Best Ska/Reggae In Chicago
Skapones
Skapones gets you out of your seat and dancing within the first couple of bars. They boast a powerful horn section who know how to solo and beats that you can just groove to. Their lyrics are clever and with so many people in the band doing vocals you get a ton of flavor with each song. All of their songs are catchy and feature amazing solos, be it horn, sax, or guitar. These guys have ska/rock steady/reggae down to a T.
You just have to hear it: So Bad, Men's Club
The Drastics
www.last.fm/music/The+Drastics
www.thedrastics.com
The Drastics know music. They know music from just about every corner of the world and use it in their music: reggae, afro-beat, hip hop, and folk music from Asia, South America, Middle East, and Africa. They have rhythm and they have soul and they know how to use it. The Drastics set the mood of a song with the beat, sometimes slow, sometimes driving, sometimes chill, and then add layers of sax, melodica, and horns over it. They have three studio albums out right now and show absolutely no sign of stopping anytime soon.
You just have to hear it: Love is War, Cosmic Awareness
Shortstop From Tokyo
www.last.fm/music/Shortstop+from+Tokyo
www.myspace.com/shortstopfromtokyo
If you like your ska ala Reel Big Fish and Catch 22, this is a band you need to pay attention to. They're a fresh, younger sound, but don't let the age fool you: they can play and they can play well. SFT has clean horn hooks, great harmonies, and toe-tapping melodies. You can find them performing at places like Reggie's, Beat Kitchen, and Subterranean. And Shortstop From Tokyo wants you to know: Ska is far from dead.
You just have to hear it: One Sided, Better Off
Deals Gone Bad
www.last.fm/music//Deals+Gone+Bad
www.dealsgonebad.com
Here is how Deals Gone Bad describe their music: "the chugging rhythms of Jamaica, the energy and emotion of American Motown, and the over the-top pub/rock of the Pogues." What sets DGB apart from other ska/reggae groups is the vocal styling's of lead singer Todd Hembrook. He has this soulful, Motown-inspired style of singing that sounds so different from other reggae groups and compliments reggae rhythms so very well. Deals Gone Bad is music that feeds your soul and you feel the music.
You just have to hear it: Movin' On, Run From Me
Dr. Ed and the Flu Shots
www.last.fm/music/Dr.+Ed+and+the+Flu+shots
myspace.com/doctoredmusic
Dr. Ed is a group that falls into the reggae genre and sometimes, more often than not, topples into psychedelic rock, but still sounds like reggae. Confused yet? Don't be. Dr. Ed and the Flu Shots have been together for about six years and started out as ska/funk and has evolved into reggae/psychedelic and that evolution has been a beautiful one. They're a seven-piece band that rolls on funky bass-lines and toppling horn melodies; Dr. Ed himself has this raw voice that is full of soul.
You just have to hear it: Exothermic, Reflection
