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68. Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra Parts 4-10
128 Plays2 days ago
It's a Checkered Past speed run! With 21 albums still to go on Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra, Celine, Rob and Joey decide to play an epic catch up digging in on the bands history from 2001 to today! They do one track per album discussing the bands various eras, their precision musicianship and their strong work ethic from the energetic millennial album to their old school flavors to their freewheeling modern sound. It's all capped off with a game of Four Word Names are a Four Letter Word.
The Roast of Checkered Past is coming up! If you want to poke fun and take a swipe at your favorite hosts, send your audio or text file to checkeredpastsubmissions@gmail.com
Hosts: Celine, Rob and Joey
Engineer: Joey
Editor: Cutman
Theme Song: OAO by Mad Bomber Society
Skassociate Producer: Chris Reeves of Ska Punk International
Special Thanks: Mega Michi and Adam the Ska Mailman
Recommended
Transcript
Introduction and Episode Preview
00:00:00
Speaker
On this episode, we hope to do high numbers and that this episode is the answer to a perfect future. We aren't walking, we're stomping on Downbeat Alley to a glorious paradise that has no border.
00:00:11
Speaker
You'll say ska me forever and ska almighty for the World Ska Symphony. Yes, we want wild peace, but these are heroes who are always on the sunny side of the street, and you will desire their colorful collage with all your gold fingers.
00:00:24
Speaker
You don't need to share your sorrow, as this band is more gem than junk, and in fact a diamond in your heart. That is Paradise
Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra - Parts Overview
00:00:31
Speaker
Blue. 35. It's Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra, parts 4 through 10, on Checkered Past, the Ska-dcast.
00:01:00
Speaker
What
Names and Oblivion Game Discussion
00:01:01
Speaker
up, Checkerheads? Welcome to Checkered Past the Ska-Dcast with Selene and Rob. The show where an Elder Ska-Rolls 3, Morrow Woodwind, and an Elder Ska-Rolls 4, Joey Oblivion. Explore the history and impact of a different band each episode. Hope to bring in new fans along the way. rob I'm Rob, and this is my sister and co-host, Selene.
00:01:18
Speaker
Rob, ah happy with himself, Rob. ah So it was like Elder Scrolls and Joey, and then Elder Scrolls and something with Ska? Yeah, well, they're both had spotted, but I said Morrow Woodwind, which I thought was funny. This is our co-host with the most toast engineer, Joey.
00:01:37
Speaker
Oblivion. I also made jokes about that as it was coming out. yeah Yeah, it's easy. I petitioned that people should be naming their Oblivion character Joey, and i have yet to see any screenshots of people doing so.
00:01:52
Speaker
It's very sad. That's sad. Yeah, very sad. No one likes it. I like Elder Scrolls. Those are fun. Yeah, i yeah I'm a little bummed that i just don't play games on a PC and i therefore will probably not play Oblivion remake until who knows when.
Surprise Release of Oblivion Remake
00:02:09
Speaker
What's the deal with Oblivion? It was made bunch of, it's like one of their first games. No, it's the one before Skyrim. It's now the precursor to Skyrim. Do people love it? Yeah, it's great. Yeah. yeah Yeah, it's a really good. And they're remaking it like with better graphics and stuff? It's like a full remaster remake thing. Yeah, it just came out. that dropped They shadow dropped it on this week.
00:02:28
Speaker
They just like sprung it on people? Yep. That's crazy. It just kind of popped up. it Well, there's been rumors of it happening for a while, but then the rumor mill was kind of going crazy last couple of weeks, and it just... They just put it
Visit to Pinball Arcade and Caesar Story
00:02:40
Speaker
out.
00:02:40
Speaker
Celine and Joey came out to pinball with me on Friday. Oh, yeah. That was fun as heck. The machines are really cool. Yeah. yeah So and you had a you had a thought, Celine, about ah the the aesthetics.
00:02:52
Speaker
what What was my thought? You loved them. ah You love the aesthetic. You're like looking at the Centaur one and then the Starlight one. Yeah, all the old school machines are very cool. They're all cool in their own right, but I like all the older machines. It's pretty badass, though. Yeah.
00:03:10
Speaker
um Yeah, I find them really fascinating, and it was way more fun than I thought it would be, actually. Yeah. You thought it would be boring. And then our buddy messaged me. There's people that are very curious about the arcade.
00:03:24
Speaker
Because that arcade is great. You said it was kind of random. It is random. Don't think... No, it's pinball arcade machines. It's like a little small townie. But for like nowadays, like people are used to like rec room and like blah, blah, blah, which is like a chain here. But like, I think they have them in the States. But that's like the blown up capitalism version of the arcade. This is a real arcade. We don't have a lot of those that aren't like bars.
00:03:50
Speaker
yeah Yeah. I haven't been to something like that since I was like a kid. Like those don't. You can't find those. it has like carpet. and like Speaking of. ah if being it It is random. It's in a random spot.
00:04:00
Speaker
so It is in a random place, for sure. We go in there and they serve um drinks. If you'd like a beverage, if you're of age, you can enjoy a beverage there. And so Céline says, i would like a double Caesar. And the guy says, i have never made a Caesar before. Joey coached him through it.
00:04:18
Speaker
he seemed very young. He was so nervous about it. He he was stressed. Yeah, he was so stressed about it. at it I was like, you just pour the stuff in the cup and stir it. And we couldn't have been more chill about it. We couldn't have been more chill about it. I told him I believed in him. Yep.
00:04:33
Speaker
Yep. And he did it. And he wasn't much of a lawler. no. He was too nervous. He was too nervous to lawl. Yeah. um And what would you score that Caesar? Yeah.
00:04:43
Speaker
Well, i mean, it was kind of, i like it definitely was strong on the horse ranch De Pasco, which which is what I like, so was good for me. um But I feel like I'm setting him up for failure for future Caesars, because people going to be like, holy shit, this is way too much worse to sure. That's fine.
00:05:02
Speaker
but If he screws up other people's scissors, he won't have to make them anymore. Maybe that's his plan.
