston8Bit x Gauntlet Gaming Holiday Party. If you’re going to crash a bill, though, the laidback, feel good vibes at a ska show are a nice choice.
