Buck O Nine

Live in Berkeley (2016)

Daniel James

Gilman Ska Night on the 16th had ska punk act Buck O Nine from San Diego, ska solo artist Chris Murray, and entertaining local bands Jokes For Feelings, Day Labor and Shark Punch playing at the venue. 

The opening acts were local bands and all were enjoyable. Shark Punch plays third wave fast paced ska punk and befitting their name has someone dressed as a shark in a costume skanking in the pit. Day Labor did a cover of Hey Ska by the Suicide Machines that was pretty close to the original. Jokes For Feeling had a violin complementing them as well as a horn section and it had a kind of Gypsy punk sound mixed with the ska that was an innovative style. Solo acoustic artist Chris Murray was next and he plays a slower paced island time two tone style. He did a song called "California Time" about how this state operates on another time scale to everywhere else and did a Skatalites cover.

Buck O Nine headlined on their record label tour. Buck O Nine has been around since the early explosion of ska punk bands in the early nineteen nineties and they recalled how their first tour was with Mu330 in 1991 or 2 before much of the audience was born, and they were having as much fun now as then. They played their famous Irish drinking song and people skanked in a circle pit the whole time. They did a two song encore too. This was a very satisfying ska night.