The Most Folk-Rockin' Guitar Player Ever.. That's Right, I said Tony DeNIKOS
[transmission from... Jermaine Fowler]
When you say Tony DeNikos’ name you better italicize it or he will hurt you. These antics have made DeNikos
the most acclaimed performing songwriter of all time. “Tony DeNikos’ music saved my life!” yells Aparna at College Perk Coffee House. “His music makes my vagina hum very loud, literally it's getting annoying!”
“He is
gonna beat the shit outta you!” grunts Herbie Gill to Jermaine Fowler, another dissatisfied College Perk Coffee House customer.
But who is this Tony DeNikos
who only italicizes the last part of his name that is close to a racial slur, huh? Does he love Nikos or hate Nikos?
This question will be asked to Tony DeNikos himself December 1, 2006 at his College Perk Coffee House performance.
Tony is known for his brilliant way of playing all instruments...with that one guitar. Drums, Cymbals,
Kazoos, and Hi-Hats all sound like they are coming from that hole in the wood.
“He sounds like a one man The Roots.
How does he do it?” asked Jake Young sarcastically. “I remember one time [DeNikos] guitar-slapped a spectator just
for coughing during his CMT Unplugged performance back in 1998. See, Tony plays very quietly and to be shown by a natural
body function fuck with Tony’s head instantly!” says Tony’s brother, Giovanni DeNikos. “He scares me…” whispers Aparna
in that voice she has.
And you should be afraid, Aparna… you should be. Singles like "Swaying Grass," "Star Groans,"
and "Moonlight Sex Madness" would make anyone listening to his music a little nervous and sketchy. So forget Al Green, Phil
Collins, and Teddy Pendergrass because Tony DeNikos is back to take back what’s his… disrespect. (Courtesy of Nick Mullen)
Straighter Than Pete live at Planet 505, Syracuse, NY, February 2002
A couple weeks ago, I made mention of my plans to go see The Pietasters, and a pair of friends (who schlegel dougnonymous…or
shall go anonymous, sorry this backspace key doesn’t work) overheard me and made fun of my intention. After all, ska sucks,
and it was outlawed in 1998.
Let me clarify the arguments of those who didn’t like ska in the first place and celebrated its demise after its one-night
stand with pop culture. Ska is a boring form of music. Have you tried actually listening to a dub record? No, because it sucks-
all of it. As far as "ska-punk," the form of music that The Clash, Operation Ivy, and countless other legends who busted their
asses to forge into a work of art, about 95% of the bands that played it in the mid-to-late 90’s suck(ed). When the industry
decided to kick ska to the curb circa 1998 (let’s just call it “skanocide”), the usual fall-out related events transpired.
The turds sank to the bottom- the poseurs who never really liked ska in the first place stopped clogging the two-tone bloodstream,
the opportunistic neo-swing groups graciously faded and stopped having their swingin' shit played on the radio twenty times
an hour, etc.- and the bands who had already earned their salt and didn't need a feigned mainstream show of support emerged
from the rubble stronger and wiser.
The genre, obviously, took a huge hit critically when every mainstream media outlet decided that ska bands, or even punks
band with horns (which most of the “third-wave bands” that caught onto it were), simply weren’t good enough for their graces.
Moon Records, one of the greatest strongholds of ska, ska-punk, and punk-ska, went belly-up for a number of reasons, most
of which could be traced back to crooked accounting practices. I don’t think Rob "Bucket" Hingley, the Toasters leader who
founded the label and rode it to the bitter end, had much to do with its demise other than not paying enough attention to
it or threatening the distributors a bit more. Now ,he’s just old, drunk and powerless to retain items from the catalog like
the Pietasters’ Oolooloo that have no prayer of reissue.
In thinking about it, the entire scene exploded and the mainstream inevitably came to associate Aaron Barrett’s wise-ass
smirk or that Mighty Mighty Bosstones dancing dumbass Ben Carr with ska being all about image. Sound familiar? Remember hair
metal? Grunge? The only reason people look at ska any differently was because it was, by trademark, 'happy' music that book-ended
the where-the-fuck-do-we-go-from-here mentality of the post-Cobain 90’s.
I know that people who don’t like ska (or what was widely considered ska) aren't going to start loving it as a result of
reading this rant, but at the risk of forgetting a great band or two (not that there were a wealth of “great” ska-punk bands),
here is a list of the ten greatest artifacts and/or survivors of the late 90’s ska boom. That I could think of.
Choking Victim – “Infested” LISTEN TO IT HERE
I don’t know where Choking Victim (who later became Leftover Crack) fit in to ska proper, but this song continues to kill
me away every time I hear it. It emerged in 1997 on the Hellcat Records on the genuinely solid Give ‘Em the Boot compilation.
Its hard to call CV a ska band, but the ska/reggae influence on their music is hard to miss among the breakdowns, and considering
when Hellcat (the label that Tim Armstrong from Rancid started to promote punk bands that leant toward ska) released it, the
time was perfect. I know its not exactly pleasant, but its my pick for best song that emerged from the mid-90's ska-punk boom.
No other band in history could have made this song, which is probably a good thing.
Spring Heeled Jack [USA] – “Jolene”
I simply love this song. That's enough. Bonus points, though, for trumpeter Tyler Jones' Wayne's World treatment during
Pete Wasilewski's sax solo.
