Song: “She’s Kerosene”

Ska is a genre I don’t know much about, so I turned to a friendly resource — Rick Anderson (no relation), who knows more about music than anyone else I know, and who used to play in a ska band (Swim Herschel Swim) in Salt Lake City when I was in college there. Much of what follows is adapted from what Rick provided via email.

Emerging from 1950s Jamaica, ska was very closely connected to jazz. Very popular in Jamaica and the UK diaspora well into the 1960s, as time went on, ska slowed, eventually developing into a somewhat more deliberative style called rock steady, which itself eventually slowed and thickened into what we now call reggae.

In the wake of the 1970s’ punk revolution, reggae and punk forged an early musical coalition, and soon a second wave of ska bands emerged — mainly in Coventry (The Specials, The Selecter), Birmingham (The Beat), and London (Madness, the Bodysnatchers). These bands were tremendously popular for a few years, but then the public lost interest.

In the late 1980s, a third-wave ska revival took place, mainly in the US. There was a clear delineation between traditional, revivalist ska bands (the Toasters, the Stubborn All Stars) and bands that blended ska and punk (Operation Ivy, Rancid, Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Reel Big Fish). That style enjoyed a brief heyday in the early 1990s and then fizzled out – and the Interrupters are very much revivalists of that style, which was itself the revival of a revival.

The Interrupters have been around since 2011, and gaining in popularity, along with giving the genre a resurgence. Led by Aimee Interrupter (née, Allen), and backed by three brothers — drummer Jesse Bivona, bassist Justin Bivona, and guitarist Kevin Bivona — the band has released four albums, their latest in 2022.

They are close friends and collaborators with Rancid frontman Tim Armstrong, who has also produced the Interrupters. Rancid’s lead guitarist, Lars Hendriksen, has also appeared on their albums.

“She’s Kerosene” was the lead single off the Interrupters’ 2018 album, Fight the Good Fight. It reached #4 on Billboard’s Alternative Songs chart, while the album reached #2 on the Billboard Independent Albums, and #141 on the Billboard 200.

The band tours extensively, and has played Red Rocks, the premier venue in the US, in my opinion. The live recording featured here comes from Pinkpop, an annual music festival held in Landgraaf, the Netherlands. It is usually held on the Pentecost weekend (Pinksteren in Dutch, hence the name). Pinkpop is the oldest and longest running annual pop and rock music festival in the world.

One appealing aspect of ska is that it’s pure fun at some level. So, get ready to hop around with your arms at your side, and enjoy!