Review of Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra Albums
00:05:07
Speaker
All right. Let's talk about the episode. We got it. It's ah this is a this is a wild one. This is parts four through ten of Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra, ah because if you're following along at home, we've done three parts in the four years of this podcast.
00:05:24
Speaker
We've been doing one a year, but the band has something like 20 plus albums. I don't know. I lost track. And if you include like the mini albums, you're pushing 30 and i don't even want to get into singles, all that stuff. Like it's just so much material. You're like, I just got to get through it all.
00:05:43
Speaker
We're just never going to catch up at this. no It's just never, they almost put out more material than we do episodes on them. that's crazy It's like not worth our time to just wait for it. So we're going to do a speed run of Tokyo ska paradise orchestra.
00:06:00
Speaker
yeah, This, ah what we're doing is i have my notes. I still did notes. It's still going to be a traditional numbered episode. No guests this time. It's just going to be the crew so that we can make it all happen. all i promise And, ah yeah, we're only doing like we're only going to play one track
Peak Popularity and World Ska Symphony
00:06:21
Speaker
per album. We didn't pre-listen because that's too much effort and work for us.
00:06:26
Speaker
I've listened to some of these records in the past, so I have ah like a passing understanding. ah But basically, you should if you're if you're listening and you have not listened to parts one through three.
00:06:37
Speaker
You really should do that because we go deeper into those records and talk more about the band members and their past. And had some really great guests on episode one. We had Chris Reeves on episode two. We had Edmonton's paint bomb. And then part three was Esteban.
00:06:54
Speaker
ah So they're really, really fun episodes. If you want to go back and check them out so you can get caught up because I'm not going to do a recap, really. I'm just going to kick us off right into 2001. So Joey.
00:07:05
Speaker
Get us in into the time scushing. Here we go. Scary.
00:07:21
Speaker
The Times Gashin takes us back to 2001. So let's ah do it. The one recap we'll do is this is the lineup of the band.
00:07:33
Speaker
Masahiko Kadahara on the trombone. Gamo on the tenor saxophone. Hajime Omori on percussion and toasting. Yuichi Oki on the keys, Atsushi Yanaka on the bari saxophone, Tsuyoshi Kawakami on the bass, Nargo on the trumpet, Takashi Kato on the guitar, and Tatsuyuki Hiyamuta on the alto saxophone.
00:07:59
Speaker
And then they just added Mogi to the drums. So it's a big group. Um, what I used for my research is the same thing I used the last couple of times, which is the Japanese Wikipedia for Tokyo Scott Paradise Orchestra. If it's not clear, the band is Japanese. They're from Tokyo.
00:08:16
Speaker
What? you scott like And they're a Scott Orchestra. It's a lot of it is in the name. So stylistically, they're a ska band and they mix in a lot of my mind, man. You keep with these fucking facts.
00:08:32
Speaker
Yeah. Uh, they do a lot of niche jazz, lot of surf, a lot of like classic rock, sometimes a little punk rock. Uh, they, they definitely like to have a play with genres a lot. There's a big, um, like Japanese pop element in a lot of their music too.
00:08:49
Speaker
Um, they're extremely popular in Japan, as we'll get into it. And by this point in their career in 2001, they're close to getting to the peak of their popularity. Um,
00:09:02
Speaker
And they are ah possibly some of, if not the greatest modern ska musicians who play the genre to this day. Like, arguably. Some of the the best players in the world play for this band. And it's kind of wild.
00:09:17
Speaker
And I looked it up. and Like, as of today, most of them are, 59, 60. like fifty nine sixty like they're kind Like, as of And they've been doing it for thirty five years and they're like you know, they're getting up there and they're still killing it.
00:09:32
Speaker
It's crazy. I mean, but if that's not even like that old though. You know what I mean? Like, uh, how long you hear what they're playing nowadays? It is a little surprising that they're as old as they are actually. Okay. All right. Cause you're like, Whoa, that's cool. Uh,
00:09:50
Speaker
So that's I guess what it is is like there's no slowing them down. I think that that's what's kind of crazy. They don't chill over over time. They're still just as crazy as they always were, and which you cannot say about a lot of bands.
Live Performance Energy
00:10:03
Speaker
Right. let's ah Let's get through this because there's a lot of material to get into. You seem so excited for this. You seem so pumped. i i am I am pumped because there's some really great music.
00:10:15
Speaker
I kind of want to just get groling. um One thing to note about this band is that every individual member has a part to play, especially since the 2000s when their previous band leaders had all left.
00:10:26
Speaker
For example, Kitty Hara wrote all the horn arrangements as well as the live set lists. Omori was in charge of toasting. Yanaka wrote the lyrics. Motegi handled all the vocals.
00:10:39
Speaker
Songwriting credits tend to revolve around whoever played the biggest part in arranging this song. Most albums have songs attributed to multiple band members throughout it. So it's a pretty like democratic outfit as opposed to one that's got a single band leader.
00:10:51
Speaker
No Aaron Barrett in this band, if you will. Right. 2001 was also the release of a series of songs featuring guest vocals that proved to be immensely popular and began the band's trend to feature prominent guests on their future singles, something they are conscious of and write songs with vocalists in mind. So this led to the release of Stomping on Downbeat Alley in 2002, 2001.
00:11:13
Speaker
that featured those songs, as well as being the first to include Mogi as a full-time drummer. To this date, it is the only number one album in Japan that the band has ever produced.
00:11:25
Speaker
This is We Know It's All or Nothing from Tokyo Scout Paradise Orchestra. Now, do you think that... That album is like Japan's Santana album that came out around the same time that had all the guest vocals.
00:11:45
Speaker
Well, I got see what you're saying. it They do it so much for the next like few years. So Santana only did that. I guess that makes some sense.
00:11:56
Speaker
but This is wild. This is crazy circus music.
00:12:03
Speaker
I love that this is the drummer's first album and he's like, watch me go. Yeah. He's crazy. Yeah.
00:12:20
Speaker
I do like just toasting over everyone's soloing or two guys soloing.
