Hell of a Hat : The Rise of '90s Ska and Swing / Kenneth Partridge.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Partridge, Kenneth, 1980- author.

Series:

American music history.

American Music History Series

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Ska (Music)--United States--History and criticism.

Ska (Music).

Swing (Music)--History and criticism.

Swing (Music).

Popular music--United States--1991-2000--History and criticism.

Popular music.

Genre:

Electronic books.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (280 p.) : 16 illustrations

Edition:

First edition.

Place of Publication:

University Park, PA : The Pennsylvania State University Press, [2021]

Language Note:

In English.

Summary:

In the late ’90s, third-wave ska broke across the American alternative music scene like a tsunami. In sweaty clubs across the nation, kids danced themselves dehydrated to the peppy rhythms and punchy horns of bands like The Mighty Mighty Bosstones and Reel Big Fish. As ska caught fire, a swing revival brought even more sharp-dressed, brass-packing bands to national attention. Hell of a Hat dives deep into this unique musical moment. Prior to invading the Billboard charts and MTV, ska thrived from Orange County, California, to NYC, where Moon Ska Records had eager rude girls and boys snapping up every release. On the swing tip, retro pioneers like Royal Crown Revue had fans doing the jump, jive, and wail long before The Brian Setzer Orchestra resurrected the Louis Prima joint. Drawing on interviews with heavyweights like the Bosstones, Sublime, Less Than Jake, and Cherry Poppin' Daddies—as well as underground heroes like Mustard Plug, The Slackers, Hepcat, and The New Morty Show—Kenneth Partridge argues that the relative economic prosperity and general optimism of the late ’90s created the perfect environment for fast, danceable music that—with some notable exceptions—tended to avoid political commentary.An homage to a time when plaids and skankin’ were king and doing the jitterbug in your best suit was so money, Hell of a Hat is an inside look at ’90s ska, swing, and the loud noises of an era when America was dreaming and didn’t even know it.

Contents:

Frontmatter

Contents

Acknowledgments

INTRODUCTION Bring on the Horns

CHAPTER 1 Noise Brigade

CHAPTER 2 Trapped in a Box

CHAPTER 3 The Contender and the Kings of Swing

CHAPTER 4 Skanking Behind the Orange Curtain

CHAPTER 5 California Skaquake

CHAPTER 6 One Nation Under Ska-Punk

CHAPTER 7 Old’s Cool

CHAPTER 8 East Side Beat

CHAPTER 9 Misfits of Swing

CHAPTER 10 Stray Cat Swings

CHAPTER 11 Swinging at the Margins

CONCLUSION The Beats Go On

Source Essays and Further Reading

Index

Notes:

Includes index.

Description based on online resource; title from PDF title page (publisher's Web site, viewed 29. Nov 2021)

Description based on print version record.

ISBN:

9780271090559

0271090553

OCLC:

1269268928