Not a lot of kids are into ska punk, but some are: those kids are saving the future of ska.
Coming home from work, I stumbled upon a $1 house show that was preparing for their final band of the night. While the immense crowd of teens and young college kids had already listened to indie and pop punk collectives, it was time for ska punk to close out the show. The band to send people home happy: Skidwizard, an Inland Empire band that has gained much respect in a quick amount of time in the ska scene.
Almost immediately you could feel the energy as the horn line consisting of a trumpet and trombone player blasted their first note, followed immediately by groovy bass lines, clean guitar upstrokes, and hard-hitting rhythms from the drums. I was impressed not only by the band’s instrumental talents, but by the response of the crowd as well.
Palm trees were shaking and people were skanking as the band played through some of the most original ska punk sounds I’ve heard this year. They played songs off their recent debut EP “Lyin’ Hawaiian”, as well as covers from bands like Skankin’ Pickle and Reel Big Fish.
Rising from the ashes of former band The London System, Skidwizard amps up the punk in their already mastered ska sound. Heavily inspired by bands like Skankin Pickle, Rx Bandits, and The Hippos, the group shares that same moving horn lines and witty lyricism.
As the band turns 1 year old his month, they have managed to blow up at such a fast pace since their start. The younger generation is quick to understand how to market themselves on social media, as Skidwizard is already becoming well established not just in the Inland Empire, but in SoCal as a whole.
The reality is that there’s a ska punk drought. It may not look like it, but when you look at the age range of these bands, most people are in their 30s or older. Only a handful of bands like Chudson, Inpost, and 2-Step Chicks are still fueled by frenetic, youthful energy. Skidwizard joins the small collection of teens/college kids saving the ska punk scene and has the potential to become future underground legends.
Not only does Skidwizard have a new album in the works, but they will be going on their first summer tour as well. If you live in Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, or Colorado, get ready for some IE ska punk coming your way!