So you're a streetlight manifesto fan...

[eUAjwe4K]

I would like to see how many people agree with this article.

So You're A Streetlight Manifesto Fan
By Matt Wixson

I'm starting to get worried. I know that I'm at 23 I'm an old man in terms of the ska scene, but I'm actually starting to feel old now. I say this because I now feel a sense of superiority creeping through my veins, a sense that the new sounds will never be as significant as the old sounds. I feel as though I'm becoming like those even older ska dudes who, ten years ago, dismissed kids like me for getting into Reel Big Fish when they were popular. We're just teenagers following a trend. We don't know anything about real ska, what it means to be a rudeboy, or anything else stemming from the ska culture. Well, the world has turned more than a few times since then and now I'm taking on the other role.
So you're a Streetlight Manifesto fan. You might have checkered shoes, with a belt and hat to match. You might love the newest Big D and the Kids Table record, and own a totally sweet Suburban Legends t-shirt. Hell, there's nothing wrong with that. Streetlight Manifesto are some of the most talented musicians in music anywhere right now, and while I think the new Big D album is one of their weaker ones, it's not terrible. And I, in fact, own two totally sweet Suburban Legends t-shirts. What I'm getting at, though, is that being a Streetlight Manifesto fan doesn't make you a rudeboy.
"What?" I can hear many of you saying. "How can being a fan of a ska band not make you a fan of ska?" I think of it like this. My Chemical Romance and Fall Out Boy are punk bands. Like it or not, that's their genre of music. But a person who mainly listens to mainstream bands like MCR and FOB has no legitimate claim to being punk. I equate Big D and Streetlight to My Chemical Romance and Fall Out Boy. They're the newest "it" bands in their respective genres, and a lot of people are crazy about them.
There's an upcoming tour this summer featuring Reel Big Fish, Less Than Jake, Streetlight Manifesto, and Against All Authority. If I weren’t going to be on tour, I would definitely see this show at least once. But this tour is to ska what the Taste of Chaos tours are to punk. It's a place for kids who barely scratch the surface of a genre to go see all the popular bands. Reel Big Fish is the only band that actually plays more ska than punk on this tour. The tour is good bands, no doubt, but hardly representative of the ska scene or ska music at all. This is definitely no rudeboy wet dream.
Now, like I said, I actually happen to like all of these bands. When Streetlight's debut was released I listened to it several times a day. The same goes for Big D's How It Goes album. I just think there's a lot more to the ska culture than these bands and I wish more kids would get deeper into it. A teenager who wears a shirt that says "Kiss Me I'm A Rudeboy" but has never heard of Laurel Aitken or the Skatalites is dumbing down the culture. When I first got into Reel Big Fish and Goldfinger a decade ago I wasn't exposed to bands like the Slackers or the Specials yet, either. However, I also wasn't wearing checkered everything and announcing how proud I was to be in the ska community.
So you're a Streetlight Manifesto fan. So am I. But unless you do your research, learn some of the history, and listen to some traditional, two-tone, and even third wave classics, I refuse to recognize your membership in my club. Sorry.

I completely agree with him. He's my Michigan Ska idol.

 

[Jimmy Noun]

I'm in line with this guy, it's sad when the ska scene shifts from rudies to fifty kids who look exactly like Aaron Barrett who claim to be rudies. The latter demographic being the entire ska crowd here, I'd be surprised shitless if any of them had even heard of Laurel Aitken. Hell, I wouldn't be all that surprised if they hadn't even heard of the Specials.

But hey, at the same time just about all of us who discovered ska by ourselves were the same way, and most of us grew out of it. Not to mention it's not the easiest stuff to be exposed to, I mean how many legit rude kids run around your town with free CDs on hand?  

[eUAjwe4K]

Jimmy Suede

I'm in line with this guy, it's sad when the ska scene shifts from rudies to fifty kids who look exactly like Aaron Barrett who claim to be rudies. The latter demographic being the entire ska crowd here, I'd be surprised shitless if any of them had even heard of Laurel Aitken. Hell, I wouldn't be all that surprised if they hadn't even heard of the Specials.