00:12:31
Speaker
Fills the space. Gotta do something. Yeah. Yeah.
00:12:36
Speaker
This is pretty crazy. Yeah, this is wild. very talented musicians. I think we say that every time. That drummer is crazy, though.
00:12:53
Speaker
Yeah, new drummer. New drummer's coming to play. He's not messing around. No. Stomping on
Evolution of Sound
00:12:59
Speaker
Downbeat Alley has a lot of, like, swing in it. It's, like, a very swing-heavy record. On a previous episode, Chris said it's one of his least favorites because he hates the swing stuff.
00:13:08
Speaker
Okay. he doesn't let Chris doesn't like the swing stuff. um Yeah, was I was going to say that that song, although being wild and and sounding like Tokyo Sky, it also had some hard mask energy.
00:13:23
Speaker
hard mask energy yeah like jim carrey the mask oh that's yes yeah that's all that's a mask i thought you meant mask like like masculine yeah i was like matt yeah yeah no yeah i was like i don't know i'm not really giving like super dually energy that's what i thought you were the green dude yeah it was reminding joey of five-finger death punch like yeah i was like i don't know it's i think i'd say it if it was He's like, let the bodies hit the floor. Really? Like that. Yeah. there yeah Yeah. That's the kind of energy I was getting from that song. It's Fred Durston.
00:13:56
Speaker
Yeah.
00:13:58
Speaker
Joey's finding Fred Durston all the wrong places. That's one of my favorite records, too. I love Stomping on Downbeat Alley. That's really good. This this era of Tokyo Sky is my favorite. Like, we're getting through some of my favorite records in this little period of time. Like, the new stuff is good, too, but...
00:14:14
Speaker
I don't know. I feel like they were on one ah in the early aughts. This kind of would have been when you would have been like discovering them and stuff too, right? That's true. Yeah, because like Full Tension Beaters was 2000 and that would have been the first record I heard.
00:14:27
Speaker
And then this one was really close after. And they get so prolific, like they already were. But there's very rarely a year where they don't put out material, which is why like this episode, like spoiler alert, we have 21 episodes.
00:14:41
Speaker
ah albums and mini albums to get through oh my god uh and we're going for 24 years so almost a record a year almost pretty close that's not fucking crazy yeah full-time full-time those guys yeah full-time musicians 100% and they all have like side hustles as well. Some of them are actors. Some of them are in other bands. Some of them are like in jazz orchestras. Like they do this. Some of them are actors. That's the coolest shit I've ever heard of actually.
00:15:16
Speaker
Which ones are actors? That's a great question. I will look it up while we play. We'll get into the next stuff here. Yeah. um What would follow is an intensely prolific run of albums, mini albums and singles, including 2002's High Numbers that actually featured no guest vocals for the first time in a little while.
00:15:37
Speaker
ah But by the next one, that will change significantly. ah High Numbers hit number two in Japan. And the song I have from there is one of my all time favorites, A Quick Drunkard.
00:15:52
Speaker
Is that referring to ah just like a quick little rip getting drunk or a guy that gets drunk really fast? I think it's a guy who gets drunk really fast. That's how I read it.
00:16:04
Speaker
This fun. It's like a trad ska thing with the melodica-esque. With a melodica. Melodica gang rise up.
00:16:17
Speaker
The baritone saxophone player is the actor. Oh, okay. What kind of stuff does he act in? I picture him being like a Cheech Marin. Like procedural crime shows.
00:16:32
Speaker
It sounds like it. It's like dramas, yeah. but Okay, that's fun.
00:16:56
Speaker
change That changeup is just so good. Summertime, yeah. Summertime. I feel like this could definitely be like video game music. Oh, yeah. For sure.
00:17:10
Speaker
But is it like a skateboarding game or is it like Mario Sunshine? I was thinking Mario Sunshine. Okay. yeah Or even like a Mario Party like island. Yeah.
00:17:21
Speaker
Yeah. Yeah. Mario Party is pretty ska-coded, I would say. Mario Party is very ska-coded. Of all the Mario spin-offs, Mario Party is the most ska.
00:17:34
Speaker
More than Mario Kart. Oh yeah, more than Mario Kart. Mario Kart's got Billy energy. Whoa, you think? I think so, yeah. Now if there's Mario now if there is mario bowling.
00:17:48
Speaker
That's right. There's Wii bowling. different. Wee Bowling is Scott Coded though. Oh yeah, for sure. Yeah. Wee Bowling is Scott Coded for sure. yeah all Milo's Astro Lanes is Scott Coded.
00:17:59
Speaker
yeah mean, it's hard to rate these songs sometimes because like they're all, it's obviously like good, like objectively good music by objectively good musicians, but I'll like never choose to listen to that song ever again.
00:18:10
Speaker
Oh, that's so that's a mistake on your part. That song is so good.
00:18:15
Speaker
But if it came on, you'd be like, this is a joke. not mad. I wouldn't be like, oh, yeah, that quick drunkard song.
00:18:23
Speaker
I would. Yeah, yeah and that's good. and What if it's a situation where you're like, I got to come home and have three mimosas before I go someplace real quick. You know, and you put on that song and it inspires to do so. i guess.
00:18:40
Speaker
I like the specific circumstance that you have where Zlin would find time to do this. Yeah. I mean, that's three mimosas. It's happened. i bet he got enough You won the most of before I go do something.
00:18:56
Speaker
i'm just saying maybe right After a three-year gap, the band returned in 2005 with Answer that was hit spearheaded by just one single that had the drummer, Mogie, singing because he was the best singer in the band.
00:19:12
Speaker
And the song I queued up from there is ah that song which is called Map of the World. It's wild that this guy is the best drummer and the best singer in this band.
00:19:27
Speaker
Oh yeah, this a good one. Now we got some of that city pop vibe. Yeah, I was gonna say it's totally like a city pop kind of thing. I don't know. Yeah. So good. Singing is in that vein as well.
00:19:39
Speaker
Right. Smooth. Hell yeah. That bass is taking a walk.
