Modern Drummer (August 2012)

Reggae-Core

For decades, classic rock, punk, and jam bands have absorbed the rhythms of ska, reggae, and other Jamaican styles. MD contributor Ilya Stemkovsky tells the tale, with exclusive insight from two of the greatest drummers to ever make the connection - Fishbone’s Phillip “Fish” Fisher and No Doubt’s Adrian Young.

Something funny happened on the way out of Kingston. As reggae music began to spread across the world, it naturally started to fuse with other genres. No longer an insular Jamaican secret, the music and its unique rhythms assimilated into cultures abroad and began to slowly blend with the popular styles of the day, namely rock.

The infusion of rock elements into reggae (or reggae styles adorning popular rock songs, if you take that perspective) occurred early. Bob Marley's first major-label album, 1973's Catch a Fire, was taken by producer and Island Records chief Chris Blackwell back to England for remixing and overdubs of electric guitar leads, in effect helping to make the music more palatable for a mass (i.e., "white") audience. The following year, Eric Clapton scored a number-one hit with his cover of Marley's "I Shot the Sheriff"—the first time many in North America and Europe first heard reggae rhythms (albeit drummer Jamie Oldaker's funky backbeat version) on popular radio.

Future drum stars were obviously soaking it all in. No Doubt's Adrian Young specifically recalls Marley's influence. "We had all his records in my house," Young says, "so from day one I was brought up on rock music and also reggae music."

Fishbone drummer Phillip "Fish" Fisher remembers being exposed to eclectic programming on the radio. "I'd hear Jimmy Cliff or Desmond Dekker—stuff that had a certain crossover appeal," he says. "They'd play those guys alongside a Cream or Sly Stone song. Also important was Gaz Mayall's compilations, Roger Steffens' Reggae Beat radio program, and Richard Blade's closed-circuit TV show MV3, where I'd see early videos of bands."

Clapton legitimized the music. Or perhaps he simply exposed it to others. Nevertheless, England became the epicenter of the new rock/reggae hybrid, with the punk and new-wave movements championing the emerging new sound. By the late 70s, many of the hip new bands were blending reggae and rock, or dabbling in the reggae style for a track or two. The Clash's self-titled 1977 debut contained a cover of Junior Murvin's "Police and Thieves," and the Police's 1978 debut, Outlandos d'Amour, yielded three reggae tinged singles, "Roxanne," "Can't Stand Losing You," and "So Lonely"—while also introducing the world at large to the many talents of Stewart Copeland.

The Police tracks were crucial in that they laid down the template for the basic structure of a lot of rock/reggae song writing moving forward: a reggae-infused verse containing upstrokes on guitar or keyboards and a more aggressive, on-the-beat punk/rock attack during the chorus. The Police would ride this formula to the bank on classics such as "Don't Stand So Close to Me," "De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da," and "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic."

"When I started," Young says, "I was trying to emulate Stewart. He was the prime guy who mixed rock and ska rhythms. All the hi-hat action. To this day I'm pretty busy on the hi-hat because of him."

Some artists cut tracks that had less reggae and more punk; others wrote songs that showcased reggae, but with enough of a lip-curled punk snarl that no one could really confuse them with the breezy island sounds that originated in Jamaica. Elvis Costello's 1977 single "Watching the Detectives" features Steve Goulding's distorted, in-your-face drum track, with a steppers rhythm (a four-on-the-floor reggae drumming style) in the verses and a one-drop rhythm (the classic style featuring kick and snare on beat 3) for the chorus. It was clear that the new bands were writing new rules.

By the end of the 70s, a revival movement had begun In England, with such bands as the Specials, Madness, the (English) Beat, and the Selecter. The Specials' leader and keyboardist, Jerry Dammers, founded the 2 Tone record label, which released albums from the aforementioned racially integrated groups and was instrumental in creating a new social and cultural awareness. The 2 Tone movement referenced reggae's godfathers, popular styles including the various modes of dress (such as black suits and porkpie hats) but updated the sound with a faster tempo, more guitar, and more attitude.

The Specials' drummer John Bradbury exemplified the new approach with tight snare fills and relentless kick drum on songs like 'Too Much Too Young." His influence was clearly felt. The 2 Tone bands were around during the disco era," Fisher explains, "so a lot of those drum parts have open and closed hi-hat patterns and four-on-the-floor kick drum."

"Around 1980, I started to get really into ska," Young says. "I was enamored with the sound and the music, and this was even before I began playing drums. I got the Dance Craze album [the soundtrack to a 1981 British documentary about the 2 Tone movement], and that was it."

Historians refer to this period as the second wave of ska, following original '60s groups such as the Skatalites, whose drummer, Lloyd Knibb, had a tremendous effect on the 2 Tone bands and on any drummer attempting the style. "Lloyd Knibb is a monster," Fisher says. "He and Carlton Barrett and Santa Davis and Leroy 'Horsemouth' Wallace were major influences. They all had their own sound. People think all reggae sounds the same, but if you're a drummer and you listen closely, you'll hear that there are all these polyrhythms just on the sidesticking alone. Plus all this embellishment between the snare and kick, just conversations—a beautiful thing."

In America, the turn of the decade saw the formation of bands like Bad Brains, fromWashington, D.C., who played intense hardcore punk rock and also featured several authentic reggae tracks that paid homage to the members’ Rastafarian beliefs. Although the band didn't truly mix both styles—its albums and live shows separated the fast rock songs from the reggae—Bad Brains and drummer Earl Hudson still proved that the different genres could coexist. On tracks like "Jah Calling" (from 1982's self-titled debut) and "Rally Round Jah Throne" (from 1983's Rock for Light), the drumming is lean and mean, and Hudson would go on to influence a slew of future players.

