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When examining the past decade of ska, The Steady 45’s are bound to come up. Uniquely, they have their feet in two distinct Los Angeles ska subcultures: the lively traditional ska scene and the vibrant Latino ska scene. This week on In Defense of Ska, four members of the group, along with friend of the band Jackie Mendez, discuss the band’s history and how they’re breaking down barriers in the ska scene. Listen above, or wherever you get your podcasts.
While calling varied ska scenes home, The Steady 45’s have only continued to rack up ska cred. They’re set to play Los Angeles’ Skawards festival, as well as open for Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra. True to ska’s heritage, they’ve also backed several Jamaican legends like Stranger Cole, Pat Kelly of Clarendonians, The Pieoneers, and more.
They also remember their punk roots, recalling an Operation Ivy cover set they played for Esteban Flores’ birthday. Not stuck in the past, however, the band goes on to celebrate their peers in the trad-ska scene, like Chris Murray, Aggrolites, See Spot, The Expanders, Mobtown, and Steady Beat.
Listen to The Steady 45’s go deep into the various ska scenes on this episode of In Defense of Ska, and make sure to like, review, and follow the series wherever you get your podcast. Fans can also get early and ad-free episodes by joining the IDOS Patreon, and don’t forget to check out all the Consequence Podcast Network series here.
You can also support the In Defense host Aaron Carnes by purchasing a copy of his book, In Defense of Ska. The 2nd, expanded edition will be released in Oct 2024.