00:19:50
Speaker
and it's like a stand-up bass too. Yeah.
00:19:57
Speaker
This could definitely be like a theme song to an anime also. Oh yeah, definitely. right There has to be multiple Tokyo Scott Paradise Orchestra songs that are in anime, correct? Has to be. We'll get into it. Okay. There's some that are coming up. There's some that are coming up. Okay, excellent. guess I could definitely see some credits rolling over. For sure.
00:20:22
Speaker
Oh, like a closing? out Yeah, maybe a closing, yeah. It says closing credits. Yeah.
00:20:34
Speaker
It's a little go nowhere in the in the singing. There's like no real chorus or anything, but it's moose. That's kinda how City Pop is a lot, though. Yeah. like because I feel like City Pop's more of like a vibe.
00:20:45
Speaker
You don't want to stand out too much. Yeah, you're not really looking for hooks usually. mean, sometimes, but usually it's more like a vibe for the whole song type of deal, you know? i Yeah. get I think what's missing for me from ah like a City Pop song, like if you're going to ska it up, that's fun, but...
00:21:03
Speaker
Not having the slap bass is a miss for me. That's one of the places where slap bass is yeah at its max is on a steady pop track. I can agree with that for sure. during a rockabilly song.
00:21:16
Speaker
No. well Or yes. I don't know what the answer to that is. I feel like that's a different kind of slap. felt cornered. I don't know why. ah You are cornered. All right. Next album. Wild Peace came in 2006. That's one year later.
00:21:31
Speaker
And returned to the downbeats method of releasing a series of singles featuring singers such as Hiroto of the Crow Magnons, Hanaragumi of Super Butter Dog, and Pop Idol Chara.
00:21:44
Speaker
And the song that I have from Wild Peace is... oh my god, lost my notes. Come on! Oh, come on. That doesn't have one of the the the the singers on it, but it's a fun song.
00:21:55
Speaker
So, come on.
00:22:05
Speaker
Yeah, now I can't get the Mario Kart vibe out of my head. Like, this is...
00:22:17
Speaker
Oh, that's fun. like this.
00:22:36
Speaker
like this ah chorus of singers that they have going on because one of the guys in the back is sounds very fun I like that it and ah sounds very fun but like that
00:22:51
Speaker
I do also appreciate it's very funny that in this era, they're also looking at more like just like it's more high energy, I guess is why I also like this era versus the jazzier times of the 90s.
00:23:06
Speaker
um Like it's not as smooth. A lot of the songs have real pick up and go. ah That's just my general preference anyway. It's been pretty fun. It's been like, ah like, I mean, and we've only been listening to one song of each thing, but it's it's all seemed very high energy and fun so far. yeah And the records relay that. Like, if you're into this era of the band, like, you get a lot of, like, high energy songs and it's, yeah, it's all fun.
00:23:32
Speaker
Hell yeah. But, you know, it's ska. You gotta have fun, right? You know, it's ska. It's ska. Well, yeah, so do you does that one stand? Do you listen to that one? No. Yeah, okay.
00:23:46
Speaker
It is fun. If it comes on, I will jam to it. But um I don't have as much nostalgia, I think, for that record in general. So I don't always yeah go back to it. But I mean, like when I was prepping songs for this, I was like, oh, yeah, i remember this one. i was like, oh, this is a jam. This is really fun.
00:24:01
Speaker
But it's not like, like, it's not filmmakers bleed or or like songs like that, that I just go back to constantly. Yeah. Or this next one. I'm going to bands constantly putting out albums that are but like sevens and eights and nines.
00:24:16
Speaker
It's like you got kind just pick the stuff that you like the best and it's all good. You know, like there are as a fan, you're spoiled by you're spoiled for choice. Like, yeah, yeah, that's what I'm saying.
00:24:28
Speaker
but And they're they're not short records usually. They're like, you know, 12, 14, 15 tracks sometimes. So there's lots going on. You can pick whatever you like. Yeah. ah In 2008, the band crafted Perfect Future that, unlike previous records, wasn't recorded live in single takes, but instead utilized a lot of retakes, overdubs, sound effects, and other studio wizardry to make a bit more of a polished sound.
Lineup Changes and Collaborations
00:24:53
Speaker
Fumio Ito of Kemuri was featured on the smash hit podcast. Pride of Lions. Let's listen to that one. Ooh, Kamari. That's fun.
00:25:03
Speaker
So this album is a lot of people's favorite. Partly because there's songs on it. but Number one. one Yeah, this is like a fan favorite, I'd say.
00:25:15
Speaker
I feel like this is the kind of sound i know them the most for. little bit more of like a rock vibe. Yeah.
00:25:31
Speaker
We've heard this song on pod in the past. I've never played it on the pod before. yeah
00:25:40
Speaker
Yeah. It's like crooning. Just... oh no where Fun. And even people are just happy they can sing along.
00:25:51
Speaker
I mean, I don't know what albums are bigger here versus... Japan. Elsewhere, yeah.
00:25:59
Speaker
Maybe they're like, ugh, stupid English song. You think so? They're pretty like, they mishmash a lot of English into their stuff. I guess the the goal here is to find one that you like, Celine.
00:26:13
Speaker
It's all fine. I guess it's just not like, nothing's really like, it's all like, just so like, I'm not a big like, it's so clean and like, well produced. This one sure is. Which is like it's positive.
00:26:25
Speaker
Yeah, I guess they yeah our earlier ones were grittier, yeah? um Maybe, but then also, I don't know, they always played in single takes for the most part, right? So a lot of the music is just generally...
00:26:38
Speaker
I think they're just so good. that's what I mean. they're just too that's they're They're almost too good. too good. need a shittier producer. They need a shittier musician. They need a shittier musician. No, no, no. They can be good songwriters musicians. They just need to bring the production down a little bit.
00:26:56
Speaker
They need just one shitty musician just to like counter it all. Kind Can someone come in here and fuck the take up just so they can hear something? They need a little Op Ivy in here.
