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Blame it on No Doubt or blame it on Sublime, but by the middle of the 1990s, very little of the pop music that was described as ska had anything to do with Jamaican dance music of the early '60s. Too many bands whose sole connection to the musical style had been a few singles by the Specials or the English Beat got it all exactly backward, with the punk influences drowning out what little Jamaican influence remained: the result was basically Green Day with horns, and it wasn't any good for anyone. If the Aggrolites have a stated mission, it's to remind modern audiences what proper ska sounded like, whether in Kingston in 1963 or in London in 1979. The Aggrolites formed in 2002, originally getting together as the backing band for a one-off Los Angeles show backing Jamaican music legend Derrick Morgan. Gathering members from two minor Southern California reggae acts, the new band consisted of lead guitarist Jesse Wagner, rhythm guitarist Brian Dixon, organist Roger Rivas, bassist J. Bonner, and drummer Korey Horn. The concert was a success, and the band stuck together to record an album with Morgan that was never completed. Emboldened despite the recording setback, the band took the name the Aggrolites ("aggro" being a slang term of the ska-loving skinhead subculture of Britain in the 1960s and '70s, meaning pent-up aggression, and "lites" in tribute to the greatest ska band of all time, the Skatalites) and became the go-to guys on the West Coast ska and reggae circuit, backing a wide variety of golden-age Jamaican and British artists on their American dates, including the great Prince Buster and Culture lead singer Joseph Hill. On their own, with Rivas' funky organ work taking the instrumental lead in substitution for their lack of a horn section and Wagner taking vocal duties, the Aggrolites recorded their debut album, Dirty Reggae, at a live-in-the-studio session in 2003. Replacing Horn with new drummer Scott Abels (formerly of the popular third-wave ska band Hepcat), the Aggrolites signed to the Epitaph Records subsidiary Hellcat Records in 2005. Their second album, The Aggrolites, was released in May 2006, with their third, Reggae Hit L.A., following in June 2007, by which time drummer Horn had returned to the fold along with new bass player Jeff Roffredo. ~ Stewart Mason, Rovi
I enjoy music of all types, and I don't put myself in a box when listening. Honestly I don't believe music should be in a box either. If it sounds good to you.... play it, and it all sounds good to me.
This bio is ridiculously biased. Couldn't it be considered more staying closer to roots when bands (like Sublime) experiment with different genres and play their own original style than when a band like the Aggrolites plays traditional reggae and they are a bunch of guys from l.a. Nothing wrong with that, but what's wrong with a band that evolves and doesn't fit into one genre like the Aggrolites. Seems like the author can't think outside of the box and wants every band to fit into a label
vlalehchini
I stand by what I said. Artists can be influenced by other artists without staying true to the original music. Led Zeppelin was influenced by the likes of Fats Domino yet their music couldn't be more different.
Yeah but ska/reggae is in it's essence jamacian DANCE music. It's not punk and didn't stem from it. The further you get from your roots the further you are from what the music actually is. Ska isn't punk with horns and never was. It was dance music. Not mosh or slam music with horns. Period. It's one thing to put a spin on music, it's something else entire to utter change a style and continue to try to pawn it off as the original.
vlalehchini
This is what happens when you try to put musicians in a box. I believe musicians are influenced by other artists and then put their own spin on their music.
The Toasters were great live but Bucket was and is an arse. The problem with the Toasters is that they had more turn over than my local McDonalds. Still at least they wern't punk with horns or trailer trash reggae like Sublime. Personally I always liked the Skaflaws and Hepcat more and honestly the Aggolites are more authentic then all of them.
With all this talk about No Doubt, Sublime, ect in reference to the 90's ska movement and yet the preeminant band of the day, the Toasters, was not even mentioned. Who, by the way, totally rocked.
Sublime was subpar..trailer park ska at best.They spawned a host of imitators who had noo connection to the roots and just ended up at the logical conclusion, sound wise, that Sublime had started. Sublime was better than subsequent bands who tried to imitate them, but they are to blame, along with bands like Voodoo Glowskuls and others for turning ska into what it was in 99. No Doubt was decent before Gwen took over for her brother, sort of like Blondie were good when they were punk(ish).
it's not nice to see that No Doubt and Sublime are thrown under the bus in the bio... They were just honing in on their own sounds! Can't blame them for that, since we can thank The Aggrolites for the same. But I must say, I'm glad to have the Aggrolites. Can't forget your roots.
funny that sublime gets a bad rap here for no ska roots in sound when that's why people enjoyed them. they did have a reggae tonality to them. they did leave a wake that was filled by many that just did everything too fast and no real thought, like greenday.