Vic Ruggiero and The Slackers
Ruggiero is an outstanding songwriter that exists well outside of any sort of boundary that the whole third wave of ska dictated,
due in large part to his massive debt to the first wave. He’s pumps out at least two or three songs per album that are so
wholesome and classy that you’ll swear they sound familiar. I can only imagine what his dub record collection looks like.
Honorable Mention to Slackers sax star Dave Hillyard, too.
The Aquabats
In this world, there are bands that take themselves way too seriously. Some bands don’t take themselves seriously enough.
Some bands, like the Aquabats, have a legacy because they made an art out of not taking themselves seriously. I don’t think
any band that dresses up as Batman villains from the 60’s could be boring if they tried. If you enjoy hearing songs about
two-headed cats, pirates, ninjas, and everything else that's awesome, you're in luck.
Voodoo Glow Skulls
It would be better if they had a name that rolled off the tongue, but they are one of the most dedicated and down-to-earth
bands around, period. Their first (and probably best) album Who is, This is? pipes influence from Hispanic and punk
music much more than ska or reggae. Even if their music had been lame, anything could get a boost from a healthy dose of esoteric Mexican weirdness.
Less Than Jake – Hello Rockview
I don’t like Less than Jake much, but this album came out right after the crest of the 1997 ska craze, and it was more of
a departure than anything. It had plenty of straightforward punkers like “Great American Sharpshooter” and “All My Best Friends
are Metalheads.” The album's beautiful packaging and guilt/irony-free wistfulness are what earn this album a mention here,
though.
Pilfers – “Climbing” and/or “Choose Life”
Coolie Ranx is the man, despite the fact that he spelled his name with an X. Both of these songs are high quality, but here's
the video for the former.
Catch 22 – Keasbey Nights
The following is all that needs to be said... WHEN THEY COME FOR ME I’LL BE SITTING AT MY DESK WITH A GUN IN MY HAND WEARING
A BULLETPROOF VEST, SINGING MY MY MY HOW THE TIME DOES FLY WHEN YOU KNOW YOU’RE GONNA DIE BY THE END OF THE NIGHT…
The Pietasters
Anyone who experiences one of the free-for-alls that their shows (especially in DC, their hometown) turn into is usually an
instant convert if they didn't enjoy The Pietasters already. This is a picture from a show they did back in January at the
9:30 Club; they hadn’t even hit the encore yet.
I don't want to sound too snobby, but calling The Pietasters a ska band is almost an insult at this point since they play
mostly Northern Soul-type stuff anyway.
Mustard Plug – “Miss Michigan” DOWNLOAD IT HERE
As far as ska bands go, Mustard Plug barely break the mediocre standard, but occasionally they showed why they’re worth remembering
outside of Michigan. This song, for a few technical reasons I'm sure I could drum up if I were a musician, has a kick to it
that most of these middle of the road ska-punk groups couldn't hit.
Back in January, I reviewed the Pietasters/Slackers show above for Mudsugar, and the review sat online for months without
a thought. A couple of months ago, though, I received a pingback email from a guy named Ramon who commented on the article: "I
am rude boy from Indonesia. thank's for your songs, make my life funny and full of spirits! Let's do the ska and never give
up to fight this life.............."
When you say Tony DeNikos’ name you better italicize it or he will hurt you. These antics have made DeNikos
the most acclaimed performing songwriter of all time. “Tony DeNikos’ music saved my life!” yells 
Let me clarify the arguments of those who didn’t like ska in the first place and celebrated its demise after its one-night
stand with pop culture. Ska is a boring form of music. Have you tried actually listening to a dub record? No, because it sucks-
all of it. As far as "ska-punk," the form of music that The Clash, Operation Ivy, and countless other legends who busted their
asses to forge into a work of art, about 95% of the bands that played it in the mid-to-late 90’s suck(ed). When the industry
decided to kick ska to the curb circa 1998 (let’s just call it “skanocide”), the usual fall-out related events transpired.
The turds sank to the bottom- the poseurs who never really liked ska in the first place stopped clogging the two-tone bloodstream,
the opportunistic neo-swing groups graciously faded and stopped having their swingin' shit played on the radio twenty times
an hour, etc.- and the bands who had already earned their salt and didn't need a feigned mainstream show of support emerged
from the rubble stronger and wiser. 
The genre, obviously, took a huge hit critically when every mainstream media outlet decided that ska bands, or even punks
band with horns (which most of the “third-wave bands” that caught onto it were), simply weren’t good enough for their graces.
Moon Records, one of the greatest strongholds of ska, ska-punk, and punk-ska, went belly-up for a number of reasons, most
of which could be traced back to crooked accounting practices. I don’t think Rob "Bucket" Hingley, the Toasters leader who
founded the label and rode it to the bitter end, had much to do with its demise other than not paying enough attention to
it or threatening the distributors a bit more. Now ,he’s just old, drunk and powerless to retain items from the catalog like
the Pietasters’ Oolooloo that have no prayer of reissue. 
Choking Victim – “Infested”
Vic Ruggiero and The Slackers
The Aquabats
Voodoo Glow Skulls
Less Than Jake – Hello Rockview
Catch 22 – Keasbey Nights
Mustard Plug – “Miss Michigan”