But hey, at the same time just about all of us who discovered ska by ourselves were the same way, and most of us grew out of it. Not to mention it's not the easiest stuff to be exposed to, I mean how many legit rude kids run around your town with free CDs on hand?

for me not that many. its mostly kids from screamo, gridcore bands. I had a kid from a heavy metal band come up to me at a mall asking if i wanted to listen to his bands CD. He seemed like a cool guy but I really didnt like the sound. It just doesn't appeal to me. But thats a different topic.

 

[A Pharmaceutical Bandit]

I kind of take offense to this, because I love Streetlight, I wear checkers, and I'm proud of my membership to the ska community. And I mean very proud. Ska is one of my biggest passions. Now, I do agree that Streetlight is by no means the best representation of ska, but they are a ska band nonetheless. Ska ranges from all kinds of sounds. My theory has always been that there is a ska band out there for everyone. Sure, it's getting further and further away from it's roots, but without evolution it would stay the same. Change is a good thing. I have met many people who love Streetlight and don't even know what ska is, and that angers me. So in that sense, I'm just like the author. But the way this was said sounds like he's saying Streetlight isn't a viable member of the ska community, and neither are you if you like Streetlight.

For the record, I listen to a very large amount of ska bands, many of which are at the roots of ska.  

[King Of The Ska]

That is probably the best thing I have ever read.
Thank you SO much for posting that! whee whee  

[King Of The Ska]

Melomaniacal

I kind of take offense to this, because I love Streetlight, I wear checkers, and I'm proud of my membership to the ska community. And I mean very proud. Ska is one of my biggest passions. Now, I do agree that Streetlight is by no means the best representation of ska, but they are a ska band nonetheless. Ska ranges from all kinds of sounds. My theory has always been that there is a ska band out there for everyone. Sure, it's getting further and further away from it's roots, but without evolution it would stay the same. Change is a good thing. I have met many people who love Streetlight and don't even know what ska is, and that angers me. So in that sense, I'm just like the author. But the way this was said sounds like he's saying Streetlight isn't a viable member of the ska community, and neither are you if you like Streetlight.

For the record, I listen to a very large amount of ska bands, many of which are at the roots of ska.

Ok Melomaniacal, you need to understand that you are an exception. You DO know your roots, and you DO know about ska, and that you are NOT just some bandwagon jumping teen.

It's cool to like 3rd wave if you are into that kind of thing, as long as you understand that Big D and Streetlight Manifesto AREN'T all there is to ska.

I respect you as a person and as a ska fan.
3nodding  

[eUAjwe4K]

King Of The Ska

That is probably the best thing I have ever read.
Thank you SO much for posting that! whee whee

I honestly thought of you when I read that. No lie.

 

[A Pharmaceutical Bandit]

King Of The Ska

Melomaniacal

I kind of take offense to this, because I love Streetlight, I wear checkers, and I'm proud of my membership to the ska community. And I mean very proud. Ska is one of my biggest passions. Now, I do agree that Streetlight is by no means the best representation of ska, but they are a ska band nonetheless. Ska ranges from all kinds of sounds. My theory has always been that there is a ska band out there for everyone. Sure, it's getting further and further away from it's roots, but without evolution it would stay the same. Change is a good thing. I have met many people who love Streetlight and don't even know what ska is, and that angers me. So in that sense, I'm just like the author. But the way this was said sounds like he's saying Streetlight isn't a viable member of the ska community, and neither are you if you like Streetlight.

For the record, I listen to a very large amount of ska bands, many of which are at the roots of ska.

Ok Melomaniacal, you need to understand that you are an exception. You DO know your roots, and you DO know about ska, and that you are NOT just some bandwagon jumping teen.

It's cool to like 3rd wave if you are into that kind of thing, as long as you understand that Big D and Streetlight Manifesto AREN'T all there is to ska.

I respect you as a person and as a ska fan.
3nodding

Well, first of all: Thank you 3nodding And I give you just as much respect.

I do agree with the statement, it's just the way he worded it seemed like he was saying Streetlight is not ska. I do not agree with that.  

