Skaboy JFK
Encyclopedia
Skaboy JFK: The Skankin' Hits of the Cherry Poppin' Daddies (often shortened to Skaboy JFK) is a compilation album
by American
ska
-swing band the Cherry Poppin' Daddies
, released in September 2009 on Rock Ridge Music
.
In a similar vein to the Daddies' 1997 swing compilation Zoot Suit Riot
, Skaboy JFK is a showcase of only the ska elements of the band's music, collecting the straight ska and ska punk
tracks from their first five studio albums along with four newly recorded bonus track
s.
("Soul Cadillac", "2:29"), 2 Tone
("Skaboy JFK", "Hammerblow"), third wave ("End of the Night", "Pool Shark") and ska punk
("Hi and Lo", "Sockable Face Club", "Don Quixote"), as well as featuring funk
("Slapstick") and punk
hybrids ("Say It To My Face").
As the Daddies' former label, Jive Records
, own the master recording
s of the band's late 1990s work, three songs - "Soul Cadillac" and "End of the Night" from Soul Caddy
and "2:29" from Vacationing in Palm Springs
- were fully re-recorded for inclusion on this compilation.
first expressed plans for an all-ska compilation in a November 2008 interview detailing the band's European tour in support of Susquehanna
, saying that fans had been suggesting the concept for years. He further noted that such a project could help show a different side of the Daddies than the swing material the band is mostly recognized for and hopefully reconnect them with the ska scene that they had first established themselves within during the early-to-mid 1990s.
On February 22, 2009, Perry posted on the group's MySpace
confirming the project, announcing that recording would take place in March and the album - under the working title of simply "The Skankin'
Hits of the Cherry Poppin' Daddies" - would possibly include as many as 15 songs. He noted the cover art would revisit touches of the Zoot Suit Riot artwork, explaining "...if they look somewhat similar maybe people will put 2 + 2 together and understand that these were special records we did in order to showcase one style, as opposed to getting a wrong impression of what the band is about generally".
In mid-2009, the Daddies signed to Rock Ridge Music
, home of former Mojo labelmates Reel Big Fish
(who would also release a ska compilation
of re-recorded tracks due to an identical conflict with Jive), for the national release and distribution of both Skaboy JFK and a re-issue of Susquehanna. Both records were simultaneously released on September 29, 2009.
Skaboy JFK was the last Daddies album to feature longtime lead guitarist Jason Moss
, who departed the band in March 2010, as well as the first and only album to feature tenor saxophonist Jesse Cloninger, who also left the band in 2010.
called the album "excellent" and "packed with irresistible energy", singling out "Hi and Lo" and "Sockable Face Club" as particular highlights, while Blogcritics
shared equal praise, citing it as "[proof] that swing and ska are far from dead". Goldmine
described the music as "irresistible" and, along with Susquehanna, a re-establishment of the Daddies as "an ongoing (and worthwhile) entity". Metro Spirit
summarized the record as "a very catchy, very fun and all around toe-tapping, finger-snapping, head-bobbing good time", and The Renegade Rip
also complemented the music's energy, again giving particular praise to "Hi and Lo" and "Sockable Face Club", though claiming that eventually the ska rhythms "became predictable and the melodies ran together".
On the negative side of the critical spectrum, a separate reviewer on Blogcritics derided the album's content as "[sounding] like every other modern ska track I’ve ever heard", while Wonka Vision gave Skaboy JFK a score of 2/5, describing it as "run-of-the-mill" and a reminder that "ska isn't anything special"...though listing "Hi and Lo" and "Sockable Face Club" as among the more memorable tracks on the album.
Compilation album
A compilation album is an album featuring tracks from one or more performers, often culled from a variety of sources The tracks are usually collected according to a common characteristic, such as popularity, genre, source or subject matter...
by American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
ska
Ska
Ska |Jamaican]] ) is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1950s, and was the precursor to rocksteady and reggae. Ska combined elements of Caribbean mento and calypso with American jazz and rhythm and blues...