00:27:07
Speaker
I don't even necessarily think I'm right, but it's how I feel, you know? no it's not about being right. It's it's yeah it's all preference. I like this. um Also in 2008, Tatsuyuki's motorcycle injury from 1996 finally caught up to him and he needed to retire from the band.
00:27:25
Speaker
Gamo would step in to take over the alto sax duties during along with his tenor. And this would firm up the lineup that persists to this day. So they have had the same lineup since 2008. That's crazy considering how much turnover they had in their earlier years.
00:27:42
Speaker
Yes. And if you think like since 2001, it's basically the same minus one person. Yeah. Right. That's crazy. So 24 years that though that the musicians that are together right now have played together for 24 years.
00:27:56
Speaker
So on top of everything, they're also best friends. Yeah, and that's cute. They obviously enjoy playing music together. yeah they must. and And they seem to like, i feel like they are a well-oiled machine like business-wise at this point. yes But like as far as being a working musician that works with other musicians, like it seems like a kind of dream situation for them.
00:28:19
Speaker
You know what i mean? They're working with people they love working with. They all kind of share different Like you said, they were very democratic, so they kind of everyone gets to write and everyone gets to be involved. and like Sounds like a pretty pretty sweet setup for a musician.
00:28:33
Speaker
Tatsuyuki, the alto sax guy, was a big push on the rock-oriented songs. So in 2009, what the band did is they brought in the Caribbean engineer Dennis Bovell to create a more classic old-school feeling ska record, which is Paradise
Classic Ska Revival and Creative Process
00:28:51
Speaker
Blue. And the song that I queued up off of that is Silent By Your Side.
00:29:02
Speaker
This is kind of cool. Yeah, it's got like a little more grit to it. Yeah, was gonna say, this isn't the closest thing to something I'd listen to. yeah I think i was, you were saying it, Joey. You kind of called it.
00:29:14
Speaker
Bring in a different producer, and that's what they did. i really? am Yeah.
00:29:21
Speaker
Yeah, like the horns are like not as kind of abrasive and upfront. It's just kind of a little more chilled out production.
00:29:33
Speaker
This is a chiller song too, I guess.
00:29:40
Speaker
I tried to not only put in like the the big upbeat songs. Yeah.
00:29:46
Speaker
Even though that's what I really wanted to do. yeah This is pretty groovy. I like this. Yeah, the whole record sounds like this.
00:30:00
Speaker
little jazzy part. Yeah. Little city poppy.
00:30:11
Speaker
Just a little toasting in there. Just kind of barely teeny taly in there.
00:30:24
Speaker
Yeah. We're going to take a break. And when we get back, Tokyo Scott Paradise Orchestra 5 through 10.
00:30:37
Speaker
What up Checkerheads, this is CheckeredRob reminding you that our four year anniversary special is right around the corner. This year we want it to be the roast of Checkered Past. That's right, we're opening the floodgates to allow you, the kind and gentle listener, to get merciless.
00:30:52
Speaker
Give us crap about everything from our bracket choices to our poor research to our bad haircuts. Type in in an email or record yourself on an audio file and send it to checkeredpasssubmissions at gmail.com.
00:31:05
Speaker
That's checkeredpasssubmissions at gmail.com. What am I getting myself in for?
00:31:16
Speaker
Welcome back to Checkered Past. The CPSC crew here is catching up on all things Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra. And now we're heading into 2010 with the album World Ska Symphony that featured much of the same ethos of the previous record and Bovell returning on the boards.
00:31:34
Speaker
The song that I have queued up from that record is Storm Rider. Hell yeah. yeah I hope it's like that song by... The stoner rock band that I like.
00:31:46
Speaker
I can't think of what they're called. Warp Riders. That's the one I was thinking of, not Storm Rider. thought you were thinking of the Doors. Nope, the Sward. I love the Sward.
00:31:59
Speaker
This is kind of fun. Kind of like a Dick Dale thing going on. Yeah, it's kind of fun. Yeah.
00:32:08
Speaker
I feel like just based on the title, this is going to have like a surf vibe for sure. Yeah, already pretty surfy.
00:32:14
Speaker
and ten ten ten yeah
00:32:19
Speaker
It was very late in my life that I i realized hang ten toes. Yeah, hang them off the end. Off the front. yeah Do it. Just hang them. Well, there we go. This is fun.
00:32:32
Speaker
This is cool. Yeah.
00:32:36
Speaker
God damn, that drummer's so good. Yeah. Kind of absurd, right?
00:32:44
Speaker
Like, holy fuck that beat.
00:32:49
Speaker
Also, someone's bongo-ing in there, conga-ing or something. Yeah, the guy who does the toasts, he'll do percussions. Hell yeah. That guy.
00:33:03
Speaker
like but that's That's my favorite one I've heard. yeah That one's cool and good. yeah that's a good i like I like that. but And it's a good song. yeah and that like i mean Being the toasting slash percussion guy is the coolest, but he sounded the coolest out of all the songs so far. Yeah, that was his coolest he sounded. Yeah, definitely.
00:33:22
Speaker
yeah Star Ratters! He was so stoked. Yeah. Yeah, that was a sick song. There we go. Now, so that's the new, that's the new, um what do you want to call it? That's the new apex that we have to. That's the high water point. We got to try. All right, next up.
Mini Albums and Versatility
00:33:41
Speaker
The band would then shift their priorities from full albums to mini albums, as they call them in Japan. They're not quite EPs. They're just a smidge longer. They're like seven to nine tracks. ah This way they can release more material more frequently.
00:33:54
Speaker
Goldfingers was the first of this anchored by two tracks featuring notable jazz musicians. ah And so I have Suiken Kutsu as the track.
00:34:05
Speaker
And I think I have it coming in during the piano solo because the pianist on this record is a famous jazz musician. So let's listen to that song. Cool.
00:34:21
Speaker
Oh, and it's kind of like a... This one's kind of city poppy, too. Yeah. All the city poppy just makes me think so much of anime, which makes sense because they have so much city pop on anime.
00:34:33
Speaker
It's true. Good lord, this is so upbeat. Like, this could be so boring, but that drum beat is just so driving and, like, fast.
