Ska Fans are Proud People

I found out last night that 17-year-old fans of local ska bands do not like it at all when you say you don't really like ska. If you are ever in a tightly packed crowd, waiting for the opening ska act to finish in order to see a band you like more follow them, never say out loud to the person you are with, "I don't really like ska, so let me know if you want to go sit outside." If you do, expect every person wearing checkered Vans slip-ons in the room to glare an evil glare that says, "I want to do awful things to you with my trombone."

That was the scene for the first half of last night for me. I went to the Werehouse in Winston-Salem to see a friend's band, and had to wait through a ska group to see said band. I've tried so hard before to like ska and reggae, but both just do not entertain me in any form. Except for laughing at characters that you see at ska shows and the white Rasta kids who love reggae, there is nothing entertaining about those kinds of music for me. I tried, but just couldn't catch on.

The band I wanted to see, Holland, 1945, played beyond my expectations. All I had ever heard before were some demo-quality recordings, and seeing them live made any mp3 I had heard pale in comparison. I feel the band's name is a tad bit misleading - I don't hear any traces of Neutral Milk Hotel in this two guy, two girl group, but more like Sunny Day Real Estate without any screaming. Kudos to these kids on big, loud guitars, as well as bass lines that aren't boring.

And one other thing - I've never been to a show in Winston-Salem that started anywhere close to the advertised time.