WHO
The Slackers with Skavoovie and the Epitones, and King Django

WHEN
Saturday, May 29 at 9 p.m.

WHERE
The Campus Pub

TICKET INFO
$10. Call 525-3268 for more info.

Comment
on this story

New York City's Slackers play authentic, old-school ska

by John Sewell

In the music business, trends and teen crazes are important marketing tools that quite often overshadow actual talent and musical authenticity. Take the ska boom of the late '90s for example. With successful faux ska bands like No Doubt and Buck O Nine clogging the airwaves of commercial radio, "ska" was proclaimed the hottest thing since "grunge," and any pop band that could play an offbeat guitar rhythm, don two-tone clothing, add a horn section, and say "pick it up" every now and again was ripe and ready for stardom. Needless to say, the ska craze was short-lived and quickly replaced by this year's new trend: "swing."

Unfortunately, the mass market version of ska wasn't authentic and a current backlash against ska as a musical form is unwarranted and unfair. There has been a thriving underground ska scene in the U.S. and in Europe for a couple of decades that has produced its own crop of seasoned, skilled musicians who can't be accused of jumping on any kind of bandwagon. New York City's The Slackers had done quite well for themselves before the ska boom, and they're still creating a vivid musical legacy that is the antithesis of the usual, late '90s pseudo-ska.

"I think a lot of that commercial, pop ska stuff was tangential to what ska really is," says Slackers saxophonist David Hillyard. "We kind of rode out the ska boom and now things are getting back to normal, which is fine with me. I felt a lot more comfortable when the music I was playing was not popular, so I'm glad things have cooled off a bit. Now, with the ska boom subsiding, all of the unrealistic expectations are forgotten and we're just touring a lot and trying to entertain the people who come out to see us.

"When I first started playing ska music it wasn't popular at all and I had a hard time finding musicians who even wanted to play it," continues Hillyard. "Now people think they know what ska is because of what they've heard on the radio or MTV, and that's not really even what it is. So we're saying, 'no that's not ska—come listen to us.' It's a matter of just turning people on to good music. We go out and we do our show, and it's kind of like an R&B style review. We just do our best to play the best music we can and we don't care whether or not our style of music is popular as a trend."

Perhaps the popularity of ska music has cooled a bit, but The Slackers are among a select group of longtime players that have gained true respect in the music world and are now reaping the rewards of years of labor in the underground. The last year has been incredibly busy for the band, including appearances on the Vans Warped Tour, international touring, and the release of their latest album, The Question, on Hellcat Records.

Hillyard says the band has been happy about their alliance with Hellcat, an imprint of the Epitaph label that was spearheaded by members of Rancid. "Hellcat has been very good to us so far," says Hillyard. "A lot of what they are about is support and nurturing their artists. They do a lot of background work for us like setting up publicity and making arrangements, which is nice. They just work with us, but they don't tell us what kind of material we should be doing. They leave the music up to us and that's great. Hellcat has really got it together as far as an indie label goes."

Though The Slackers can claim ska as a key ingredient in their musical stew, there are also elements of jazz and soul in the eight-member band's presentation. "We always do well when we play in New Orleans," says Hillyard. "The kids who come out to our shows there aren't into ska as much as they just like bands with horns and a large show. We're really just trying to play good music and to entertain people, which kind of fits in with the musical tradition of New Orleans."

Reverence for tradition and a rich blend of musical influence is what sets The Slackers apart from the horde of fakers in the ska world. Hillyard says that the 7-year-old band is in it for the long haul and is oblivious to the manufactured trends of the music industry.

"The people I really idolize and that are my biggest influences are those who really stuck it out. People like Curtis Mayfield and Al Green—guys who just write good, heartfelt songs. We're trying to follow in that kind of tradition, and hopefully we'll even be able to write some really great songs in the process.

"I want to be a musician for the rest of my life, and I see no reason why that shouldn't happen," continues Hillyard. "The Slackers have at least got a few good records left in us. I make my living being a musician and I work very hard at what I do. I just try to put out good records and hope that people will like them. I don't make a lot of money, but I am making a living and that's great."