Christian ska
Encyclopedia
Christian ska is a form of alternative Christian music, and sub-genre of ska
and ska-punk which is lyrically oriented toward Christian music
. Though ska did not constitute a genre within the Christian music industry
until after third wave ska had peaked in the general market, Christian ska continued to thrive independently into the early 2000s.
Ska music came to be seen as "an excellent vehicle for exhortation and praise due to its up front lyrical style" and upbeat, energetic, joyful sound. While there were a large number of smaller bands, ska in the Christian marketplace in the late 1990s came to be primairly represented by three bands: The Insyderz
, The O. C. Supertones, and Five Iron Frenzy
; all of whom were commercially successful and ministry-oriented in their own right. As with third wave ska in the general market the sound was often intermingled with that of punk, swing, or rockabilly
. In parallel with mainstream ska, many underground Christian ska bands released one or two ska based albums before completely genre-hopping away from ska or dissolving. Even the sounds of the "big three" tended to evolve. By 2002 one critic described the horn section of the Supertones as "providing color instead of the dominant sound".
, one of the first well documented Christian bands to play ska was Ishmael United, which operated in the late 1970s and early '80s from the United Kingdom
. Their sound was new wave
or two tone, similar to other British bands such as The Specials
or Madness
. Another early Christian ska band was The Israelites, formed in 1989. They played a traditional style of ska, similar to the Skatalites
or Desmond Dekker
. They released two albums before Christian ska matured, and still play today.
Whereas in mainstream markets the popularity of ska had peaked about 1996, the Christian music marketplace is notorious for being significantly behind trends in the general market. Critics usually cite The O.C. Supertones as having been the first Christian ska band to break into the national spotlight. The 1996 Cornerstone Festival
was pivotal for two of the bands which would come to represent Christian ska. Both Five Iron Frenzy
and The Insyderz
played and got signed as a result, though only the latter played on an official stage.
By early 1997 ska had achieved a large enough following within Christian music to get noticed by the mainstream Christian music media. The January issue of CCM stated that "the Christian ska revolution is in full motion", and that Summer the magazine spotlighted four ska bands. These were Squad 5-O (from Savannah, Georgia
), Five Iron Frenzy
(from Denver, Colorado
), The Insyderz
(from Detroit, Michigan
), and the OC Supertones (from Orange County, California
). Of these Squad 5-O was unique in that they were hornless
, their sound would later completely move away from any form of ska, and they would eventually sign to a general market label
. The remaining three bands, sometimes known as the "big three", would come to dominate the ska sound in Christian markets. Each of these bands was founded and signed to record labels in or before 1996, was commercially successful within Christian music, and outlasted their contemporaries by several years.
Each of the big three were generally characterized as having unique orientations toward their audiences. The Supertones were known for being blatantly evangelical
and included segments of preaching in each performance. They also had the honor of opening for Pope John Paul II
during his visit to St. Louis
. The Insyderz
best known for their renditions of ska-styled hymns and modern praise and worship
songs, of which they released two albums, Skalleluia!
and Skalleluia Too!. Five Iron Frenzy
became known for their positive but serious lyrics and slapstick satirical humour. Common themes included social causes such as hypocrisy
, racism
, big business
, as well as the renewal of faith.
Ska bands received a small amount of attention from Christian music award shows such as the Doves. In 1998 the Supertones's debut album
was nominated in the "Alternate / Modern Rock" category, a classification which they denied. The same year the video for Five Iron's "A Flowery Song
" was nominated in the "short form video" category. At the 1999 awards The Insyderz cover of Rich Mullins
' song "Awesome God
" won in the "Hard Music Song" category. The W's
won two Doves at the 1999 awards, for their debut
as "Modern Rock Album," and "Modern Rock Song" for the song "The Devil Is Bad". They played a neo-swing sound with heavy ska influences. Other career highlights opening for Christian rock heavyweight dc Talk
, and for the Pope during the same visit as the Supertones (although not at the main event). Christian swing music is generally congruent with the swing revival
of the 1990s, and includes a small number of bands. Of all the Christian bands which took part of the swing revival movement they were the best known.
