The Not-Pop Jukebox

Thanks to a couple of fine folks over at Google+ I've been introduced to my new favorite rock band. Shaka Ponk is everything the mopy, post-grunge whiners strive to be. They're edgy, in-your-face, and unexpected. They're also great fun and, from the looks of the I'm a Lady video, put on one hell of a wild live show. Somehow I doubt they'll be touring North Dakota any time soon, from their native France so I'll have to satisfy myself with watching videos.

Rather than distracting, this video adds a lot of punch to the song and clarifies that it is not only the female singer proclaiming the title in the chorus. If you find I'm a Lady as headbang-inspiring as I do, if you find yourself jumping up and down in time to the beat, and especially if you're interested in the lead singer announcing he's a lady, try Lucky Girl next for more confounding of your expectations.

Due to a misremembered lyric this evening, I found myself following a trail of songs that included the phrase "red hands" in the title. Since I've all but abandoned you all I thought I'd bring you the whole, sloppy mess, dripping with indie goodness via Walk off the Earth and Harlem Shakes, angry post-grunge from Calling All Cars, and even some classic Melvins death grind.

Now, I'll grant you some of these aren't fantastic songs. The point of these lists, however, is to point out the wide variations artists can come up with on a theme, in this case being red-handed (as in guilty). Some of them take the red a wee bit more literally than others. I did actually nuke one song from the list that was painfully bad but I left things like The Bravery, which sounds like a bad Cure cover band, because it's not my thing but Red Hands and White Knuckles takes the concept in a different direction and so still rates a listen.

The Builders and the Butchers come at things from yet another side, doing an Americana song that's almost bluegrass. Their Red Hands brings some classic storytelling and instrumentation to the table but manages to stay far enough on the not-painful side of the twang line that it remains enjoyable. So there you have it, my dears: seven songs about people guilty of something to one degree of violence or another. Have a listen and tell me which is your favorite or if you have a Red Hand Song I've missed!

There are some who say that ska is dead, that the great bands have all moved to punk or funk or rock and roll. They say that the good groups have turned in their two-tone and quit skankin' in exchange for leather and screaming. Not true.

The pop chart love affair with ska, lamentably brief but real, has ended, yes. The Mighty Mighty Bosstones will likely never chart again. Be honest, Sublime was never a ska band in the first place. But ska is alive and well all over the world, as well it should be.

In case you doubt, let me share with you a little post from The NPJ on G+, where I normally blather on these days (hint, hint). As an added bonus, as all the best ska bands do, they've work the genre into their name. Okay, not all the best ska bands, it's just a little quirk that entertains me, like when Mephiskapheles or The Skatalites do it. And now, Bombskare...