Some Ska Band

"Better Together" voted one of the top 10 releases of 2022 by fans of the world's most-popular online ska group - Button Down Radio

"Better Together" EP named one of the top ten releases of 2022 by the influential Facebook group, This is SKA - This Is SKA

Rochester, NY ska outfit SOME SKA BAND have followed up their cool 2018 "It's Going Down" debut with an enjoyable new mini album. Titled "Better Together," The 7-song release is full of bright & breezy 2 tone, trad ska & dub sounds topped off by strong brass melodies and catchy female vocals. Check them out on Spotify & Bandcamp - Do The Dog Skazine #116 April 2022

New to the pages of Do The Dog Skazine are a cool US combo called Some Ska Band. Formed on October 2011, this 7 piece gig regularly in & around their hometown of Rochester, NY. Well worth a listen is Some Ska Band's impressive debut album, titled "It's Going Down." It delivers fab 2 tone & trad ska tunes that remind me of early American 3rd wave bands like Let's Go Bowling & The Skunks. - Do The Dog Skazine #95 (UK)

As impish as its moniker, ska wisenheimers in Some Ska Band hit the Record Archive’s backroom lounge this week like a chainless wrecking ball. The place was packed as the band navigated its narrative nice and raunchy with sweet swagger and sway. From influences culled from the ska new wave ’80s handshake like Madness to the deep dish reggae gotcha of old-school progenitors like the Skatalites. It was fantastic. It was flippy. It was far out. - Rochester Beacon

Here's some real ska-jump-and-jive-soul for ya, sluggo. Think The Slackers, with a smirk. With ska-meister Charles Benoit - he of the poison pen and the savage saxophone - driving the bus and producer Sam Polizzi keeping said bus from driving over the cliff, tension runs high and so does the fun. Some Ska Band is pure, skankaliciously-careening ska, with nods to other genres that keep it fresh and courageous, both in attitude and application. There are some mellow, rock-steady reprieves peppered in as well, amid nine rude cuts that'll surely knock your checkerboard sox off. - City Newspaper

[At 27:30]

Discussing "It's Going Down", the debut CD from Some Ska Band: "It's really good - it reminds me of early Pietasters like from the "Ooolooloo" era, which is a huge compliment coming from me because they are one of my favorite bands, period." - Talk the Ska (podcast)

Ska has come a long way since its origins in the Caribbean in the 50’s. The upbeat, syncopated style of music has caught on around the globe, adapting to the cultural nuances in places far and wide. It has spilled Upstate with Some Ska Band’s 9-track debut release, It’s Going Down, which shows off how adaptable ska music can be.

The opening track “Forty Thieves” was inspired by author and sax player, Charles Benoit, who spent  time teaching in Kuwait and absorbing all the cultural influences of the city. The instrumental ditty pulls from classic literature for its title and snippets of Middle-Eastern-style riffs.

Everything I know about ska, I learned from Benoit, a ska-aficionado (or ska-ficionado, if you will). Benoit is one of eight members of the Rochester-based band. Mary-Jude Vacca and Shad Froman take on the vocals. Will Browar keeps the beat and hits things. On guitars are Joe Sims (bass), David Keller (lead), and Miles Pierce (rhythm). Joining Benoit in the brass section is Neil Pierce on trumpet. After years of playing originals (and some songs originally by other artists), the eight of them made their way into the studio to lay it down.

All the songs on It’s Going Down are pretty snappy, but a few stand out in particular. “End of The World” is a clever little tongue-in-cheek song, written on January 20, 2017 (if that date doesn’t ring a bell, look it up). The chorus includes the lines “It’s not the end of the world/ But you can see it from here.”

The title track “It’s Going Down” is another little gem, that demonstrates their musical prowess. The deep, heavy rhythm creates a perfect backdrop to showcase Vacca’s rich, sonous voice. The “Obligatory Drinking Song” is a sing-a-long fan favorite at live shows. The album wraps up with an instrumental version “American Skalines,” a song that usually includes a spoken-word script when played live.

Whether you’re a ska-ficionado or a newbie to the genre, you’ll get a kick out of It’s Going Down. - NYS Music

The F Word: Ska brother number one
POSTED BY FRANK DE BLASE ON MON, JAN 6, 2020 AT 3:55 PM

Friday night was some night for Some Ska Band at Flour City Station. The band, numbering virtually in the teens, nearly exceeded the parameters of the stage with its crushing groove. As a musical style, ska has its limits. Sometimes there’s not enough subtlety perpetrated by its purveyors...but sometimes there is.

Some Ska Band plays like the Harlem Globetrotters being introduced to flubber: It’s bouncy, it’s jazzy, and at the same time, a little snotty. What sews it up for me is originality. And Some Ska Band rocks the original compositions with maximum booty-shake appeal. But they ain’t too stuck up that they won’t touch stuff by The Specials, The Clash, and Madness, as they did with manic bursts of excitement and brass. Speaking of brass, to the delight of fans, the band has amped up its horn section, led by ska brother number one, Charles Benoit. Get some.

Frank De Blase is CITY’s music writer. He can be reached at frank@rochester-citynews.com. - City Newspaper - Rochester