That'll Do Pig, That'll Do by A-1-Star

A-1-Star started in about 2004 in McKees Rocks, Pennsylvania, USA a town just outside of Pittsburgh in the wester part of the state. They played many shows with in the ska scene of Pittsburgh and broke up around 2008-ish. Like many bands listed here I don't have a lot of information to go on aside from the fact that I got to see them live along side fellow Pittsburgh area bands 24 Hour Taco Shop, The Lemmiwinks and My Cousin Walter. Some of which will end up on here at some point.

A-1-Star is: (Unfortunately I don't know who played what)
Dan
Hannah
Josh
Keith
Nick

Track listing:
1. 20 Years
2. Chika Chika (Onomatopoeia)
3. NyQuil
4. Ballad [sometimes listed as Ballad of an Idiot but was just Ballad on this release.]
5. Originality

Yar! 

Home coming and blog changes.

My time in the UK is coming to an end and back to the states I shall be heading. Hopefully once I'm back home I will be able to be a little more regular with posting here, even though at the moment it would seem I only get a little pass through traffic and not regular readers so I'm not sure anyone would notice anyhow. Also there will be some changes to the content of this blog, while I'll still be focusing on ska, I will also be adding punk and pop punk to the list. This is large and part thanks to my boyfriend who listens to a good amount of punk. Hopefully it will go over well and I'll do my best to keep this primarily a skanker's paradise. Tomorrow I should have a new post up and that will be it for at least a week if not more. Peace out and skank on!

Turn the Radio Off by Reel Big Fish

While I'm fairly certain Reel Big Fish needs no introduction I will give a summary just the same. Reel Big Fish started in 1991 and quickly became the quintessential ska-punk band of the 90s and into today. Mixing ska with punk and rock'n'roll sensibilities they made a name for themselves with fun songs that are easy to sing to. Even today a large portion of their live sets includes songs from their label debut album. By1996 they had signed to Mojo Records and were ready to release Turn the Radio Off. Their lead single and most popular song to date was Sell Out a song commenting on many peoples belief that the band themselves had sold out. Stand out tracks for this album are... the entire album I mean seriously from beginning to end I can't in all honesty pick tracks that stand out from the rest. If you somehow don't have this album or have never listened, get out from under that rock of yours!

Reel Big Fish is:
Aaron Barrett on Guitar and Vocals
Andrew Gonzales on Drums
Dan Regan on Trombone
Grant Barry on Trombone
Matt Wong on Bass
Scott Klopfenstein on Trumpet and Vocals
Tavis Werts on Trumpet


Track listing:
1. Sell Out
2. Trendy
3. Join the Club
4. She Has a Girlfriend Now (Featuring Monique Powell on Vocals)
5. Snoop Dog, Baby
6. Beer
7. 241
8. Everything Sucks
9. S.R.
10. Skatanic
11. All I Want is More
12. Nothin'
13. Say 'Ten'
14. I'll Never Be...
15. Alternative Baby
16. Secret Song (I'm Cool acoustic demo)

Yar!

Nate: As always I've added scans of my copy, unfortunately the booklet on my copy as well as many of my other cd's are in pretty bad shape. This is due to two reasons, one I mostly buy used cd's and two my younger brother (when he was little, like 6 or so) spill chocolate milk across many of my cd's. Please forgive the condition! Also on this release the booklet folded out to a large poster like sheet, I've done my best to piece it together but my scanner isn't very large.

Triple Post!

Decided to do something a bit different today and post three albums today! These are all more or less Demo type albums that either are no longer in print or were never in physical print and as such I do not own physical copies myself. Usually I try and only post things I own so that I can give you nice hi-res scans of the covers and inserts but alas that won't always be possible.

Up first we have...

Because We Care by The Forces of Evil

I've already talked about this band so I won't bother restating what has been previously said and just skip to the stand out. Angry Anthem #347 is superior to the version that appears on Friend or Foe? in every single aspect, the song is tonnes of fun especially with all the extra commentary throughout the song.

The member listing is the same as it was for Friend of Foe?.

Track listing:

1. Vague Love Song

2. My Life

3. Mistake

4. Independent

5. Angry Anthem #347

Yar!

Next up we have...

Rules of the Game by Catch 22

As with the previos album I won't go into much detail though I will give an updated member list as this was the first thing the band ever recorded and the band has seen a few member changes from this to Dinosaur Sounds. Stand out for this album is Footsteps for its sad lyrics and upbeat tempo.

Catch 22 is: (On this release.)

Chris Greer on Drums

Jamie Egan on Trombone

Josh Ansley on Bass

Kevin Gunther on Trumpet

Ryan Eldred on Saxophone

Tomas Kalnoky on Guitar and Vocals

Track listing:

1. Day in Day Out

2. I'm Better Than You

3. Sick and Sad

4. Footsteps

5. This One Goes Out To

6. Shoebox in My Closet

7. Supernothing

Yar!

And finally a new comer...

Attack of the Killer Cheese by The Hippos

The Hippos started off in Los Angeles, California, USA in 1995. Shortly there after they became one of the staples of the ska punk scene from California along side many other big names that came out of the area throughout the 90s. Over time they strayed away from the ska punk sound but remained a very talented band until there demise in 2003. This album was released the same year they started and was self-released on cassette. The stand out track on this release is The Boss for its interesting horn lines and guitar riffs.

The Hippos is:

Ariel Rechtshaid on Guitar and Vocals

Danny Rukasin on Trombone

James Bairian on Bass

Kyle Briggs on Drums

Louis Castle on Trumpet

Rich Zahniser on Trombone

Track listing:

1. Get Away

2. Asleep at the Wheel

3. Rocky Ground

4. The Boss

Yar!