[eUAjwe4K]

rofl  

[Don Caballero]

Y'know, I never get why people go into these scenes and seem to deem one type of music superior, or that they're superior because they know more about the music, Hell I dont even know wghy people bother with scenes, if you love the old bands so much, just be in it for the music and dont give a s**t what others think about you or your tastes, like they did...  

[Status Quo Joe]

yaoifanboykitty

Y'know, I never get why people go into these scenes and seem to deem one type of music superior, or that they're superior because they know more about the music, Hell I dont even know wghy people bother with scenes, if you love the old bands so much, just be in it for the music and dont give a s**t what others think about you or your tastes, like they did...

I'm like you more and more each post.  

[Biker Mice from Mars-]

yaoifanboykitty

Y'know, I never get why people go into these scenes and seem to deem one type of music superior, or that they're superior because they know more about the music, Hell I dont even know wghy people bother with scenes, if you love the old bands so much, just be in it for the music and dont give a s**t what others think about you or your tastes, like they did...

These are my thoughts exactly. I've lost my love for ska, but I enjoy coming here trying to weed out gems like you from the teenage fakes.  

[Don Caballero]

Biker Mice from Mars

yaoifanboykitty

Y'know, I never get why people go into these scenes and seem to deem one type of music superior, or that they're superior because they know more about the music, Hell I dont even know wghy people bother with scenes, if you love the old bands so much, just be in it for the music and dont give a s**t what others think about you or your tastes, like they did...

These are my thoughts exactly. I've lost my love for ska, but I enjoy coming here trying to weed out gems like you from the teenage fakes.

The sad thing is too, Im just a 14 year old kid that just listened and didnt no what ska was til like a year ago...  

[BLANK-DELETE-BLANK]

Really, who gives a damn? Music is music, if you like something and want to get involved in a "scene", for lack of a better word, I don't have an issue with this. And no one i know of who only likes streetlight has ever claimed to be a Rudie, or even a fan of Ska as a whole. Old vs. new is such a bullshit arguement anyway. If something is good, it is good, and why shouldn't people like it if it has merit, age should be disregarded. I feel that bands such as Streetlight Manifesto get caught in the center of this debate and catch unnecessary flack when they are really just a group of talented guys putting out music they like, and that is good, for people to listen to. So yeah, some people will claim to be fans of the genre based on this and never get to bands like The Toasters, Desmond Dekker, The Specials, or The Skatilites, it would happen anyway, what is important is that these bands provide an opening for people to dig deeper. What I loved about Ska was the unity of it all, especially among the fans, cause when you're in a skank cirlce, if you've ever been to a good show, then you know what I mean when I say you are all one big happy family. This arguement is a threat to that unity to create the idiotic debate of new vs. old and elitist vs. interested new fan that is destroying other genres and i had prayed wouldn't rattle the ska world.  

[eUAjwe4K]

9mm - 3 Piece Suit

Really, who gives a damn? Music is music, if you like something and want to get involved in a "scene", for lack of a better word, I don't have an issue with this. And no one i know of who only likes streetlight has ever claimed to be a Rudie, or even a fan of Ska as a whole. Old vs. new is such a bullshit arguement anyway. If something is good, it is good, and why shouldn't people like it if it has merit, age should be disregarded. I feel that bands such as Streetlight Manifesto get caught in the center of this debate and catch unnecessary flack when they are really just a group of talented guys putting out music they like, and that is good, for people to listen to. So yeah, some people will claim to be fans of the genre based on this and never get to bands like The Toasters, Desmond Dekker, The Specials, or The Skatilites, it would happen anyway, what is important is that these bands provide an opening for people to dig deeper. What I loved about Ska was the unity of it all, especially among the fans, cause when you're in a skank cirlce, if you've ever been to a good show, then you know what I mean when I say you are all one big happy family. This arguement is a threat to that unity to create the idiotic debate of new vs. old and elitist vs. interested new fan that is destroying other genres and i had prayed wouldn't rattle the ska world.

I cant say you're wrong.