63. The Chinkees (w/ Aaron Carnes)
It's another Ska Pod crossover! CP/SC welcomes on In Defense of Ska book author and podcast host, Aaron Carnes to discuss Mike Park's The Chinkees. First, Rob and Joey did a brief pick it up before talking to Aaron about his Checkered Past, the new edition of his novel and the early days of his podcast. Then the trio dig in on The Chinkees from their post-Pickle origins to their touring years as part of Asian Man Records to their brief reunion in the studio. It's all capped off with the return of Question the Answers!
Aaron Carnes
Aaron Carnes is a music journalist based out of Northern California. His work has appeared in Playboy, Salon, Noisey, Bandcamp Daily, Sun Magazine, Sierra Club Magazine, and Ozy. He’s also the music editor at Good Times weekly newspaper in Santa Cruz, CA.
Aaron has covered a wide range of artists, including indie hip-hop legends like Blackalicious, Cannibal Ox, Hobo Johnson, and Open Mike Eagle to notable rock and roll artists like Portugal The Man, Jeff Rosenstock, Phoebe Bridgers, and Smash Mouth. He’s interviewed soul icon Sharon Jones, ’90s ska hitmakers Reel Big Fish, and has chatted with several folks on the fringe like Tim Capello (Saxman from Lost Boys), S U R V I V E (synth band that scored Stranger Things), and Okilly Dokilly (Ned Flanders themed metal band)
His music journalism has led him to explore interesting corners of the world. He’s sat in with Google’s AI team in San Francisco to learn how computers create music, He’s traveled down to LA with Ahmed Zappa to learn about live hologram concerts, he’s spent the day in prison with jazz guitarist Henry Robinet to see how inmates respond to weekly guitar lessons, and he’s visited the homes of musicians in the Santa Cruz Mountains that lost their homes to the CZU Fire.
In 2021, he releases his book, In Defense Of Ska, the product of 117 interviews, never-ending research, and several years of tireless work. For this book, he rejects the tired narrative that ska is silly kid music and set out to not only tell its story but to defend the genre’s right to stand alongside other notable genres such as alt-rock, punk, hip-hop, R&B, and metal.
