I finally had some free time to read Aaron Carnes’ wonderful book,
In Defense of Ska. Naturally I was interested in this since The Uptones are in the story and I am quoted in it, but now, as I had hoped, I’ve learned so much more about some bands who were our contemporaries, and many who emerged later. I admit I was a little puzzled by the title when Aaron first mentioned it. I wondered: “Does ska need defending?” All of the anti-ska stuff of the post-90s world kind of whizzed by me, back then. I just wasn’t looking too closely at that time and I honestly didn’t care. If someone didn’t like ska, I figured that was their loss, and to each their own. But the story Carnes (Carney, if you will) weaves is far more interesting and profound than whatever I had imagined, and I found it a great read as a ska fan, as a musician, and just as a human being. I think it would be of interest to anyone who loves good stories. I know it’s a stand-up-and-cheer read for any ska fan. I mean, I actually applauded at the end, like you would at the end of a great concert. I’m honored and delighted to have had a little role in spreading ska in the US of A, and it’s an unexpected delight to see the story told from so many angles – the east coast, midwest, SoCal, our Berkeley thing, Portland, elsewhere.. seems our experiences being the “lone” ska band for a minute were shared by many other bands in their various scenes. The music industry “relationship” – if you can call it that – with ska music and ska bands, is.. troubled at best, and it turns out we also shared that with other bands. Tragedies and triumphs and lots of comedies all make for a fabulous read. Thank you Aaron, for writing this so thoughtfully, with humor and passion. It’s obviously a story I care very much about. And it’s not a story that is over, either. I bet somewhere some kids are reading this book right now and planning their own ska bands. The sound they will hear from here is – APPLAUSE!!
You can order Aaron Carnes – In Defense of Ska from Clash Books
