40. Suburban Legends (w/ On the Upbeat)
Give high fives to all the guys at Disneyland cause Checkered Past is back in the O.C. to discuss the dancing divas of disco-ska, Suburban Legends! To help out, they invite Matt Vest of fellow Ska-Pod On The Upbeat to break down the bands full length catalogue. First, Matt talks about his Checkered Past, the impetus of the Ska podcast and his deep connection to the Southern California Ska scene. Then, Rob, Celine and Matt go through the bands entire career from their post Ska-boom beginnings to their brief forays into glam rock to their elaborate stage designs. Its all capped off with a game of Disney Canon... Fire! Imagine how Celine feels about all this?
On The Upbeat
The popularity of podcasts has exploded in the last decade or so. Now, you can find them hosted in multiple sites and services, and chances are, if there’s a topic you can think up, there’s likely a podcast for it. And, if there isn’t, it’s only a matter of time before one exists. Podcasts aren’t just for quirky True Crime stories these days.
As a music fan growing up in the MTV Generation, I got most of my music journalism from Kurt Loder or Matt Pinfield. I also subscribed to Rolling Stone and Alternative Press. Nowadays though, with MTV only playing hours and hours of Ridiculousness, and print media dying, there was one logical place to turn to get my music news and views – podcasts.
If you’re a ska fan, there are several high quality shows to choose from. One of my favorites is One The Upbeat. Founded in the summer of 2019, the podcast focuses on the ska community, news and views related to ska music, and interviews with a veritable who’s who of the ska scene.
As the story goes with most things leading into the pandemic years, On The Upbeat saw some changes occur. The changes for them were mainly with hosts. Now though, they’ve hit their groove with a three person crew. The two main hosts are Matt Vest, who hails from the epicenter of the third wave ska explosion. He’s joined by RJ Phoenix, who also pulls double duty on his own podcast, 23Min of Ska.
Rounding out the team is Gary Mastriano, who also performs as a member of the New Jersey ska punk band, Backyard Superheroes.
-Bearded Gentlemen Music