The sound became most widespread and visible within Christian music from 1997 until the early 2000s. During this period Christian ska bands regularly appeared on Billboard charts
. The Encyclopedia of Contemporary Christian Music characterizes ska as being "one of the more crowded genres in the Christian market" by the turn of the millennium. While producing Skanktified, a compilation album released by Eclectica Music (an imprint of N-Soul) in 1998, Mark Morrison found over seventy Christian ska bands operating throughout the United States, mostly in underground scenes
. There were in fact an exceptional number of Christian ska bands underground, creating an oversaturated market for the sound. For instance one band, the Skadaddles, released three albums in 1999, with a sound evolving from ska toward punk and emo.
A number of other bands released two or more albums to the national scene. Freeto Boat released one ska album in 1998 and moved to a punk sound for their sophomore release in 2000. In a move to distance themselves from ska the band changed their name twice and picked up an emo-indie-punk sound before signing to a major label
. Flight One Eighty released three albums - one of ska, one of swing, and finally a ska punk
/power pop
release. The Dingees
were a spinoff band of the Supertones who play a sound which mixes punk, ska, and reggae, and have released three albums, the final one
in 2001. BUCK Enterprises
shows an evolution in sound more like that of the Supertones, changing their sound mix from having a dominating horn section on their national debut
(1998) to one which "flirts with ska" by 2001.
The big three bands of Christian ska each continued until the early to mid 2000s. Five Iron continue to draw large crowds; a tour in 2001 drew an audience of 1,200 per night. They also participated in the Vans Warped Tour in 2002 before breaking up the following year. Their final show had an attendance of over 3,500. After a period of relative inactivity, The Insyderz released their final album
in 2003 and continued to tour until 2005. That same year also saw the end of the Supertones, who had released their final studio album
one year prior.
In 2010 two of the "Big Three" reunited and toured. Late 2011, Five Iron Frenzy joined the reunion and are currently working on a new album, as are the Insyderz.
Ska
Ska |Jamaican]] ) is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1950s, and was the precursor to rocksteady and reggae. Ska combined elements of Caribbean mento and calypso with American jazz and rhythm and blues...
and ska-punk which is lyrically oriented toward Christian music
Contemporary Christian music
Contemporary Christian music is a genre of modern popular music which is lyrically focused on matters concerned with the Christian faith...
. Though ska did not constitute a genre within the Christian music industry
Christian music industry
The Christian music industry is a small part of the larger music industry, that focuses on traditional Gospel music, Southern Gospel music, Contemporary Christian music, and alternative Christian music. It is sometimes called the gospel music industry, although this designation is not a limitation...
until after third wave ska had peaked in the general market, Christian ska continued to thrive independently into the early 2000s.
Ska music came to be seen as "an excellent vehicle for exhortation and praise due to its up front lyrical style" and upbeat, energetic, joyful sound. While there were a large number of smaller bands, ska in the Christian marketplace in the late 1990s came to be primairly represented by three bands: The Insyderz
The Insyderz
The Insyderz are a Christian ska-punk band from Detroit, Michigan. They formed in 1996 and disbanded in 2005, but have recently reunited and are working on new music. The Insyderz are one of the "big three" bands which represented the Christian ska scene, alongside the Supertones and Five Iron Frenzy...
, The O. C. Supertones, and Five Iron Frenzy
Five Iron Frenzy
Five Iron Frenzy is a Christian ska band formed in Denver, Colorado in 1995 and disbanded in 2003. The band announced they were recording new material on November 22, 2011....
; all of whom were commercially successful and ministry-oriented in their own right. As with third wave ska in the general market the sound was often intermingled with that of punk, swing, or rockabilly
Rockabilly
Rockabilly is one of the earliest styles of rock and roll music, dating to the early 1950s.The term rockabilly is a portmanteau of rock and hillbilly, the latter a reference to the country music that contributed strongly to the style's development...
