In Defense of Ska

The Exit Interview with Sammy Kay

Oh, wait a minute! We have one more episode. Three-time IDOS guest Sammy Kay couldn’t let us walk away from the podcast without doing a proper exit interview. So this wee

The Final episode w/ special guest Mike Park

Well, folks, this is it. You’ve made it to the end of the In Defense of Ska podcast. Nobody can say it wasn't a great four-and-a-half-year run of interviews, discussions,

Why Fishbone Matters with W. Kamau Bell

Are Fishbone the greatest band of all time? Perhaps. But no matter how great any single person thinks the group is, it’s a fact that Fishbone is a super important, very o

Felipe Esparza on Voodoo Glow Skulls and all things ska

Comedian Felipe Esparza may have won Last Comic Standing in 2010 and is currently touring theaters. But probably the most important thing to know about him is that he lov

1 in 3000 nerds can’t be wrong: Interview with Janitors Against Apartheid’s Lodge Worster

There were a lot of ska-punk bands in the ’90s. Perhaps, none were more out there than Northern CA’s Janitors Against Apartheid: A wild group that played hyper-fast ska a

The Mozzarella Stick Ska Meme: Its history and impact on ska

They said it couldn’t be done, but In Defense of Ska laughs in the face of such faithlessness. It's with great pride and honor that the crew unveils this week's episode -

Ska Punk International: An interview with Chris Reeves

Eras of ska are, in part, defined by the ska labels. This week on In Defense of Ska, the crew chats with the head of one of those labels helping make the modern age of th

The story of Ska in New Orleans post-Katrina: A live panel at Hey Café

New Orleans had a surprisingly big ska scene in the late 2000s. This caught the attention of In Defense of Ska host Aaron Carnes after he wrote the first edition of his b

The beginning of a global trad ska revival: Potato 5

In England, two-tone ska was absolutely huge -- but only for a brief time. By the early ’80s, the country had moved on to other sounds in pop music, and most of the two-t

Japan’s finest: Hey Smith singer Shu

This week on In Defense of Ska, the gang travels to the ska-loving country of Japan to interview the amazing ska-punk group Hey Smith. Listen to the band's singer and pri

Touring in a Ska Band: Life on the Road

This week on In Defense of Ska, host Adam Davis takes the spotlight to detail his time touring with his ska band Omnigone. The act hit the road back in March, and along t

Punching Nazis: A True Gilman Punk Rock Story

There’s a piece of Gilman (the legendary underground venue) lore that involves a huge fight between punks and nazis in the late '80s. Thankfully and expectedly, the punks

From Eurovision to the Bosnian War: A conversation with Dubioza Kolektiv

At the moment, Dubioza Kolektiv are one of the biggest ska bands in Europe. The Bosnia-based group melds ska, reggae, hip-hop, and alt-rock, fusing it all with traditiona

The Sound of Ska in Denmark: The Chains

Let In Defense of Ska introduce you to The Chains, a new ska band out hailing from Denmark. Their sound leans heavily into traditional ska, rock steady, and boss reggae,

WTF is Crack Rock Steady?

This week on In Defense of Ska, the crew asks a question that has been on everyone's mind: What the hell is crack rock steady? Along with author and fellow ska-enjoyer Je

Ska as Pop Music in 2025 w/ Catbite and Sarah Tudzin

When people say they want ska music to come back, what they’re really saying is that they want ska music to once again be a part of the pop music world. If that were to h

When Smash Mouth Was a Ska Band

Back in the mid '90s, ska was on the rise in the United States. Ready to ride the wave, a new band formed in San Jose, California, that specialized in ska-punk and pop-pu

Why is Bob Marley more popular now than ever? A conversation with Roger Steffens

For most of his life, the legendary Bob Marley was actually something of a cult artist. After his death in 1981, though, his popularity only grew and grew. Now, he stands

The Precure album returns: Kayleigh Malloy & Anj Capizzi discuss the reissue of Kmoy's Precure album

Kayleigh “Kmoy” Malloy released The Precure Album in 2021. It’s a brilliant, ska concept album that could be described as “Laptop Ska.” That’s changed. Now Kmoy is a full

Political dance music: A conversation with Sergio Rotman from Argentinian ska band Los Fabulosos Cadillacs

At this point in their career, perhaps it’s unfair to call Los Fabulosos Cadillacs strictly a ska act. The band blends the genre with reggae, wider rock, and various Lati