Not really ska. More like covers, but with heavier drumming and distorted guitars, plus a horn section. Some of the songs sound ska, but some don’t sound ska at all.
They do a cover of Poker Face by Lady Gaga and then mix Sweat Dreams by the Eurythmics in the middle. They are planning to go right into Beds are Burning by Midnight Oil.
Re - Selling out: My brother’s bass player is really struggling with it. Some show’s it’s like he almost messing things up on purpose so that his "boys’ won’t think he’s a sell out. It’s hard for him to play songs that he doesn’t like because “it will make him more money because its popular.”
I’ve been trying to get my son to make a quasi country band like Rascal Flats. Those guys are getting a little long in the tooth and the next big pop country band is to be determined. That genre he is in is very limited.
The video didn’t work, but I did check a link to another video of theirs. They are very good and I really dig the style. It is very trendy and very “now.” Judging the value of something like that is like predicting the stock market…is now a good time to get in, or was 3 years ago the right time making “now” too late. It’s definitely not up and coming, and is probably over saturated…but again, maybe it’s just waiting to go pop?
Country or country hybrids are usually a safer bet. The genre is a little more stable and the shows are a little more accessible to wider audiences. I don’t like country, but you can go to a bar with a bunch of friends and they can all at least not be put of by it.
For the stuff your son and myself do, you are either part of the small crowd that is into it, or you are at another bar. Having said that, the owners of a local establishment say that their metal and punk shows draw the biggest crowds. The fans tend to be more loyal and the music is meant to be live.
The nice thing is, no matter what he does, if he keeps playing and keeps improving, he’ll be setting himself up for the more stable long term prospects in the future. That’s what happened with my brother’s band. They played for $100-$400 a show for 7 years as an original band. Now they are all a hell of a lot better, picked up a better drummer and second guitarist, and play covers for $700 - $1500 a show.
BTW, my wife and I were talking about investing tonight and I told her not to forget the money i’ll be making in my future cover band. I had to explain to her that I was serious. ; ^ )