(monkeysphere) - The Best Ska Band That You've Never Heard Of (but should be listening to..)

I know, you're probably totally anxious to read all about this super-dope band, but before that, we have some neccssary expositon to get out of the way. So, what is ska? Well, allow me to enlighten you.

In the simplest of terms, the modern incarnation of ska music is sort of like punk, but with dedicated brass, is more laid-back and is generally more upbeat. It's music that’ll make a non-dancer dance. It’s happening music. And it is a genre of music which up until recent, was broadly labeled as “dead”.

Ska music originated in Jamaica in the late 1950's when islanders began to imitate and put their own spin on, American Rhythm & Blues. The following decade brought about the rise of Motown and soul music in America and Jamaican ska evolved into rocksteady. By the end of 1960's, religion was added to ska, and the music became what we now know as reggae. The British jumped on the ska bandwagon in the 1970's creating their version, known as two-tone. Two-tone music from the UK made it to the record players of American teenagers and in the ealry 1980's, the third incarnation of ska was born. Leading the charge of this new third wave of ska were bands such as The Toasters, Untouchables and the Uptones. Within five years, the American version of UK two-tone had morphed into ska-punk.

Heavily influenced by punk rock, this off-shoot of two-tone gave rise to bands such as Operation Ivy, the Mighty Mighty Bosstones and Reel Big Fish. Despite the long history, it wasn't until the 1990's that ska went mainstream in the US. Bands such as Sublime and No Doubt dominated the airwaves all across the country, to the point that their songs were considered "pop music". By the latter half of the decade, however, ska music faded away, back into the shadows of indie oblivion.

Thanks to the connectivty of social media and the convenience of music sharing platforms, masses of modern-day millennials are discovering ska music and the genre is currently experiencing a revival of sorts within the DFW music community. One of the newest arrivals on the scene, and arguably the best, is the multifaceted and multitalented musical machine: (monkeysphere).

Although built on a standard third-wave ska structure, what sets (monkeysphere) apart is their musical style. It’s a unique and rich blend of ska and pop elementals, referred to as Ska-Fusion, overlaid with engaging lyrics that are both meaningful and personal; crafted in such a way that wide audiences can easily relate.

(monkeysphere) is able to push the boundaries of traditional ska music to its limits and produce fresh and original material that’s pure gold, all the while keeping within the confines of the genre. The outrageously wicked range and diversity of these cats is demonstrated most notably on their LP, Cosmicpolitan; no one song sounds the same. The ablum remains ska-enough even for the most discerning fan and at the same time is charismatic enough to convert any listener into an instant fan. In other words, (monkeysphere) is reshaping the entire genre of ska from within.

The band, united by their passion of reggae, punk and ska music, officially formed in 2013 and recorded their first demo four months later at Sessionworks Studios in Hurst, TX. (monkeysphere)’s first live performance was at Three Links in Dallas on January 4, 2014.

The group consists of co-creators Zooki on lead vocals and bassist Mikey “Frenchtoast”, along with “Skankin Jay” on rhythm and vocals, David Glenney on lead guitar, keys and backing vocals. Colton “Mothafuckin’” Crews is on percussion and brassmen Karl Krause and Shawn Smith are on trombone. Rounding out this troupe of accomplished musicians is the proverbial icing-on-the-cake: sax extraordinaire Jim Mortenson.

Although she is the lead singer, Zooki made it clear that (monkeysphere) was full-on collaborative effort. “This band only exists because we all contribute in our own ways and we all bring our talents to the group, and that’s whats makes it really beautiful.”

(monkeysphere) released their much anticipated first album, an LP entitled Cosmicpolitan, on May 2nd of this year.

I caught their show a week later at Three Links in Deep Ellum on May 9th and after they killed it on stage, the band was gracious enough to sit down and chat with me.

Tell me about the name. What does (monkeysphere) mean?

(monkeysphere) is about the concept of Dunbar’s Number. It’s based on the social circles of monkeys and how many other monkeys they can know…we thought it would be really cool to the name the band that, kinda make it a group collaboration thing. We thought it was perfect because one of the things that ska has done for us, is that it has allowed us to meet new people, have friends that we never would have have met and ya know, at the end of the day- it’s a social experiment. And that’s what (monkeysphere) is really about; it’s about bringing new people into the Monkeysphere.

Congratulations on the album! What's the significance/meaning of the title: Cosmicpolitan?

Thanks so much! Yeah, it's just a term that had been rattling around in my head for a while and I was glad to have a place to use it. To me, it just kinda has that old sci-fi feel of a space society that's really hip, a la 2001: A Space Odyssey, etc. When hearing the music we recorded, it just seemed appropriate. To me the tunes are sort of spacey yet classy, and it played well into the theme for me. - Skankin Jay

Love the album cover. When I heard the LP title, that's the exact image that I pictured in my head: a debonair 007-esque figure in a space helmet. It couldn't be more perfect. Who was the genius behind the design?

Yeah, that body is from a picture of Dean Martin, which is quite appropriate. There's a bit of a story behind it actually. We had been discussing the concept artwork as it related to the title of the album and we all settled on this hybrid image of high society and astronauts. Zooki and I both brought forward concept art to the group around the same time…[and]…my version made the cut. When Zooki finished the fine tuning of my version of the design as well as the other artwork involved, I just said to myself, "This is exactly what I had in mind for this." - Skankin Jay

The entire Cosmicpolitan album is totally rad and without downplaying the greatness of the other tracks, I'd like to single out two songs if I may. Mr. Has it All and Therapy 13. The structure and composition are brilliant. What's the story behind those two songs?

