first in a series

Just under three months and counting, toward the end of August, hopefully without the rain this time, me and the wife and the boys will be shaking our asses at Ska Weekend. It's a li'l ol' local show this feller puts on every year, and each year it gets bigger. If you are into the ska music at all or if you live close enough or if you just need an excuse for a road trip, Ska Weekend is well worth attending. It's a lovely all day (not actually the whole weekend) outdoor ska music festival in one of the neatest parts of town.

Look for a running theme between now and then and more posts as I mine this for post fodder, and listen as you learn about some new bands playing. I'll try not to give a long boring history lesson about ska music or my theory that ska's origination would also eventually birth the beginnings of hip hop. I just might though.

Ska Weekend of course has a Myspace page. Momma and I, preparing for Ska Weekend '06, spent several nights at the page checking out the different bands. We knew upon arrival at Ska Weekend which bands to make a point of seeing and which bands not to bother with. There really are that many bands, and when your kids are 3 and 7, you would do well to plan your music festivals out ahead of time.

One of the bands we found last year is returning this year. They've got a new album out, which we haven't gotten yet, though we do love the one we do have. And Big Brother's favorite song, the one he sings for two or three days after hearing the album is also the dirty song, though he doesn't have any idea. That's neither here nor there, but it is funny, sort of.

Deals Gone Bad are from Chicago and according to their My Space page,

mix the chugging rhythms of Jamaica, the energy and emotion of American Motown, and the over the-top pub/rock of the Pogues

I don't dispute that description, and quoting them is easier than describing it myself. They were a highlight of last year's show and promise to do the same again. They remain with the must see bands, and to prove my point, watch the video.