00:34:45
Speaker
You know, like, if this thing was 10 BPM slower, it'd be boring as fuck, but it's, like, so good...
00:34:53
Speaker
I think that they're like, maybe that's also why I like this kind of era is because they play so fast and it's so exciting. Yeah. Like that's just such a high energy.
00:35:06
Speaker
Bad nerds. They must love them. Oh yeah. Yeah. Just love them so much. Because they're also like on on stage. So crazy, too. Right. Like that they're able to play as well as they do while also having like just a bananas high energy stage show.
00:35:22
Speaker
Yeah. They got to be like Iron Maiden, right? Like a bunch of teetotalers, healthy guys. You know what i mean? Like they got be taking care of themselves to be playing that good and be that high energy on stage. And their shows are probably like three hours long.
00:35:37
Speaker
I bet. Oh, for sure. You know? They gotta be. Gotta be. who do you What do you call the people that follow them around like fish? There's gotta be some of that, right? Do you think?
00:35:47
Speaker
you would You're the one. You're the guy. Who knows that It's not a real thing. I was just making it up. Like, you know, Metallica has the snake pit. What is Tokyo Scout Pit? They have the orchestra pit. Yeah, the orchestra Is that really what Metallica calls their... Yeah. they're The snake pit, yeah. Yeah, the snake pit.
00:36:03
Speaker
Yikes. Did they steal that from Slash? I don't know, Joey. Because of the Slash's snake pit? Is that what you're referencing? His weird solo group?
00:36:14
Speaker
Yes. um ah Nice, Joey. Nice pull. What else you got in there? Lots. It's useless, but lots.
00:36:24
Speaker
Alright, the next mini album was 2011's Heroes, featuring the songs that the band contributed to the movie One Piece 3D Mugiwara Chase.
00:36:34
Speaker
Oh, there it is. You got what you wanted. They'd have to. And not not just any anime, but Rob's favorite. yeah oh i have not seen this movie i have not deigned to watch a one piece movie uh it seems like a lot of work but um i already don't have time to watch the anime as it is like no they can cram 90 more minutes of non-canon material into my life fair but uh i'm sure they're great uh this song is called breaking into the light the promised hat the promised hat love it yeah
00:37:11
Speaker
I would imagine it's a big straw one. The promised hat. Yeah. Right.
00:37:22
Speaker
This sweet.
00:37:36
Speaker
So Does this remind you of anime song? We should. Yeah. I mean, it is. it is yes it does. now.
00:37:47
Speaker
is how she now
00:38:07
Speaker
The third and final mini was 2011's Sunny Side of the Street that featured music used in promotional material for commercials, theme songs, and a couple of remixes. All Good Scott Is One featured Angelo Moore.
00:38:19
Speaker
And of course, it's a wasted opportunity that he wasn't on Goldfingers. This is All Good Scott Is One. Angelo Moore, hey? That's fun. Of Fished Boned.
00:38:31
Speaker
Yeah. Busy guy. Yeah.
00:38:38
Speaker
Oh, hell yeah. It's getting kind of soulful.
00:38:45
Speaker
Yeah, the Dennis Bovell ah produced stuff with its like kind of old school production, eh? Yeah, it's real good. Oh, take a giant step into the land of make believe One sun hovers high
00:39:05
Speaker
This is great. the I really like the vocals in this song a lot. Yeah, same. Hard not to be mad at at Angelo on his song, hey? but Like, really levels it up You know, the I think one of the things, though, is Fishbone is often doing things that are so crazy that his singing ends up being crazy. So to hear him now just kind of to sing on like kind a chill kind of trad ska song is this is like it's nice, you know? A little different from his usual thing.
00:39:33
Speaker
That's a good point. You don't usually just get like smooth Angelo. Yeah, usually is's just it's just god the music's way more wacky, right? Right.
00:39:57
Speaker
He's getting a little crazy there. He's getting a little crazy. He's getting a little crazy there. They must have had a good time in the stew. Yeah, for sure. i don't think he flew man to Japan to record his vocal tracks, though. I think i think he probably just did it from Cali4NIA.
00:40:13
Speaker
Maybe we did on over he did. Maybe he did. It'd fun if he did. be real fun if he did. I think the story of him going there. Maybe. i mean they right they do They do do that. they They go all over the place and play all over the place. so So those mini albums didn't do that great.
00:40:28
Speaker
um So what they decided to do was i don't know. They just didn't chart very well. They also had a bunch of weird like themes to them. like One was about commercials. One was about anime. like you know just I think they had kind of a weird idea around each of them. I get why they weren't super successful but I kind of think they fuck.
00:40:47
Speaker
I sort of love the idea of an album in between an EP and an album that has like a theme. Like I just, that's a really fun concept. I like it. But what they did then is they took all three of those minis and they crammed them into one album.
00:41:02
Speaker
So, you know, they did that thing and then put one fresh track on it called Walkin. So this album is called Walkin and the song is called Walkin. All right.
00:41:17
Speaker
C'mon the toast be A I'm walking here. Hold up piano. Oh yeah.
00:41:47
Speaker
This is actually pretty cool too. oh yeah. I feel like I've been enjoying this next batch of songs so far more. This next era? This is like... I guess we're thinking about eras. Producer change? Yes.
00:42:00
Speaker
They're they're like more like old school, smooth. Yeah. I think i like I like that era for them.
00:42:14
Speaker
real missed opportunity to like not have Christopher Walken on here know what I mean if he was doing a toasting on this that's up there Ali no it doesn't seem like go I feel like this guy's toasting's gotten like cooler he's gotten hours of toasting yeah he's a master toaster That song's good. I like that song a lot.
00:42:45
Speaker
Yeah. um The whole of walking, like listening to it all together with all those songs on it is a bit of a jarring listen. ah But there's some individual tracks to kind of pick out that are are quite fun.
00:42:57
Speaker
Did they just sort of mash the songs like as they had them in order from the mini albums onto the album or did they mix it up? No, they sort of put them all chronological order.
