If It's Too Loud...

Photo by Johnny Corona Jr. Ska is a lot of things, but it's rarely bad ass. Apparently no one told CodeName: Rocky that. Their latest single, "Killing the Chemist," is straight up punk rock that just happens to have a killer horn section. Most use of horns in ska adds a sense of fun and levity, but the SoCal band uses them to make the song heavier. "Killing the Chemist" is a heavy and fast punk song that is loaded with a horn section. This one is much closer to a band like Bad Religion than your typical ska band could ever dream of being. Justin Picon says of his band's new single: "The song was inspired by my sister-in-law (Christina) & her husband (Jeff). Jeff is a Marine that served in Desert Shield & Desert Storm in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait under the first Bush. I actually wrote the song in 2016 when I found out Christina was diagnosed with breast cancer… I used Jeff’s actual war experience to create the metaphor for Christina’s upcoming canc...

Photo by Johnny Corona Jr Whenever I write about ska punk, I always expect to get some sort of backlash, but I never do. As reviled as the genre is in some circles, it could be because most current up and coming ska punk bands have this great DIY feel. They're certainly not doing it because it's the hip trend, but because they love the music. Our latest discovery is Codename: Rocky. The Southern California based band (because of course they are) has released a new single, "Silos." This new song has all of the horns and fun that you need in a ska song, but Codename: Rocky have a little bit of an edge to them that you might not expect. This is while still having a strong classic pop punk and emo sound. "Silos" could have this great juxtaposition because of the socially relevant subject matter embedded in a fun sounding song. If you want your ska punk to have a little bit of grit along with the bounce and shine and would love emo if it wasn't traditionally ...