Episode #42
1. Banditos
Banditos are a four-piece from the United Kingdom. They play a mixture of styles with acoustic guitars. They definitely play with a great punk influence and a bit of celtic and folk styles in there as well, along with a strong ska element. Their music is very rock driven, upbeat and aggressive with some fantastic sing-along's (check out the song, Cheers, awesome track). Banditos are part of the Riot Ska Collective based in the UK, along with some other awesome bands such as Night Gaunts, Ghetto Blaster and Opposition Rising. The band has their six song self-titled EP available on Bandcamp and through Riot Ska. Banditos song on this episode is titled, A Friend Called Ed, off of their self-titled EP.
2. The Best of the Worst
The Best of the Worst are currently a five-piece based in North Brunswick, New Jersey. They incorporate a lot of heavy riffs with their ska sounds and keep it upbeat and fast a lot of the times. The vocals especially too are loud and aggressive most of the time. The band has been around since 2005 and has since then released two EP's which are available for free through Open Hand Records. These two EP's are, Quarter Life Crisis (2008) and Calling From the Grave (2009). Check out a tune from Calling From the Grave on Episode 6. The Best of the Worst's song on this episode is titled, When I'm Gone, off of, Quarter Life Crisis.
3. Pimpbot
Pimpbot are a seven-piece ska band from Honolulu, Hawaii. The band is very much active and consistently playing shows. Their music is both humorous and deliciously infectious, catering to any scene and crowd. They have a really strong rhythm section as well as a big sounding horn section. They definitely know how to get a crowd moving. The band has been around for eleven years and has since its formation released several albums, a couple singles and been featured on a handful of compilations. Their most recent album is their 12 song self-titled album, released last year (check out a tune from that album on the Top 25 of 2011 Show). Pimpbot's song on this episode is titled, Roll With the Punches, off of their self-titled album.
4. Bucket of Fish
Bucket of Fish are a five-piece ska band from San Diego, California. The band formed in 2007 and have been consistently playing shows since then and also releasing one album. They also have released a couple singles (Overdrive and Fuck You I Got This) this past October as well as a music video for the song, Gangster's Hymn (check out the video here). Their brand of ska fuses both punk and third wave with a fresh new vibe and sound. They produce big melodies and some pretty tight original horn lines. Bucket of Fish's song on this episode is titled, Overdrive.
5. Still Alive
Still Alive are a four-piece punk and ska band from Chicago, Illinois. They just recently released their debut album, Trials, last month. It features a few tracks (Justice, Pull Back the Wool, and 1134) from their previous demo nicely revamped into fresh new songs (check out a tune from that demo on Episode 17). And like their previous demo, they keep with it the same aggressiveness and speed, and placed both on the new album. The album opener is sort of an odd sounding track almost reminiscent of a carnival, but immediately follows with the title track, Trials, as the second song. The vocals are strong and fierce, and holds with it a very dominating presence throughout the album. This holds true even during the clean reggae breakdowns (1134 and Tonight's the Night) with a cleaner (and lighter) voice. The guitars are nice and solid and, the bass lines are top notch and groovy. The drums are consistently pounding away freely and the double-pedal action is brutal. Still Alive did an excellent job with writing and arranging the music on this record. The trombone and saxophone line on the song, Don't Hold Your Breath, are a really nice addition to the batch of songs on the new album. Very awesome. Still Alive's song on this episode is titled, Don't' Hold Your Breath, off of their debut, Trials.