Amen to that. You have to hold on to your roots atleast a little and by the end of the nineties it all sounded the same and didn't sound like ska or reggae anymore at all as a result.
nice to have a throw back. the 90's ska did really start to blur into a single sound. i do enjoy the punk influences but if you forget where you come from, you lose sight of where you're going.
In the late 70's and early 80's, The Police were considered a ska band. Then, ska was a defined mix of reggae beats and punk rock. Another great example would be The Bush Tetras. I didn't get the 'ska' scene that came out in the late 90's. I hated it. It sounded more like big band music to me.
The idea that the 1990's ska movement "wasn't good for anyone" is completely ridiculous. Even if they branched away from "proper ska", Sublime, No Doubt, Goldfinger, etc, all created great music. I appreciate The Aggrolites throwback to traditional Jamaican dance, it's awesome, but it doesn't make 90's ska any less great.
It is surprising how much knowledge Sublime had of reggae/dancehall songs... roughly 50% of their riffs and lyrics are taken from some old stuff! amazing in the days before Pandora that they would have known some of the stuff
One last thing--I can see how folks find it difficult to distinguish one music type from another--especially "island music". Like any art form, musicians all borrow from each other while infusing the particular sound du jour to try and be contemporary. If you're a purist though, and care about such matters, the Aggs reflect 1963-64 ska more than anything else--this makes sense given that they're so influenced by the Skatalites. Check this out for some cool history: mentomusic.com/roadmap.htm
I disagree with the author that Sublime/No Doubt-like bands "got it backwards", as these bands were not trying to be traditional ska. Also don't think the earlier generation's English Beat or Specials got it backwards either--they just liked ska and it was a huge influence on their music. However, I do agree with the author's perception that the Aggrolites are closer aligned to traditional ska than the more pop-styled ska influenced bands from the late 70s, and throughout the 80s and 90s.
remember, ska came before reggae and it's popularity has been revived over the years, but given their more up-beat (timing, not lyrical) music and the use of a climbing bass line (instead of a rocksteady style bass), they are ska...skank along with it and enjoy
I love these guys but i can honestly say that they are NOT a ska band, they're just striaght up old school reggae. If you don't believe me ask them yourself. Maybe you should get your facts right before you post bio on bands that your not familiar with so that you disappoint the true fans.
this guy got it backwards... . t h e ska core and third wave stuff was an intentional skankifying of punk,not the other way round...the whole point was to give some groove to punk,not to recreate true ska...and it is good for some....now, i love real ska,im one of the worlds biggest prince buster fans,but i also love the voodoo glow skulls....an d the aggrolites!
They honestly kill it! Plus their stuff is new not the same overplayed sublime songs. Dont get me wrong sublime is cool but are held way to high by some
therunks
The people who write the biographies on here are really poor/biased critics.
That image they have totally isn't them.
The image shows some guys trying to look tough.
The Aggrolites do it so much better, they look scary in their pics.
They are very nice in person though, I've met them twice.
buckmasterdesigns
Dirty Reggae all the way. Get Aggro on this stuff. A little upbeat is good for the soul. The Organ has some of the most catchy Reggae grooves of all time.
Pandora, Add the new album "IV" & FIX THE PIC, Please!!!
I agree with most of this desription, but blaming no doubt(im not even a fan) and sublime(first band biographer thought of) and saying stuff sounds like green day with horns is just unneccesary. Also saying it was "bad for everyone" is just a bias I'm not used to with pandora. Ska has its fans and haters, but this is obvously an opinionated version of this particular genres history. Cmon, concentrate on the frigin band and what they are about and leave your opinions to yourself. Almost made me d
That picture needs to go! I've partied and toured with these guys, and I must say that they are the genuine article. Every one of them loves their music and has a positive attitude. The Aggrolites are the best thing in ska right now, 3rd wave can go away now, thanks.
Im glad Im not the only one who noticed the picture... Ive been going to these guys shows since they were just the little opening band no one showed up for. While I am partial to their earlier recordings, all of their albums are great and they are even better live.
That's true, the picture is wrong AND as it turns out, the Aggrolites have NEVER played a ska song at their shows, yet they are described here as a ska band. It seems like the description was written by someone who has read a lot of books about ska and reggae but really knows nothing about the actual music.
my brothers from other mothers! finally a website that tells the truth about reggae and ska, f**k that 3rd wave circus crap. aggro reggae! truly a hard working bunch of guys, go support them at your local vans warped tour.
Comments
point is its all good
The image shows some guys trying to look tough.
The Aggrolites do it so much better, they look scary in their pics.
They are very nice in person though, I've met them twice.
Pandora, Add the new album "IV" & FIX THE PIC, Please!!!
I've partied and toured with these guys, and I must say that they are the genuine article. Every one of them loves their music and has a positive attitude. The Aggrolites are the best thing in ska right now, 3rd wave can go away now, thanks.