-swing band the Cherry Poppin' Daddies
Cherry Poppin' Daddies
The Cherry Poppin' Daddies are an American band established in Eugene, Oregon, in 1989. Formed by Steve Perry and Dan Schmid , the band has experienced many membership changes over the years, with only Perry, Schmid and Dana Heitman currently remaining from the original line-up.The Daddies' music...
, released in September 2009 on Rock Ridge Music
Rock Ridge Music
Rock Ridge Music is an independent record label based in Newark, New Jersey. Some of the more recognized artists on the Rock Ridge roster include Reel Big Fish, Sister Hazel, Psychostick, Attack! Attack! UK, The Ike Reilly Assassination, and Ingram Hill....
.
In a similar vein to the Daddies' 1997 swing compilation Zoot Suit Riot
Zoot Suit Riot (album)
Zoot Suit Riot: The Swingin' Hits of the Cherry Poppin' Daddies is a compilation album by American ska-swing band the Cherry Poppin' Daddies, released on March 18, 1997 on Space Age Bachelor Pad Records....
, Skaboy JFK is a showcase of only the ska elements of the band's music, collecting the straight ska and ska punk
Ska punk
Ska punk is a fusion music genre that combines ska and punk rock. It achieved its highest level of commercial success in the United States in the late 1990s. Ska-core is a subgenre of ska punk, blending ska with hardcore punk.The characteristics of ska punk vary, due to the fusion of contrasting...
tracks from their first five studio albums along with four newly recorded bonus track
Bonus track
In terms of recorded music, a bonus track is a piece of music which has been included on specific releases or reissues of an album. This is most often done as a promotional device, either as an incentive to customers to purchase albums they might otherwise not, or to repurchase albums they already...
s.
Overview
Mirroring the genre eclecticism of the Daddies' studio albums, Skaboy JFK stylistically reflects all waves and varieties of ska music: traditional and reggaeReggae
Reggae is a music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s. While sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to most types of Jamaican music, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that originated following on the development of ska and rocksteady.Reggae is based...
("Soul Cadillac", "2:29"), 2 Tone
2 Tone
2 Tone is a music genre created in the United Kingdom in the late 1970s by fusing elements of ska, punk rock, rocksteady, reggae, and New Wave. It was called 2 Tone because most of the bands were signed to 2 Tone Records at some point. Other labels associated with the 2 Tone sound were Stiff...
("Skaboy JFK", "Hammerblow"), third wave ("End of the Night", "Pool Shark") and ska punk
Ska punk
Ska punk is a fusion music genre that combines ska and punk rock. It achieved its highest level of commercial success in the United States in the late 1990s. Ska-core is a subgenre of ska punk, blending ska with hardcore punk.The characteristics of ska punk vary, due to the fusion of contrasting...
("Hi and Lo", "Sockable Face Club", "Don Quixote"), as well as featuring funk
Funk
Funk is a music genre that originated in the mid-late 1960s when African American musicians blended soul music, jazz and R&B into a rhythmic, danceable new form of music. Funk de-emphasizes melody and harmony and brings a strong rhythmic groove of electric bass and drums to the foreground...
("Slapstick") and punk
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
hybrids ("Say It To My Face").
As the Daddies' former label, Jive Records
Jive Records
Jive Records was a record label based in New York City, operating under RCA Music Group. Jive was primarily known for a string of successes with hip hop artists in the 1980s, and in teen pop and boy bands in the late 1990s. The word "jive" was inspired by Township Jive, a form of South African...
, own the master recording
Master recording
A multitrack recording master tape, disk or computer files on which productions are developed for later mixing, is known as the multi-track master, while the tape, disk or computer files holding a mix is called a mixed master.It is standard practice to make a copy of a master recording, known as...
s of the band's late 1990s work, three songs - "Soul Cadillac" and "End of the Night" from Soul Caddy
Soul Caddy
Soul Caddy is the fourth studio album, fifth chronologically, by American band the Cherry Poppin' Daddies, released on October 3, 2000 by Mojo Records.-Album overview:...
and "2:29" from Vacationing in Palm Springs
Vacationing in Palm Springs
Vacationing in Palm Springs is a split 7" from Californian ska punk band Reel Big Fish and Oregon ska-swing band the Cherry Poppin' Daddies, released in 1997 on Mojo Records.-Overview:...
