A Ska Mixer
Skacore is a term not found in the Phoenix scene. I first caught the genre outside of this city, when I went on a short tour in 2014 with the local band Nomada. They opened up for the River Ratts in a venue in Riverside. This was one of the craziest pits I’ve partaken in. Your instinct is to skank during the ska parts, but then the hardcore sections of the songs hit and you have yourself a mosh pit. Our headliners this night harken from that genre, sandwiched in between two of our great ska offerings.
Starting up the night was one of our ska punk staples, Jack the Cat. I’ll still pester them to bring back a horn section in here. However, they don’t need it as much as I miss it. The band exudes personality. Catching Nick perform separate with Punk Rock Karaoke, you can see he has the charisma and personality to sing with anyone on a stage. Their sets are fast paced, kind of crazy and completely enjoyable. Ending on their usual staple of a song trying to see tits, Jack the Cat brought it to open up.
The first exposure for many in that audience to Skacore came with Brava. Not doing any research on the band, it took me a little to identify it. The crowd around me looked a little puzzled at what to do with this new kind of ska. Once they figured it out, there was circle pit opened up. These guys play solid ska, and sing the harder parts just as well. I hope Brava returns to Phoenix again now that the audience and I know exactly what to expect now.
Last up, with probably the longest set of the night, were the Effects. These guys bring the rocksteady and 2 Tone sounds with them. They bring the humor too, some of it about their ages. There are some talented musicians on that stage for them. Not to mention, Shadrach is bouncing around and moving as he plays that bass. The Effects are definitely a great way to close out a Friday night.
