Everybody Stop....Now Skank!

That's right kids, this week Ska is making a comeback.  For those of you who missed the mid to late 90's, the Ska movement was insanely popular and has been part of the underground since then.  I remember bands like Reel Big Fish, Buck O Nine, and The Mighty Mighty Bosstones sparked a flame in a lot of young punks back then... well ladies and gentlemen, they're back!

The Mighty Mighty Bosstones

The Mighty Mighty Bosstones are releasing a new album in December this year called The Magic of Youth.  You can listen to a single off of that record called Shotgun here.  All I can say, after listening to this track myself, is FINALLY!  The Bosstones have their signature sound back.  It was so nice to hear horns again. Make sure to keep up to date with the Bosstones progress by following their Facebook page.

Some other Ska-related news is that Reel Big Fish announced a UK tour.  Rocksound.tv has the dates for the UK leg of the tour, so be sure to check that out!

Rise Against

Although they might not be termed as "Ska", Rise Against has been around for a number of years, and they have stuck to their original sound too.  The band recently released a new record, and so (as the natural progression goes) they are currently on tour to promote the album entitled Endgame.  The dates for the UK leg of the tour can be found by clicking here. The band is touring with Tom Morello formerly of Rage Against the Machine. For those of you who don't live in the United Kingdom, but rather in the United States, you can view the U.S. tour dates by clicking here.  As an added bonus to the U.S. tour, Rise against plans to play with A Day to Remember, The Menzingers, and joining the tour in February will be none other than Glassjaw!

Skillet - Is that guy liner?

I hate to kill the buzz that I've created, but an ugly truth has come to my attention lately. In the realm of Christian Rock, there has been a certain band by the name of Skillet that has been very successful as of late.  Here is my gripe...although they have recently scored their fourth Top 10 mainstream hit, I really have to ask; is it really them?  When Skillet first started out, their sound was completely different than it is now.  They went from something sort of techno-grunge to this hard (using the term loosely) rock sound.  Since the change, they have gained a mass of emo-kids for a following and have influenced the producers of Christian Rock albums to make every other Christian band sound like they do.  Thus, my point is, when I listen to a Skillet song, who am I hearing?  Is it them, or is it Ashes Remain, or 12 Stones?  Continuing this trend of sounding the same are bands such as House of Heroes, and I Am Empire, who mysteriously took on the same sound as long time Christian rockers Disciple.  So please, producers of the Christian Rock, DO SOMETHING DIFFERENT!  Canned music is not good music, be original...please.

Last but certainly not least (and much needed after that rant) is a piece of news from our dear friends August Burns Red (ABR).  A while ago, I reviewed their latest album called Leveler.  Well the fun and goodness of that album are far from over. ABR just released a video for the song "Empire" from the album.  Why wait?  Watch it right here... right now.