Give Ska Drummers Some Love

This week I am prepping to audition for a local band called Teflon Don. This will be a new musical experience for me because it is in a completely opposite musical direction than I am used to.  The group is a Ska band, more particularly a Third Wave Ska band.

Now, I am very meticulous when I approach a new project. I download the music and listen to it constantly. I practice nothing, but that genre while I prepare, and I do research into the style I am playing. In that research I usually seek out the best drummers of the genre and YouTube their videos and pick apart their recordings to see what makes them the leaders of their style of music.

When I was told Teflon Don was a Ska band I immediately thought of traditional Ska music, but this is far from the case in Third Wave Ska. Traditional Ska is played much slower with more "lift" in between hits. To see what I mean watch the current master Gil Sharone  in the video below.

Third Wave Ska is completely different. First, it is faster, much, much faster. In fact, in my opinion I see Third Wave Ska closer to traditional punk rock than its original Reggae roots. The traditional lift between hits is removed to facilitate the brisker tempos and with that any type of swung eighths are converted to straight eights.  Get that right hand ready for a workout on the hi-hat!

As I dove deeper into the genre I was disappointed to find that the drumming community doesn't give the masters of this style more props. When you break apart what is required of them it is down right amazing. First, the speed required would challenge any drummer out there. Next, their fills must be just as fast and just as tight thus requiring a superior level of technique.  From a musical standpoint these bands tend to "move around" in a song changing speeds, styles, and sometimes time signatures on the drop of a dime. This can be a huge challenge to any drummer who is used to just laying in the pocket even in a basic 120 bpm tune, never mind trying it at Third Wave Ska speed . And finally these drummers are playing with larger bands that include horn sections. That means they must be prepared to set-up and then match the brass hits at those blazing speeds.

Watch this video of Streetlight Manifesto's Chris Thatcher and you will see what I mean.

I will leave you with this video from Third Wave Ska's poster boys Reel Big Fish. This live cut of their hit mainstream tune "Sell Out" helps demonstrate the speed, tight hits, and changing tempos and styles the drummer must hit while performing in this genre.

So I encourage you to give these Third Wave Ska drummers some love, and if you need a good workout on the kit. Throw on some Streetlight Manifesto, Mad Caddies, or Reel Big Fish and be prepared to sweat!