- were fully re-recorded for inclusion on this compilation.
Production history
Steve PerrySteve Perry (Oregon musician)
Stephen Henry Perry is an American musician, best known for being the lead singer, songwriter and rhythm guitarist for the ska-swing band the Cherry Poppin' Daddies, of which he is the founding member.-Early life:...
first expressed plans for an all-ska compilation in a November 2008 interview detailing the band's European tour in support of Susquehanna
Susquehanna (album)
Susquehanna is the fifth studio album by American band the Cherry Poppin' Daddies, released on Space Age Bachelor Pad Records in February 2008, and later re-issued on Rock Ridge Music in September 2009....
, saying that fans had been suggesting the concept for years. He further noted that such a project could help show a different side of the Daddies than the swing material the band is mostly recognized for and hopefully reconnect them with the ska scene that they had first established themselves within during the early-to-mid 1990s.
On February 22, 2009, Perry posted on the group's MySpace
MySpace
Myspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....
confirming the project, announcing that recording would take place in March and the album - under the working title of simply "The Skankin'
Skank (dance)
Skanking is a form of dancing practiced in the ska, ska punk, hardcore punk, reggae, and other music scenes.The dance style originated in the 1950s or 1960s at Jamaican dance halls, where ska music was played. British mods and skinheads of the 1960s adopted these types of dances and altered them...
Hits of the Cherry Poppin' Daddies" - would possibly include as many as 15 songs. He noted the cover art would revisit touches of the Zoot Suit Riot artwork, explaining "...if they look somewhat similar maybe people will put 2 + 2 together and understand that these were special records we did in order to showcase one style, as opposed to getting a wrong impression of what the band is about generally".
In mid-2009, the Daddies signed to Rock Ridge Music
Rock Ridge Music
Rock Ridge Music is an independent record label based in Newark, New Jersey. Some of the more recognized artists on the Rock Ridge roster include Reel Big Fish, Sister Hazel, Psychostick, Attack! Attack! UK, The Ike Reilly Assassination, and Ingram Hill....
, home of former Mojo labelmates Reel Big Fish
Reel Big Fish
Reel Big Fish is an American ska punk band from Huntington Beach, California, best known for the 1997 hit "Sell Out". The band gained mainstream recognition in the mid-to-late 1990s, during the third wave of ska with the release of the gold certified album Turn the Radio Off. Soon after, the band...
(who would also release a ska compilation
A Best of Us for the Rest of Us
A Best of Us for the Rest of Us is a greatest hits compilation from ska-punk band Reel Big Fish. It was released on July 20, 2010 and sold exclusively through Best Buy stores...
of re-recorded tracks due to an identical conflict with Jive), for the national release and distribution of both Skaboy JFK and a re-issue of Susquehanna. Both records were simultaneously released on September 29, 2009.
Skaboy JFK was the last Daddies album to feature longtime lead guitarist Jason Moss
Jason Moss (musician)
Jason David Moss is an American musician, known for his work as the lead guitarist for the ska-swing band the Cherry Poppin' Daddies, of which he was a member from 1992 to 2010.-Early life:...
, who departed the band in March 2010, as well as the first and only album to feature tenor saxophonist Jesse Cloninger, who also left the band in 2010.