. In parallel with mainstream ska, many underground Christian ska bands released one or two ska based albums before completely genre-hopping away from ska or dissolving. Even the sounds of the "big three" tended to evolve. By 2002 one critic described the horn section of the Supertones as "providing color instead of the dominant sound".
History
While Christian bands have played ska since the days of Jesus musicJesus music
Jesus music, known as gospel beat music in the United Kingdom, is a style of Christian music which originated on the West Coast of the United States in the late 1960s and early 1970s. This musical genre developed in parallel to the Jesus movement...
, one of the first well documented Christian bands to play ska was Ishmael United, which operated in the late 1970s and early '80s from the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. Their sound was new wave
New Wave music
New Wave is a subgenre of :rock music that emerged in the mid to late 1970s alongside punk rock. The term at first generally was synonymous with punk rock before being considered a genre in its own right that incorporated aspects of electronic and experimental music, mod subculture, disco and 1960s...
or two tone, similar to other British bands such as The Specials
The Specials
The Specials are an English 2 Tone ska revival band formed in 1977 in Coventry, England. Their music combines a "danceable ska and rocksteady beat with punk's energy and attitude", and had a "more focused and informed political and social stance" than other ska groups...
or Madness
Madness (band)
In 1979, the band recorded the Lee Thompson composition "The Prince". The song, like the band's name, paid homage to their idol, Prince Buster. The song was released through 2 Tone Records, the label of The Specials founder Jerry Dammers. The song was a surprise hit, peaking in the UK music charts...
. Another early Christian ska band was The Israelites, formed in 1989. They played a traditional style of ska, similar to the Skatalites
The Skatalites
The Skatalites are a ska band from Jamaica. They played initially between 1963 and 1965, and recorded many of their best known songs in the period, including "Guns of Navarone". They also played on records by Prince Buster and backed many other Jamaican artists who recorded during that period...
or Desmond Dekker
Desmond Dekker
Desmond Dekker was a Jamaican ska, rocksteady and reggae singer-songwriter and musician. Together with his backing group, The Aces , he had one of the first international Jamaican hits with "Israelites". Other hits include "007 " and "It Miek"...
. They released two albums before Christian ska matured, and still play today.
Whereas in mainstream markets the popularity of ska had peaked about 1996, the Christian music marketplace is notorious for being significantly behind trends in the general market. Critics usually cite The O.C. Supertones as having been the first Christian ska band to break into the national spotlight. The 1996 Cornerstone Festival
Cornerstone Festival
Cornerstone Festival is a Christian music festival put on by Jesus People USA and held annually around the 4th of July near Bushnell, Illinois. In a given year, many artists that play at Cornerstone also play at other events such as Creation Festival and mainstream festivals and tours such as the...
was pivotal for two of the bands which would come to represent Christian ska. Both Five Iron Frenzy
Five Iron Frenzy
Five Iron Frenzy is a Christian ska band formed in Denver, Colorado in 1995 and disbanded in 2003. The band announced they were recording new material on November 22, 2011....
and The Insyderz
The Insyderz
The Insyderz are a Christian ska-punk band from Detroit, Michigan. They formed in 1996 and disbanded in 2005, but have recently reunited and are working on new music. The Insyderz are one of the "big three" bands which represented the Christian ska scene, alongside the Supertones and Five Iron Frenzy...
played and got signed as a result, though only the latter played on an official stage.
By early 1997 ska had achieved a large enough following within Christian music to get noticed by the mainstream Christian music media. The January issue of CCM stated that "the Christian ska revolution is in full motion", and that Summer the magazine spotlighted four ska bands. These were Squad 5-O (from Savannah, Georgia
Savannah, Georgia
Savannah is the largest city and the county seat of Chatham County, in the U.S. state of Georgia. Established in 1733, the city of Savannah was the colonial capital of the Province of Georgia and later the first state capital of Georgia. Today Savannah is an industrial center and an important...