There are many of us drummers that have made a blend of reggae/ ska/rocksteady and rock," Young says, "such as Stewart Copeland, Phillip 'Fish' Fisher, Chad Sexton, Pete Thomas, Bud Gaugh, and John Bradbury, to name a few. But one of the first to widen the boundaries by playing hardcore and reggae in the same band is Earl Hudson."

In the mid to late '80s, there came yet another revival, but this time it had less to do with mod-style clothing and everything to do with being faster, harder, and louder. Ska-core (or ska-punk) originated on the West Coast of the United States when pioneering groups like Operation Ivy began to mix in ska elements alongside their punk songs. This wasn't exactly music for the dance floor, as the songs could go from bouncy upstrokes to a noisy punk riff instantly. Operation Ivy's drummer, Dave Mello, plays it straight and fast on tunes like "Yellin' in My Ear" and "Sound System." The group's precious few recordings—the Hectic EP and the full-length Energy album—are models of economic drive, and they set the new standard for most ska-core drumming that came after. Much as its British brethren had done a decade earlier, Operation Ivy infused its songs with a socially conscious angle but soon broke up under its own weight.

Around the same time, the all-black Fishbone began to create a buzz with its blend of ska, reggae, soul, and rock, eventually signing a major-label deal and touring the country with the Beastie Boys. Early Fishbone songs like "Ugly" and "Party at Ground Zero" (from the band's 1985 self-titled EP) featured Fish Fisher's incredible command of multiple styles, swung and straight feels, and a well-developed dynamic sense. "I was influenced by Bad Brains, Cro Mags, and Motorhead, as well as the 2 Tone bands and the Clash," Fisher says. "I soaked it all in. It was all colors to me, and I was a painter."

Before No Doubt existed, Young was attending Fishbone concerts while still in high school in L.A. 'They, and Fish, were amazing talents," Adrian says. To this day I've never seen a better live band. At that point, no one was playing like Fish— such power and finesse, and an overload of skill."

On the horn break in "Lyin' Ass Bitch" from the band's first EP, Fisher throws down furious rimclicking and hi-hat doubles that proved chops weren't taboo in the new punk and ska mix. Over the course of several increasingly heavier Fishbone albums, Fisher set the bar where only the truly accomplished could reach. For advanced studies, checkout "Unyielding Conditioning" from 1993's Give a Monkey a Brain and He'll Swear He's the Center of the Universe and "Love... Hate" from 1996's Chim Chim's Badass Revenge.

Eventually a new crop of groups sprung up, directly influenced by Operation Ivy, Bad Brains, and Fishbone, as well as by the English bands that came before. The third wave of ska would infiltrate the radio and MTV, led by No Doubt, whose breakthrough album, Tragic Kingdom, sold millions and helped establish Adrian Young as a fun-loving but authentic reggae and rock kitsmith. No Doubt's "Sunday Morning" and "Spiderwebs" feature a melodic, easily digestible version of the ska-punk sound, while former Operation Ivy members formed Rancid, which charted with "Time Bomb."

By the late '90s, ska-punk was as marketable as any genre, even providing material for popular movie soundtracks. The third wave of ska was in full swing, and the string of'90s hits featured an assortment of talented drummers. The Mighty Mighty Bosstones' 'The Impression That I Get" (Joe Sirois), the Offspring's "What Happened to You?" (Ron Welty), Reel Big Fish's "Sell Out" (Andrew Gonzales), Goldfinger's "Here in Your Bedroom" (Darrin Pfeiffer), Save Ferris's "I Know" (Marc Harismendy), and many other tracks were now in the public consciousness— and moving units. The Bosstones even put out a 1993 EP, Ska-Core, the Devil, and More, that name-checked the genre on a major-label release.

No Doubt continued to crank out hits, and 2001 's Rocksteady included production help from reggae legends Sly & Robbie and featured Young's adept beats on the dancehall/reggae-flavored "Hey Baby" and the sexy, laid-back "Underneath It All" (which Young says was recorded in Jamaica, with no bottom heads on the toms, and which also contains a timbale sample from a Steel Pulse track). Alongside No Doubt's success, there was 311, which broke out in 1995 with a self-titled album featuring drummer Chad Sexton doing his best reggae and rock interpretation on "All Mixed Up," and Sublime, in which Bud Gaugh provided the pingy snare and steady backbeat for radio hits like "Santeria" and "Wrong Way."

Young, who is excited about new No Doubt material coming later in 2012, also offers an educational tidbit. "Gil Sharone, a world-class drummer of many styles, recently put together a DVD on Jamaican ska/rocksteady/reggae drumming, called Wicked Beats," Adrian says. "It's very thought-out and comprehensive and is a must for learning about some of the pioneers, including Lloyd Knibb and Santa Davis.The instruction is helpful, and even though the drumming can seem simple at times, often it is not! There's a feel that can take years for even very talented rock drummers to really get it."

Fisher admires his admirers as well. "Adrian is to be commended for what he did with ska and reggae and pop music," Fish says. "He took the torch far."

Other style revivals would come and go (including a short-lived, late-'90s big-band-swing refresh), but ska punk was here to stay. With so many different subgenres, coupled with the audience's equal love of dancing and punk rock, it was a match made in heaven.