Voodoo Glow Skulls’ music mixes hardcore, metal and ska—they didn’t invent this blend of genres, but there wasn’t a lot of bands doing this when they formed in 1988. And they developed a sound that was distinctly theirs: Bright horns, distorted upbeats, shouting fast vocals. They were one the greatest ’90s skacore bands, and they still rock hard to this day. This week we talk to two founding members Eddie and Jorge Casillas.
We cover lots of territory this week, from the Cheech & Chong and Ozzy samples on their debut album, Who Is, This Is? to the Spanish recording of their sophomore album Firme, to their lesser-known Victory Records albums. We talk about Fishbone and Skeletones influencing their sound, and how they influenced Vampire Weekend. The group opens for Vampire Weekend at Hollywood Bowl on June 12.
We talk LA punk gangs, Kevin Dill’s “Empty Bottles” intro and their run-ins with trad ska bands. We talk about their signing to iconic punk label Epitaph and we get the full story on original singer Frank Casillas leaving the band and getting replaced with Death By Stereo singer Efrem Schultz. We even hear all about a Tijuana show with Ska-P where Efren couldn’t make it so Eddie and Jorge had to take lead singer duties.
Listen to Voodoo Glows Skulls on the In Defense of Ska podcast. Then, follow the series wherever you get your podcast. Fans can also get early and ad-free episodes by joining the IDOS Patreon, and don't forget to check out all the Consequence Podcast Network series here.
You can also support the In Defense host Aaron Carnes by purchasing a copy of his book, In Defense of Ska. The 2nd, expanded edition will be released in Oct 2024.
If you like our theme song, go download the EP Lives by Slow Gherkin. They wrote the opening and closing songs for our podcast. You can get both tunes from their Lives EP. Also, check out Dan P and the Bricks two LPs. They provided the mid-roll ad transition music.
Co-host Adam Davis has a band called Omnigone. Their latest record, Against The Rest released on March 31, 2023.
The In Defense of Ska editor Chris Reeves runs a record label called Ska Punk International. They have new releases coming out all the time.
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