), Five Iron Frenzy
Five Iron Frenzy
Five Iron Frenzy is a Christian ska band formed in Denver, Colorado in 1995 and disbanded in 2003. The band announced they were recording new material on November 22, 2011....
(from Denver, Colorado
Denver, Colorado
The City and County of Denver is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Denver is a consolidated city-county, located in the South Platte River Valley on the western edge of the High Plains just east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains...
), The Insyderz
The Insyderz
The Insyderz are a Christian ska-punk band from Detroit, Michigan. They formed in 1996 and disbanded in 2005, but have recently reunited and are working on new music. The Insyderz are one of the "big three" bands which represented the Christian ska scene, alongside the Supertones and Five Iron Frenzy...
(from Detroit, Michigan
Detroit, Michigan
Detroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River...
), and the OC Supertones (from Orange County, California
Orange County, California
Orange County is a county in the U.S. state of California. Its county seat is Santa Ana. As of the 2010 census, its population was 3,010,232, up from 2,846,293 at the 2000 census, making it the third most populous county in California, behind Los Angeles County and San Diego County...
). Of these Squad 5-O was unique in that they were hornless
Ska punk
Ska punk is a fusion music genre that combines ska and punk rock. It achieved its highest level of commercial success in the United States in the late 1990s. Ska-core is a subgenre of ska punk, blending ska with hardcore punk.The characteristics of ska punk vary, due to the fusion of contrasting...
, their sound would later completely move away from any form of ska, and they would eventually sign to a general market label
Capitol Records
Capitol Records is a major United States based record label, formerly located in Los Angeles, but operating in New York City as part of Capitol Music Group. Its former headquarters building, the Capitol Tower, is a major landmark near the corner of Hollywood and Vine...
. The remaining three bands, sometimes known as the "big three", would come to dominate the ska sound in Christian markets. Each of these bands was founded and signed to record labels in or before 1996, was commercially successful within Christian music, and outlasted their contemporaries by several years.
Each of the big three were generally characterized as having unique orientations toward their audiences. The Supertones were known for being blatantly evangelical
Evangelism
Evangelism refers to the practice of relaying information about a particular set of beliefs to others who do not hold those beliefs. The term is often used in reference to Christianity....
and included segments of preaching in each performance. They also had the honor of opening for Pope John Paul II
Pope John Paul II
Blessed Pope John Paul II , born Karol Józef Wojtyła , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church and Sovereign of Vatican City from 16 October 1978 until his death on 2 April 2005, at of age. His was the second-longest documented pontificate, which lasted ; only Pope Pius IX ...
during his visit to St. Louis
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
. The Insyderz
The Insyderz
The Insyderz are a Christian ska-punk band from Detroit, Michigan. They formed in 1996 and disbanded in 2005, but have recently reunited and are working on new music. The Insyderz are one of the "big three" bands which represented the Christian ska scene, alongside the Supertones and Five Iron Frenzy...
best known for their renditions of ska-styled hymns and modern praise and worship
Praise and worship
Praise and worship may refer to:* The overall praise and worship of God - see Christian worship* A style of music - see Contemporary worship music* A time of congregational singing - see Contemporary worship...
songs, of which they released two albums, Skalleluia!
Skalleluia!
Skalleluia!, also called "The Insyderz Present Skalleluia!", is the second album by the Christian third-wave ska band, The Insyderz. Released 5 May 1998, it is the first of their albums dedicated to ska renditions of worship songs...
and Skalleluia Too!. Five Iron Frenzy
Five Iron Frenzy
Five Iron Frenzy is a Christian ska band formed in Denver, Colorado in 1995 and disbanded in 2003. The band announced they were recording new material on November 22, 2011....
became known for their positive but serious lyrics and slapstick satirical humour. Common themes included social causes such as hypocrisy
Hypocrisy
Hypocrisy is the state of pretending to have virtues, moral or religious beliefs, principles, etc., that one does not actually have. Hypocrisy involves the deception of others and is thus a kind of lie....