Reception
Critical response to Skaboy JFK was generally positive. PopMattersPopMatters
PopMatters is an international webzine of cultural criticism that covers many aspects of popular culture. PopMatters publishes reviews, interviews, and detailed essays on most cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, films, books, video games, comics, sports, theater,...
called the album "excellent" and "packed with irresistible energy", singling out "Hi and Lo" and "Sockable Face Club" as particular highlights, while Blogcritics
Blogcritics
Blogcritics is a blog network and online magazine of news and opinion. The site—a self-proclaimed "sinister cabal of superior writers"—was founded in 2002 by Eric Olsen and Phillip Winn...
shared equal praise, citing it as "[proof] that swing and ska are far from dead". Goldmine
Goldmine (magazine)
Goldmine, established in 1974, is an American magazine that focuses on the collectors' market for records, tapes, CDs, and music-related memorabilia. Each issue features news articles, interviews, discographies, histories, current reviews on recording stars of the past and present. Discographies...
described the music as "irresistible" and, along with Susquehanna, a re-establishment of the Daddies as "an ongoing (and worthwhile) entity". Metro Spirit
Metro Spirit
The Metro Spirit is a free alternative news weekly in Augusta, Georgia . The paper is widely available at news stands across the Augusta area....
summarized the record as "a very catchy, very fun and all around toe-tapping, finger-snapping, head-bobbing good time", and The Renegade Rip
The Renegade Rip
The Renegade Rip is Bakersfield College's award-winning student newspaper. It has been in publication since 1929. The Rip not only covers campus news but major events off campus as well such as the KORN concert and the Joey Porter event in Bakersfield....
also complemented the music's energy, again giving particular praise to "Hi and Lo" and "Sockable Face Club", though claiming that eventually the ska rhythms "became predictable and the melodies ran together".
On the negative side of the critical spectrum, a separate reviewer on Blogcritics derided the album's content as "[sounding] like every other modern ska track I’ve ever heard", while Wonka Vision gave Skaboy JFK a score of 2/5, describing it as "run-of-the-mill" and a reminder that "ska isn't anything special"...though listing "Hi and Lo" and "Sockable Face Club" as among the more memorable tracks on the album.
Track listing
Previous availability
| Original album | Year | Track | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | |||||
| Ferociously Stoned Ferociously Stoned - Personnel :Cherry Poppin' Daddies*M.C. Large Drink – vocals*John Fohl – guitar*Dan Schmid – bass*Brian West – drums*Chris Azorr – keyboards*Brooks Brown – alto saxophone*James Phillips – tenor saxophone*Dana Heitman – trumpet... |
1990 | |||||||||||||||
| Rapid City Muscle Car Rapid City Muscle Car Rapid City Muscle Car is the second studio album by American band the Cherry Poppin' Daddies, released in 1994 on Space Age Bachelor Pad Records.-Overview:... |
1994 | X | ||||||||||||||
| Kids on the Street Kids on the Street Kids on the Street is the third studio album by American band the Cherry Poppin' Daddies, released in 1996 on Space Age Bachelor Pad Records.-Overview:... |
1996 | X | X | X | ||||||||||||
| Soul Caddy Soul Caddy Soul Caddy is the fourth studio album, fifth chronologically, by American band the Cherry Poppin' Daddies, released on October 3, 2000 by Mojo Records.-Album overview:... |
2000 | X | X | |||||||||||||
| Susquehanna Susquehanna (album) Susquehanna is the fifth studio album by American band the Cherry Poppin' Daddies, released on Space Age Bachelor Pad Records in February 2008, and later re-issued on Rock Ridge Music in September 2009.... |
2008 | X | X | |||||||||||||
| Previously unreleased | 2009 | X | X | X | X | |||||||||||
- Previous recordings of "2:29" and "Hi and Lo" first appeared on the Daddies/Reel Big Fish split 7" Vacationing in Palm SpringsVacationing in Palm SpringsVacationing in Palm Springs is a split 7" from Californian ska punk band Reel Big Fish and Oregon ska-swing band the Cherry Poppin' Daddies, released in 1997 on Mojo Records.-Overview:...
(1997).
