Images: Hub City Stompers, Voodoo Glow Skulls, Buck-O-Nine and more at Viva Ska Vegas November 7, 2015 at Vinyl Las Vegas

A friend of mine recently called me “the epitome of someone who loves ska,” but I saw at least 50 people at Viva Ska Vegas who definitely beat me out for that title. Despite the fact that the show was all-ages this year (and yes, I’m still bitter that I was less than 3 months shy of last year’s 18+ age requirement), most of the crowd was, if I had to guess, at least 10 years older than the average age of the typical group of rude kids that go to local shows.

Of course, the show was running on punk time, and didn’t start until around 5:45, a half hour later than planned. While waiting in line, I was surprised to find out that people actually traveled to Las Vegas just to attend Viva Ska Vegas—though I suppose I shouldn’t have been, considering I flew down from Reno for the weekend to attend.

I had assumed that the 2-Tone Lizard Kings were from somewhere in Orange County, since that’s where I assume most ska bands are from, but the 7 piece outfit actually hails from Phoenix, Arizona. I was still waiting to get in when their set began, so I was a little bummed that I could only hear and not see them perform “Keep On Fighting.” The song is part of the It’s a Ska World After All compilation, and honestly the only song of theirs I know. Luckily, I didn’t miss their cover of Elvis Presley’s “Suspicious Minds,” which got everyone singing along. Having spent part of my childhood in Hawaii and young adulthood in Las Vegas, I’ve heard a lot of Elvis, but I never thought I’d hear a ska cover of an Elvis song.

I’m still pretty bummed about one of my favorite bands, the A-OK’s, not playing Viva, but the band that filled in was also a good choice for the show. Warsaw Poland Bros, from Flagstaff, have been around for 25 years, and their unique blend of ska, punk, reggae, and Celtic music kept the audience interested. One of their vocalists/guitarists, Chris, who looks like and probably is a suburban white dad, impressed everyone by switching instruments and playing the saxophone. Their set was less upbeat than that of the 2-Tone Lizard Kings, but their fun stage presence and superb coordination had the crowd dancing along.

Next up was Oceanside Sound System from, unsurprisingly, Oceanside, California. Their sound was arguably the most punk-heavy of the night. I’m not really sure how exactly they managed to make a saxophone sound hardcore, but O.S.S. pulled it off. As their lead singer, Aaron Peterson said, they’re “punk rockers that play ska.” Fists were in the air during the entirety of “It’s a Revolution,” which has an obvious hardcore influence, and their Operation Ivy cover spurred a circle pit, with Peterson in the midst of it.

I was excited for Viva Ska Vegas in general, but the band I was most looking forward to was Left Alone, from Wilmington, California. The lead vocalist and guitarist, Elvis Cortez, formed the band back in 1996, and later went on to create his own record label, Smelvis Cortez. That night, he was bearing one of the classic hallmarks of punk rockers: black painted fingernails. It was when they played my favorite song, “City to City,” that I finally joined the skank pit. I immediately got elbowed in the face so hard my tooth chipped, but soon after, he bassist, Jimmy Jam, winked at me, so I couldn’t be too upset. At one point, Jimmy Jam traded out his electric for an upright bass, giving the songs a smoother sound, and later on, Aaron Peterson of O.S.S. made another appearance during their performance of “Leather Bound Book,” from their newest EP, Harbor Area.

It was pretty strategic to place Buck-O-Nine in the fifth band slot, as the audience members who had stayed for the entirety of the first half needed a bit of an energy boost. The San Diego band has been around since 1991, at the very beginning of the third wave ska revival. Their horn section, consisting of a trumpet, trombone, and saxophone player, was super adorable and danced around during the non-horn parts of songs. The venue was starting to warm up, as vocalist Jon Pebsworth pointed out before pouring his can of beer on himself, effectively “baptizing” himself with beer. Buck-O-Nine played two of their most popular songs, “Irish Drinking Song,” which is full of energy, and “Pass the Dutchie,” which is as stereotypically ska as you can get without being trite.

From the beginning of the show, I had noticed multiple people wearing Interrupters shirts, many of them being young girls. As a young woman myself, it was pretty badass to see girls as young as 13 at a show. Female ska vocalists are often compared to No Doubt’s Gwen Stefani, but Aimee Allen’s raspy, harsh voice and rocker attitude are all her own. And yes, I can confirm: Aimee is even hotter in real life. Even more importantly, though, she provides female representation in a male-dominated scene, and is a sign to young girls that they, too, can hold their own in the pit.

Brothers Kevin, Justin, and Jesse Bivona all sported identical buzz cuts and outfits consisting of white button ups, black pants, and black suspenders. The Interrupters’ incredibly high-energy classic punk sound, mixed with a good amount of ska, had the crowd going crazy in the circle pit for every song. The members of Left Alone came on during the set to give a birthday cake to guitarist Kevin Bivona, who asked the crowd to form an L.A. street punk circle pit as a birthday present. Of course, the audience obliged.

Vinyl has a maximum capacity of 650 people, and the nearest to completely packed the venue got that night was during Voodoo Glow Skulls’ set. The Riverside, California band formed back in 1988, and I don’t doubt that some of Viva’s attendees have been listening to them since their conception. Viva’s older crowd was certainly more enthused, with a huge pit formed in the middle of Vinyl. VGS performed their song “Shoot the Moon,” which is featured in the 1996 movie Bio-Dome. Near the end of the set, lead vocalist Frank Casillas waved around a fake voodoo skull and someone wearing a green monster head danced onstage. I’m not exactly a fan of VGS, but I can’t deny that they put on an awesome show.

The crowd visibly thinned after VGS, but the last band, Hub City Stompers, did not disappoint. They were the farthest away from home, being from New Brunswick, New Jersey. I was pretty confused as to why their lead vocalist was dressed as a reverend—until I found out his stage name is Rev. Sinister. He’s not the only band member with some pipes, though: trombonist G&T James and tenor saxophonist Jenny Whiskey are talented singers as well. I have a weakness for horn players, especially female ones, so I became even more infatuated with Jenny Whiskey when she sang “Johnny Date Rape.” I know, I know, I’m a total 15-year old boy when it comes to ska girls. Anyway, at some point during Hub City Stompers’ set, an altercation between a skinhead and another punk began. Thankfully, Rev. Sinister broke it up before blood was shed, and the band was prompted to perform “Skins Don’t Cry.”

It wasn’t until after 1 a.m. that Viva Ska Vegas finally ended. Well, technically the show itself had ended, but there was still the after party at the Ainsworth. I do have to wonder how many people actually went, considering how exhausted everyone was. As someone who stayed throughout the entire duration of Viva, my legs were practically Jell-O, and I was fighting to keep my eyes open. I certainly have no regrets, though, and am already looking forward to next year. However, I do have a request for Viva’s organizers: have a designated intermission (AKA naptime) halfway through the next eight-hour show.

-Julien Boulton

Photos by Aaron Mattern | https://www.flickr.com/photos/akmofoto/