, racism
Racism
Racism is the belief that inherent different traits in human racial groups justify discrimination. In the modern English language, the term "racism" is used predominantly as a pejorative epithet. It is applied especially to the practice or advocacy of racial discrimination of a pernicious nature...
, big business
Big Business
Big business is a term used to describe large corporations, in either an individual or collective sense. The term first came into use in a symbolic sense subsequent to the American Civil War, particularly after 1880, in connection with the combination movement that began in American business at...
, as well as the renewal of faith.
Ska bands received a small amount of attention from Christian music award shows such as the Doves. In 1998 the Supertones's debut album
Adventures of the O.C. Supertones
Adventures of the O.C. Supertones is the first album released by The O.C. Supertones. Its lyrical content is mostly simple and spiritual, similar to worship music...
was nominated in the "Alternate / Modern Rock" category, a classification which they denied. The same year the video for Five Iron's "A Flowery Song
Upbeats and Beatdowns
Upbeats and Beatdowns is the first full-length album of the band Five Iron Frenzy. It was released April 8, 1997 on Five Minute Walk, under the SaraBellum imprint, with distribution from Warner Bros. Records...
" was nominated in the "short form video" category. At the 1999 awards The Insyderz cover of Rich Mullins
Rich Mullins
Richard Wayne "Rich" Mullins was an American Contemporary Christian music singer and songwriter born in Richmond, Indiana. He had two sisters and two brothers....
' song "Awesome God
Awesome God
"Awesome God" is a contemporary worship song written by Rich Mullins and first recorded on his 1988 album, Winds of Heaven, Stuff of Earth. It was the first single from the album and rose to the No. 1 spot on Christian radio and subsequently became a popular congregational song...
" won in the "Hard Music Song" category. The W's
The W's
The W's were a Christian ska/swing band, formed in Corvallis, Oregon in 1996. Success came quickly to the band and their first album, Fourth from the Last, was a sleeper hit unexpectedly having had the strongest debut of any Christian album to date for its distributor. They toured the United...
won two Doves at the 1999 awards, for their debut
Fourth from the Last
Fourth From the Last is the first album by the band The W's. The name of the album is derived from the fact that the letter W is the fourth from the last letter in the Latin alphabet....
as "Modern Rock Album," and "Modern Rock Song" for the song "The Devil Is Bad". They played a neo-swing sound with heavy ska influences. Other career highlights opening for Christian rock heavyweight dc Talk
Dc Talk
DC Talk , is a Grammy-winning Christian rock music trio. The group was formed in Lynchburg, Virginia in 1987 by Toby McKeehan, Michael Tait, and Kevin Max Smith. They have released five major studio albums together: DC Talk , Nu Thang , Free at Last , Jesus Freak , and Supernatural...
, and for the Pope during the same visit as the Supertones (although not at the main event). Christian swing music is generally congruent with the swing revival
Swing Revival
The Swing Revival was a late 1990s and early 2000s period of renewed popular interest in swing and jump blues music and dance from the 1930s and 1940s as exemplified by Louis Prima, often mixed with a more contemporary rock, rockabilly or ska sound, known also as neo-swing or retro...
of the 1990s, and includes a small number of bands. Of all the Christian bands which took part of the swing revival movement they were the best known.
The sound became most widespread and visible within Christian music from 1997 until the early 2000s. During this period Christian ska bands regularly appeared on Billboard charts
Billboard charts
The Billboard charts tabulate the relative weekly popularity of songs or albums in the United States. The results are published in Billboard magazine...