Cherry Poppin' Daddies
Band roster at the time of release of this compilation album:- Steve PerrySteve Perry (Oregon musician)Stephen Henry Perry is an American musician, best known for being the lead singer, songwriter and rhythm guitarist for the ska-swing band the Cherry Poppin' Daddies, of which he is the founding member.-Early life:...
- lead vocals, rhythm guitarRhythm guitarRhythm guitar is a technique and rôle that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with singers or other instruments; and to provide all or part of the harmony, ie. the chords, where a chord is a group of notes played together... - Dan SchmidDan SchmidDaniel Joseph Schmid is an American musician, known for his work as the bassist for the ska-swing band the Cherry Poppin' Daddies, of which he is a co-founder, and the piano rock trio The Visible Men.-Career:...
- bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick.... - Dana HeitmanDana HeitmanDana Conrad Heitman is an American musician, known for his work as the trumpeter for the ska-swing band the Cherry Poppin' Daddies, of which he has been a member since the band's inception.-Biography:...
- trumpetTrumpetThe trumpet is the musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BCE. They are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air...
, tromboneTromboneThe trombone is a musical instrument in the brass family. Like all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player’s vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate... - Jason MossJason Moss (musician)Jason David Moss is an American musician, known for his work as the lead guitarist for the ska-swing band the Cherry Poppin' Daddies, of which he was a member from 1992 to 2010.-Early life:...
- lead guitarLead guitarLead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure... - Dustin LankerDustin LankerDustin Ross Lanker is an American keyboardist, known for his work as a member of the ska-swing band the Cherry Poppin' Daddies, a touring member of the ska punk band the Mad Caddies and as the singer-songwriter for the piano rock trio The Visible Men.-Career:A pianist since childhood, Lanker...
- keyboardsKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments... - Joe Manis - alto saxophoneAlto saxophoneThe alto saxophone is a member of the saxophone family of woodwind instruments invented by Belgian instrument designer Adolphe Sax in 1841. It is smaller than the tenor but larger than the soprano, and is the type most used in classical compositions...
- Jesse Cloninger - tenor saxophoneTenor saxophoneThe tenor saxophone is a medium-sized member of the saxophone family, a group of instruments invented by Adolphe Sax in the 1840s. The tenor, with the alto, are the two most common types of saxophones. The tenor is pitched in the key of B, and written as a transposing instrument in the treble...
- Kevin Congleton - drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
Musicians
| Instrument | Musician | Track | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | |||||
| vocals/guitar | Steve Perry | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | |||
| bass | Dan Schmid | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | |||
| trumpet/trombone | Dana Heitman | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | |||
| guitar | Jason Moss | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | |||
| keyboards | Dustin Lanker | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | |||||||
| Chris Azorr | X | X | X | X | ||||||||||||
| tenor saxophone | Jesse Cloninger | X | X | X | X | X | X | |||||||||
| Sean Flannery | X | X | X | |||||||||||||
| Adrian Baxter | X | X | X | |||||||||||||
| alto/tenor saxophone | Joe Manis | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | |||||||
| Rex Trimm | X | X | X | |||||||||||||
| Brooks Brown | X | |||||||||||||||
| drums | Jason Palmer | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | ||||||||
| Tim Donahue | X | X | ||||||||||||||
| Adam Glogauer | X | |||||||||||||||
| Sean Oldham | X | |||||||||||||||
| Brian West | X | |||||||||||||||
Production
- Mastered by Brad Blackwood at Euphonic Mastering, Memphis, TennesseeMemphis, TennesseeMemphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....
- Recorded and Mixed by Bill Barnett at Gung Ho Studios, Eugene, Oregon
See also
- Zoot Suit Riot: The Swingin' Hits of the Cherry Poppin' DaddiesZoot Suit Riot (album)Zoot Suit Riot: The Swingin' Hits of the Cherry Poppin' Daddies is a compilation album by American ska-swing band the Cherry Poppin' Daddies, released on March 18, 1997 on Space Age Bachelor Pad Records....
, an earlier compilation focusing on the Daddies' swing material.