People will try to tell you that ska is dead. Well, I've been to enough shows to know that those people with the horns and the guitars look very much alive to me. Unless they're zombies. Holy crap, we're being invaded by zombies playing really catchy hypnotic music! They want our friggin' brains! Run for the caves!

Jeez, I was just kidding. But as I was saying... what was I saying? Oh yeah. Ska is not dead. And I plan on making a t-shirt that says so.

I'm not the only one who thinks so. People everywhere want people to see ska for what it really is: a true work of art. Ska enthusiast Zach Ramsey puts it very nicely: "The thing about ska is that there can never be too much... Ska is the swingy, upbeat part of life. So to have too much ska is to have too much joy."
Although it's fun to listen to, it's not easy cheese to keep it all together. Says Kev Stamorck, local ska band extraordinaire, "Man, i'm burning out like a supernova here... it's my situation in trying to start a new ska band: one band to rule them all, and bring the ska back."

Bring it back, indeed. The three waves of ska haven't been enough to keep it as alive and kicking as it deserves to be. And it's the world's fault that it's underappreciated. Dare ye take the blame? Corey Smith, professor of drumming at Stanhouse University, says, "It takes true talent to pull off something so incredible as ska. Why do you think Beethoven never did it? He just didn't have the skillz! Now friends, the death of an art form such as ska would truly be the death of the world." The world, Corey? Are you sure you mean that?

Yes, he means it, and doggonit, I mean it too!

But if you think about it, it all makes sense. The best of everything is that which is both rare and difficult to compile. Therefore, ska's rarity is due to its challenge, and is thus also the best. See what we're saying here?

Playing ska is just like orchestration. It takes way more brains to pull it off than mindless "Hoo hoo, Oh baby, you so fine," techno or "Hippity hop, word, sup, $%&#," to the simplest rhythm imaginable. Come on, they don't even use proper grammar. Where's the respectable fun in that?