. The Encyclopedia of Contemporary Christian Music characterizes ska as being "one of the more crowded genres in the Christian market" by the turn of the millennium. While producing Skanktified, a compilation album released by Eclectica Music (an imprint of N-Soul) in 1998, Mark Morrison found over seventy Christian ska bands operating throughout the United States, mostly in underground scenes
Underground music
Underground music comprises a range of different musical genres that operate outside of mainstream culture. Such music can typically share common values, such as the valuing of sincerity and intimacy; an emphasis on freedom of creative expression; an appreciation of artistic creativity...
. There were in fact an exceptional number of Christian ska bands underground, creating an oversaturated market for the sound. For instance one band, the Skadaddles, released three albums in 1999, with a sound evolving from ska toward punk and emo.
A number of other bands released two or more albums to the national scene. Freeto Boat released one ska album in 1998 and moved to a punk sound for their sophomore release in 2000. In a move to distance themselves from ska the band changed their name twice and picked up an emo-indie-punk sound before signing to a major label
Tooth & Nail Records
Tooth & Nail Records is a record label founded by Brandon Ebel in the U.S. state of California in November 1993. The label later moved to Seattle, Washington, where it is situated today...
. Flight One Eighty released three albums - one of ska, one of swing, and finally a ska punk
Ska punk
Ska punk is a fusion music genre that combines ska and punk rock. It achieved its highest level of commercial success in the United States in the late 1990s. Ska-core is a subgenre of ska punk, blending ska with hardcore punk.The characteristics of ska punk vary, due to the fusion of contrasting...
/power pop
Power pop
Power pop is a popular musical genre that draws its inspiration from 1960s British and American pop and rock music. It typically incorporates a combination of musical devices such as strong melodies, crisp vocal harmonies, economical arrangements, and prominent guitar riffs. Instrumental solos are...
release. The Dingees
The Dingees
The Dingees are a band formed in Orange County, California in 1996.-Lineup:* Matthew "Pegleg" Roberts: vocals, guitar, alto saxophone * Dave Chevalier: tenor saxophone, vocals, keys * Matt "Bean" Hernandez: bass...
were a spinoff band of the Supertones who play a sound which mixes punk, ska, and reggae, and have released three albums, the final one
The Crucial Conspiracy
The Crucial Conspiracy is the third full length album by Californian ska band The Dingees. The album shows a reggae and roots music influence, although its style constantly shifts and includes what was described as only "a fading memory" of third wave ska....
in 2001. BUCK Enterprises
BUCK Enterprises
BUCK Enterprises was a Christian ska band that hailed from Michigan. They were one of the bands that was part of the Christian third-wave ska movement. Originally, their name was BUCK, but because of legal problems their name was changed to BUCK Enterprises. The band released two full-length...
shows an evolution in sound more like that of the Supertones, changing their sound mix from having a dominating horn section on their national debut
BUCK
BUCK is the first major full-length album released by Christian ska band BUCK Enterprises. The album was released under the band's name of BUCK...
(1998) to one which "flirts with ska" by 2001.
The big three bands of Christian ska each continued until the early to mid 2000s. Five Iron continue to draw large crowds; a tour in 2001 drew an audience of 1,200 per night. They also participated in the Vans Warped Tour in 2002 before breaking up the following year. Their final show had an attendance of over 3,500. After a period of relative inactivity, The Insyderz released their final album
Soundtrack to a Revolution
Soundtrack to a Revolution is the sixth full length album by the Christian ska band, The Insyderz. It was released on November 11, 2003...
in 2003 and continued to tour until 2005. That same year also saw the end of the Supertones, who had released their final studio album
Revenge of the O.C. Supertones
Revenge of the O.C. Supertones is the seventh album and the final studio album released by The O.C. Supertones.-Track listing:# "Wake Me Up On Time"# "Where I Find You"# "We Shall Overcome"# "Transmission"# "Prince of Peace"# "Shepherd is the Lamb"...
one year prior.
In 2010 two of the "Big Three" reunited and toured. Late 2011, Five Iron Frenzy joined the reunion and are currently working on a new album, as are the Insyderz.