00:43:10
Speaker
Okay, so it truly is just like a compilation record with an extra song. All right. Yeah, you got it. Yeah. So later in 2012, the band issued an actual full length album with new songs on it called Desire, which was recorded in Europe.
Paradise Future and Fan Favorites
00:43:27
Speaker
and had Bovelle back on the board. So the song I got from Desire is Cat Playing in the Twilight. Beautiful title. Yeah, I love that title. Oh, there's even a cat in it. I wonder if that cat ran into the stray cat.
00:43:43
Speaker
Maybe it's the same cat. In the Twilight.
00:43:53
Speaker
This cat's doing some spirited playing in the Twilight. Female vocals sometimes. yeah Sometimes. This time, for sure. This time.
00:44:07
Speaker
Little Tin Pan Alley.
00:44:12
Speaker
Maybe even a little bit of a Latin feel. Yeah, a little bit.
00:44:19
Speaker
I love that the the bass is going and then the piano is playing, like, matching it on, like, super low notes on the piano. That's a fun little thing. It's a beautiful voice. Yeah.
00:44:46
Speaker
Yeah, that fucks. What song. Yeah. 2013 brought in Diamond in Your Heart, which was debuted at Coachella. This is the title track, Diamond in Your Heart. Oh. Every day hear the hatred Coming out the anonymous rats Does sound like a Coachella song.
00:45:07
Speaker
Don't get so crazy About heroes they always punish If you don't reach your real potential You'll watch people
00:45:21
Speaker
Yeah, I don't know about this one, personally.
00:45:28
Speaker
vocals are a little strange.
00:45:31
Speaker
i think I think they're just kind of strange because they don't rhyme at all.
00:45:57
Speaker
ah Yeah, that's the that's their Fishman's vocalist. So that's kind of like a reunion for a lot of the Tokyo Ska Pera guys and and the Fishman's band. So, OK, yeah, it's not my favorite.
00:46:10
Speaker
No, that was good. I was I di um didn't. I wasn't into that one. Not going on the playlist. Again, not like a bad like it's not a bad. There's nothing really bad, but just not going to do it.
00:46:23
Speaker
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So but the band would then celebrate their 2050 year anniversary in 2014 and issued Skami Forever that opened with a reworking of Pedorazu from the band's debut. It's not as good, I don't think.
00:46:37
Speaker
And had a bevy of features from full bands like 10 Feet, Mongol 800 and Asian Kung Fu Generation. ah this is
00:46:52
Speaker
I love a full band feature. I think I've said this on pod before. Get the fuck out of here with your features full band, but is only one person from band. Get the band in there. That is fun, right? Yeah.
00:47:05
Speaker
That's a nice little mix up.
00:47:15
Speaker
This one sound third wavy, but it has some third wave energy to it, i feel like. It does. We're sort of getting to like sort of the doldrum years, I feel, for the band at this point.
00:47:30
Speaker
They're coming off of their really big era ah with like the Bovell-produced stuff. Before that, they had their high-energy era, I guess.
00:47:44
Speaker
And now they're kind of like the end of their creative peak, I think. Yeah, this is a little, uh, the last two songs have been a little on the snoozy side for me. Yeah, it's a little snoozy.
00:47:56
Speaker
They're not my favorite records. I will say that. Skami Forever, Diamond in Your Heart. It's giving grocery store. It's giving back groceries. Yeah, for sure. Even with like, because even though i got excited when there was an Asian Kung Fu Generation feature and that song is also super sleepy.
00:48:16
Speaker
Really? So I don't know. It's it's kind of too bad. But for the first time in a decade, the band would take a three-year break to
Experimental Sounds and Genre Mashups
00:48:24
Speaker
recharge. This is the next era, and I'd say their modern era, ah which started in 2017 with the record Paradise Has No Border, ah which is very anticipated, and started to move them in the direction of more sort of elaborate ah horn arrangements, abnormal song structures, a lot more genre experimentation.
00:48:45
Speaker
So this is the title track, ah Paradise Has No Border. a
00:48:54
Speaker
That's fun. Almost sounds like the sex in the city. the Maybe it is. It started the same.
00:49:05
Speaker
Kind of.
00:49:13
Speaker
Now, this is not sex in the city theme.
00:49:21
Speaker
Music. Music.
00:49:27
Speaker
This is fun. Yeah, this is great. I love Paradise Has No Border. This record is fantastic. It's very good. And then they Scott up.
00:49:38
Speaker
Sort of had like the same like piano riff and then changed the genre on it three times. Yeah, it's very cool. love when that happens in a song.
00:50:00
Speaker
It's crazy how... That percussion's sick. Yeah. going to say, it's crazy how it's not like Mario Kart, these songs are sounding like. Yeah, now we're getting away. We're getting away from anime. We're getting away from Mario Kart.
00:50:15
Speaker
yeah, yeah. So in 2018, they did kind of much of the same and released Glorious with kind of a similar mindset. And so this is the ah the title track of that, Glorious. Glorious.
00:50:30
Speaker
Anyway, you were saying something about and not sounding like Mario Kart music? This is pretty Mario Kart music. Yeah. It's also kind of Malcolm in the Middle music, though, too.
00:50:45
Speaker
I'm not mad about that. No, me either. also like that the guitar... Yeah.
00:50:54
Speaker
i also like this this guitar yeah The guitar work is almost ska-core too. They play so fast, like almost like J-ska sounding. Yeah.
00:51:11
Speaker
Like this ah this could almost be a K-Murray or Galoo-Goo song. Oh, for sure. Yeah. This fucks. This is real good.
00:51:21
Speaker
Well... And then just like, I'm having fun. Like a country breakdown.
00:51:31
Speaker
i mean, it's better than a whole country kind of song like that diamond in your heart one.
00:51:37
Speaker
Yeah, it's a crazy mashup of sounds. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Cause it was like country thing. And then it's like a Calypso thing. This is what Tokyo Sky is like now.
00:51:49
Speaker
is like It's a lot of surprise. It's like it's less about like the song structure and more just like, how can they give you a run for your money listening to your music? How can they genre mashup more than any genre mashup? Yeah, absolutely.
