Artwork by Steve www.combination13.com

In this episode we have a special guest joining us. His name is Aaron and he is the host of Roots Rock Rebel CKUT 90.3 FM the only place on the dial in Montreal, Canada to hear top quality Ska, Reggae, and Rocksteady music.

He put together a fine playlist of Canadian Ska and giving us a lesson on it's history and present state.

Class is in session!

Playlist and Show Notes
By Aarron
http://www.ckut.ca
http://www.myspace.com/ckutrootsrockrebel
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Vintage Canadian Ska

1.The Villains – Life of Crime - Ska music
Some regard The Villains, from Vancouver, as the first Canadian ska band to ever record. This song is from 1981! And they have just announced that they have reunited…

2.Me Mom and Morgentaler – Shiva Space Machine – Everybody’s got AIDS
Classic early 90’s Montreal band, named after the famed abortion doctor Henry Morgentaler, reunited to do their last 4 shows this year. They really captured the Montreal spirit, singing in both English and French, and putting on the craziest live shows in the country.

3.Skaface – Ask Café – Bed of nails
Circa 1995. I consider it “vintage” because it was before ska really took off in Canada.

4.King Apparatus – Marbles – Mother told you
My favorite King Apparatus tune! Marbles was originally released on Raw Energy records in 1993, and then re-issued on Asian Man in 1999 when King Apparatus reunited for a tour.

5. Chris Murray Combo – Why so rude – Michael and Anne
Definitely not vintage, but a reworked King Apparatus tune by Chris Murray, the vocalist of K.A.

Stomp records All Skanadian compilations
The 4 All Skandian compilations on Stomp records are probably the most important cornerstones of the Canadian ska scene, with the first one released in 1995, and the latest in 2003.

6. The Kingpins – All Skanadian vol. 1 – Spy vs Spy
The original Kingpins line-up featured members of the then-disbanded Me Mom and Morgentaler and the famed garage band The Gruesomes

7. The Ripcordz – All Skanadian vol. 2 – Skanking madness
Funny song done by this legendary Montreal street-punk band that really captures the feeling of the Montreal ska and punk scenes in the mid-90’s.

8. Adrian Miller – All Skanadian vol.3 – Rude boy on the bus

9. The Nightshift – All Skandian vol. 4 – Arch enemy
A talented ska-jazz band from Toronto that had a good run from about 1999-2004

Musical Quarrels!

10. Propagandhi – How to clean everything – Ska sucks
A song that usually pisses ska fans off. Propagandhi, a popular anarcho-punk band from Winnipeg, really just wrote it to purposely offend neo-nazi skinheads who were attending their shows in the 90’s.

11. Whole Lotta Milka – Got Milka? – A message to you Chris
A response to Ska Sucks and Propagandhi’s singer, Chris Hannah, by Winnipeg’s former purveyors of fine ska, Whole Lotta Milka.

Ska goes north, from east to west

Montreal
12. The Planet Smashers – Life of the Party – Too much attitude
I wanted to start in Montreal, my home-town, and I’m damn proud of that. The Planet Smashers, and their singer Matt Collyer (also the founder and owner of Stomp Records) were really responsible for putting ska on the map in Canada. This song is about Montreal, and I love it.

13. General Rudie – Take your place – Step lightly
General Rudie were an amazing trad-ska and ska-jazz band from Montreal, who unfortunately played their last show in 2006.

14. Gangster Politics – S/T – Nica’s dream
My favorite Canadian ska-jazz band. They frequently teamed up with the Articles from Detroit to record and tour.

15. One Night Band – Way back home – Rolling the dice
One Night Band are hands down the best ska band in Canada at the moment. Their live shows are amazing, they sound just as good on cd, and they have a solid DIY aesthetic. So I wanted to put two of their songs here, one in English, and one in French.

16. One Night Band – Way Back Home – Le monde a nos pieds

17. Lo and the Magnetics – A Part – Pull it all apart
Lorraine Muller was the former bari sax and vocalist from the legendary Kingpins. In the later part of the Kingpins career, they were making a clear move towards new-wave and garage-rock influenced ska. Following the end of the Kingpins, Muller formed Lo and the Magnetics, still a ska band, but heavy on the Costello-influenced new-wave.

Toronto

18. The Arsenals – Stomp – Beer
A bunch of Jamaican guys in Toronto formed this band which caught Rob “Bucket” Hingley’s ear in the 90’s, and so they released this album on Moon Records

19. Spinecracker – Kill the President – A girl in season

20. The Expos – Old Friends – Little Red Hook

Eastern Canada

21. Idlers – Corner – Stanley goes to Kandahar
A great new ska/reggae band from St. John’s, Newfoundland. This song reflects many Canadians grappling with themselves as a country at war in Afghanistan.

22. King Konqueror – Smash Hits – Burning out
This Halifax band plays more garage and rockabilly these days, but their ska tunes are out of control!

Winnipeg
Winnipeg has one of the most active ska scenes in Canada right now, thanks in large part to locally-based ska label Bacteria Buffet Records, a new annual ska festival, and many hard-working bands.

23. The Afterbeat – Personals – People before profit

24. Sub City Dwellers – When the Beat Starts to Pound – Don’t believe it
Also up there on my list of the top ska bands in Canada

25. DJ Coop – Peg City Skank vol. 2 – You’re wondering now
Yes, it’s exactly what you’re thinking…

Regina, Saskatchewan

26. Skavenjah – All Dressed Up – Mickey and Mallory
Probably one of the only ska bands from the prairie province of Saskatchewan, these guys have been going strong for over 15 years.

Edmonton, Alberta

27. Mad Bomber Society – Atomic A-Go-Go – Alley Cat

British Columbia
B.C. has a flourishing ska scene these days, probably with the highest concentration of ska bands in the country. This no doubt is due to the annual Victoria Ska Festival, now in its 10th year.

28. Los Furios – Warning Shot – La furia llego
Unfortunately their old vocalist Pedro was deported to El Salvador a few years ago, but when he was in this Vancouver band, they had an amazing latin-flavoured sound.

29. The Hoodwinks – Concrete Reasoning – So much the better
Amazing skinhead/mod ska band from the outskirts of Vancouver. They have now changed their name (can’t remember the new one), and have a more soul-oriented focus.


Quebecois (French-Canadian) Ska
I wanted to make a separate section for this, because Quebec wants to separate from Canada! No, just kidding. I’m from Quebec, and proud of that too. French ska in Quebec is really interesting, because it borrows a lot on music from France, which has a good sense of humour and a carnivalesque sound. People who want to check out more French-Canadian ska should pick up any of the 5 editions of the 2 Tongue compilation (available through Stomp records)

30. The Kingpins – Let’s go to Work – Manon viens danser le ska

31. Polemil Bazar – 2 Tongue vol. 5 – Mode d’emploi

32. Paul Cargnello – 2 Tongue vol. 5 – Manno Charlemagne

And to take it out…

33. The Cougars – Jamaica to Toronto – I wish it would rain
A beautiful song by a band who immigrated to Toronto from Jamaica. Jamaica to Toronto is a wonderful compilation on Light in the Attic records which documents Jamaican artists who recorded in Canada, such as Jackie Mittoo, who died in Toronto. Many legendary Studio One artists such as Lynn Taitt and Lord Tanamo are now living in Canada.