At the height of the late '90s so-called Third Wave ska craze, bands like the Aquabats could seem to represent the silliest of the crop. On one hand, more serious, soul- and reggae-inflected "traditional" ska acts like the Slackers and Hepcat were trying to emphasize their Jamaican musical roots. Then, on the other, came acts like the 'Bats, who represented a shamelessly goofy, Southern California attitude, freely mixed rock into their ska, and wore costumes to boot.
quirk turned out to belie some brilliantly left-field creativity, and
the band's taken a Devo-style career path into television and other
multimedia work. (The painfully hip psychedelic children's show Yo Gabba
Gabba is the work of founding Aquabat Christian Jacobs, a.k.a. MC Bat
Commander).
with fellow Third Wave survivors Reel Big Fish. In honor of that,
here's a look at the Bats, plus four other costumed bands (in no
particular order) whose music is actually worth a listen.
The Aquabats, with Reel Big Fish, Suburban Legends, and Koo Koo Kangaroo. 6 p.m. Thursday, January 20. Revolution, 200 W. Broward Blvd., Fort Lauderdale. Tickets cost $32.20 (including fees). jointherevolution.net; 954-449-1025
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