Arts & Entertainment
 

Toasters shake off ska's early demise

Legendary group keeps action, music alive

By Dusti Rhodes
The Daily Cougar

Ska was introduced into the American popular music scene in the mid-1970s and continued to draw attention for the next 20 years. In the late 1990s, in what some believe to be an ill-fated attempt to keep the sound alive, bands infused the pop reggae style with punk and pop rock sounds. 

However, in its last few days in the spotlight many fans believed these combinations were what brought the old and new sounds to their musical death. These days it is hard to find a band that can capture audiences and make them believe ska is not dead, but The Toasters are doing just that.

It would've have been hard to convince fans of the legendary ska band at Fitzgerald's on Friday that the once largely popular music style was ready to throw in the two-tone towel and go out without a fight.

The Toasters played in front of a warmed up crowd and didn't end the night until every fan was a ska believer. A vocalist on paper, but very much an avid hypeman on stage, Andrew "Jack Ruby Jr." Lindo, led fans in a Rudy revival.

Despite being just 5 feet 7 inches tall, Lindo is built like a bodyguard. This muscleman could have used his stature alone to convince the crowd to bring the noise, but threats were not needed; the crowd was ready to give The Toasters all it had. 

From the first beat Lindo's appendages flew around the stage as he gave the music and the fans everything, rarely stopping to gather his energy. He maximized what space he had on stage and pulled the crowd into his enthusiasm, demanding its attention. The audience tried its best to give it all back to him. People danced their legs off on the floor, but their energy seemed to only fuel this maddened music monster.

The Toasters were able to capture what made their music so legendary by sticking to their Jamaican-inspired two tone, reggae sound. While Lindo's action-filled performance drew in the eyes and arms of the sweaty audience, Robert "Bucket" Hingley, the founder and lead singer of the group, sang both new and old songs.

The band was able to bring back some ska excitement for most of the night but by the end of the set many had left and the band played an encore to an audience that hardly worked itself into a frenzy to bring the guys back out on stage.

Local band Los Skanarles was responsible for warming up the crowd. Its Latin influenced sound got the crowd moving along. Boston's Big D and the Kids Table took the stage before Skanarles. Fans of ska will want to remember these names as both are scheduled to return to Houston soon.

The Toasters

Fitzgerald's, 2706 White Oak Drive

The verdict: Put down the tombstone, ska isn't ready to die just yet.

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