Mr. Has It All was the first song ever written by Monkeysphere. Lovingly referred to as our summer hit single it’s the story of all the douche bag guys you meet in bars. The structure was heavily inspired by third wave ska bands like Less Than Jake and Reel Big Fish, which are lovingly referenced in the lyrics.

Therapy 13 was one of our first successful attempts at writing a fusion song. It’s the musical embodiment of the dissonance between a social butterfly beauty who catches the eye of an introverted guy. The super rad brass line on that one is all Skankin Jay.

The bass line is totally dope. About the album, is there a significant rhyme or reason to the order of the tracks on Cosmicpolitan? Were the songs placed in that order, in order to convey something to the listener?

The album order was designed to be formatted for a vinyl record. To have an "A side" and "B side". The "A Side" ending with Stardust Melody and the "B side" beginning with Space Monkey/Lose Control. Other than that the songs were ordered based on early setlists of our shows. - Mikey F

About your show at Three Links: why did y'all choose that particular set list? (it was killer, btw) What was the reasoning behind those particular song choices? Was it as simple as something like: ok these are tunes that we know will kill live, or was the set list driven by something deeper?

Our sets are usually designed to get people moving and keep them dancing the whole time. We aim to please our crowd with every set list. - Zooki

At the show, y'all played Space Monkey into Lose Control. Was this due to set time limitations? And was time the deciding factor in the move to cut Straight and Narrow from the set list?

Space Monkey and Lose Control are both intertwined with each other and are always played in that way. If you listen to Space Monkey on the album we replicated the live experience by recording them together and only splicing the songs in the mixing process, so after Space Monkey ends, [it] get[s] going straight into Lose Control just like in the live experience. Unless you are listening on shuffle mode, which I highly recommend as a way NOT to experience our music.

And yes, time was the deciding factor to cut Straight and Narrow. - Mikey F

What, if any, are some of the obstacles facing (monkeysphere) at the moment?

Our biggest struggles are getting people to say our name correctly and organizing enough time for the band. Having 8 members with professional careers and some with families is a huge challenge. - Zooki

Name a song that you love to play live.

I have two songs that I love to play live. First is a Danzig song. Where Eagles Dare by the Misfits. We had a close friend and musical inspiration, named Mohawk Brian. We knew were a legitimate band when Brian showed up; he always went to the best shows. Brian, unfortunately chose to leave this plane. He would always sing Where Eagles Dare at karaoke and we just felt that it would the perfect way to honor him. When we played that song, it was the first time I experienced singing lyrics and watching people who were at the bar, who had no interest in what we were doing, turn around and pay attention to us. Brian had that natural ability to draw people in, and I felt like him at that moment.

The other song that I love to play live is a song that I wrote for Brian, called Specter’s Grow. It’s unrecorded; we only play it live. Actually, we won’t play a live show, without playing [Specters Grow]; it’s really important to me. The song talks about the serious issue [of] mental health awareness and acceptance in our society. The song is a reflection of Mikey’s idol, Frankie Campagna of Spector 45. I lost Brian in the same way Mikey lost Frankie. He was that person that who inspired me to be a better musician and to not give up. I take all the feelings of that and [in the song] tell them that if they had just reached out, there were hundreds of people to who would have given anything to make them feel better. The first time we played it live was at Three Links, I looked over, and Brian’s portrait hangs over the bar, and I saw it, and I had to wipe my eyes on stage.

It’s the most therapeutic thing I have written and it’s the most experimental thing I have written.

I know that other people feel the same, particularly in the ska community, which is about making people feel accepted. Even if they are weird, even if their dateless losers; it’s about the weird people who have no place to go and this [the ska community in DFW] is their home. To have fun and be angry and dance it out and take care of things in a productive way and to have a sense of humanity. So, to bring personal issues into that kind of “sphere”, and see people skank (dance) to words that make me feel better about my life, it’s a beautiful thing. Which is why we’ll always play that song. [Specters Grow] really is, I feel at this point, the defining song of what (monkeysphere) is all about. - Zooki

Besides being able to create and perform music that y'all truly love, what's the most rewarding aspect of being in a working band?

The people. We have met some amazing folks along the way from fans to fellow musicians. I’ve learned a lot from these people and I consider it an honor to have them support our art. At the end of the day Monkeysphere is about challenging the limits of a social experience just as much as writing music. For a girl who grew up being the only one listening to ska, it’s personally satisfying to have non-ska fans tell me they enjoy our music. - Zooki

What's something that fans don't already know, but that y'all would like them to know about the band?

Not many folks know [that] we met nearly exclusively off of Craigslist. Our time line went something like this:

Zooki & Mikey decide to start a band, Zooki answers Colton’s CL ad, Zooki places CL ad for guitarists – Jay answer (we had met in person but lost touch), Jay bring in David (longtime friends).

Jim, Karl and Shawn all answered CL ads as well. - Zooki

What advice would y'all give to a fellow musical group?

Support other local artists and the venues you admire. Unity is what makes a local band successful. Dallas’ ska scene is a perfect example of how this can make your dreams possible. - Zooki

And finally, do y'all have a message or something that y'all would like to say to the people reading this article?

Give ska fusion a chance. - Zooki

For more info on this amazingly talented an super rad band and upcoming show dates, check them out on Facebook and visit the official (monkeysphere) website. Score a copy of their debut ablum, Cosmicpolitan, on the group's bandcamp page, or at a live show.

#ska #dallas #dfw #music #skamusic #monkeysphere #threelinks #3links