00:52:03
Speaker
At this point in their career, they got their eyes on the prize. They know what's up. They're going to the Olympics, maybe. Do they know now? Maybe. Maybe. Have we gotten there yet?
00:52:14
Speaker
Maybe. We've got to be getting close. and maybe and Maybe they had planned. 2019 marked the band's 30th anniversary and was celebrated by the album Scholarful Collage.
00:52:27
Speaker
That was a double disc affair with vocal tracks on disc one and instrumentals on disc two. I had a lot of options and so I went with their cover of Jamaica ska, because that's just a wild choice.
00:52:41
Speaker
Hell yeah. And reminds us of our bracket. Yeah. That's right. Go back and listen to the bracket. 30 years, eh? Yeah. I mean, sounds like Jamaica ska.
00:52:56
Speaker
I feel like keeping a band together for 30 years is harder than a marriage. Yeah. There aren't 10 people in a marriage. Yeah. new york Maybe in your marriage. good Yeah, that's true.
00:53:11
Speaker
Wow.
00:53:15
Speaker
feel like it's going to go much faster. Yeah.
00:53:21
Speaker
Holy shit, that drumming. Yeah. And the guitar. Wild. can't resist it, you guys.
00:53:43
Speaker
ah can't resist it you
00:53:51
Speaker
Yeah, this is a really, really good cover. Yeah, it's so good. Yeah, and that's a sick cover. Yeah, that's sick cover. that's one of That's one of the best songs I've heard yeah today on app.
00:54:03
Speaker
And it's a cover. For what it's worth, it's still a cover. But man, oh man, like, yeah, this this new iteration of Tokyo Sky just goes for it. Like, there's just no looking back anymore.
00:54:13
Speaker
Yeah, and now they're Before they announced that there weren't any boarders, now they're really just ignoring them altogether.
35th Anniversary and Ongoing Evolution
00:54:21
Speaker
They're a scholarful collage. Scholarful collage. That's a good pun. It's not good. I like it.
00:54:30
Speaker
its It's a stretch. It's a stretch. Coming from your intros, Rob. Yeah, that's why I like it. The very fragile glass house that you two are in Tempered glass. Tempered glass like a window. And have really sharp stones in your hands.
00:54:52
Speaker
Where was I? I got distracted by that. a two-year break followed with the album Ska equals Almighty, which was ah Chris's favorite record in the year it came out in 2021, centered around tracks pulled from the television series Kamen Rider's Sabre. And so this is one of those Kamen Rider songs. This is Almighty, Promise of the Mask.
00:55:13
Speaker
Hell yeah.
00:55:19
Speaker
Kamen Rider's been around for so freaking long, it's crazy. I think there's like 20 or 30 seasons of it. Longer or as long as Tokyo Scott Paradise Orchestra?
00:55:32
Speaker
Longer. longer Longer? For sure longer, yeah. Oh yeah, because it was 80s, right? More than that, it was like 70s. Wow. Kamen Rider? Yeah, that Tokusatsu stuff was like so long running.
00:55:46
Speaker
Yeah. Kamen Rider's the one where he's got the bug masks. Yeah. Ersatz is like screaming at their podcast right now because they know everything about Kamen Rider.
00:56:06
Speaker
definitely is TV show music. This song. Yeah. Yeah.
00:56:13
Speaker
But even then, the drumming is... wild the drumming is insane that was mogi is that his name mogi yeah mogi mogi you you're the man dude you're crazy
00:56:29
Speaker
yeah that's a good that's fun that album is crazy though definitely tv music a little bit for me though feel like it's just a little it's just um focused differently for listening i feel like it's made a little more to be in the background i think i think like i i don't know if i pulled the most like emblematic song off of that record to be fair so but i just that one's popular and it was on a tv show so i pulled it so um That's one downside with this format that we're doing today is that ah we can't really do a deep exploration of the records.
00:57:00
Speaker
Right. What are you going to I can't do this forever. 20 them. So something else happened in 2021. I can't remember what it was. Oh, right. COVID. ah So later that same year, the band released SOS Share One Sorrow as a COVID album.
00:57:17
Speaker
And it was the same year that they played at the Tokyo Olympic Games where they played Paradise Has No Order. um But ah the song I pulled from the mini album SOS Share One Sorrow is Happy Ending.
00:57:30
Speaker
No relation. Yeah, car horns. Yeah.
00:57:45
Speaker
This is pretty rock and roll. Yep. little bit of Billy energy coming out.
00:57:51
Speaker
Jesus Christ, that drumming is bonkers.
00:58:04
Speaker
This is a good time. This is a party already. Yeah, this is pretty fun. Yeah. Also that weird synth. Boi-yoing-yoing.
00:58:18
Speaker
I love a boi-yoing.
00:58:23
Speaker
The car horn thing is just so funny. How do they play the car horn live? With real cars.
00:58:30
Speaker
And they made the music sound like revving? Yeah. They're That's kind of fun. I feel like they're car heads. Like, they gotta be car guys.
00:58:41
Speaker
You know? Most them, some of them.
00:58:48
Speaker
So fun. What a change up, hey? Wow. was like That's pretty good. That's a pretty good song. Yeah, that was that was a real good time. they're they're just They're just having a time, hey? It's so good.
00:59:01
Speaker
um So once the pandemic lifted, the band returned with another mini album, Junk or Gem, to compile songs that were written during the pandemic. And this is one of those songs. This is Small White.
00:59:15
Speaker
This
00:59:23
Speaker
is virtual insanity. so It sounds like a little. I wonder if they have canned heat in their feet.
00:59:35
Speaker
I'd say so. Based on that.
00:59:43
Speaker
This has anime energy. For sure. Closing anime energy. Yeah, closing anime energy for sure. What weird... Like that guitar... Like the skank on the guitar kind of weird.
00:59:56
Speaker
These guys... These are real musicians.
01:00:03
Speaker
weird like that guitar like the skankk on the guitar is kind of weird guys are real musician
01:00:15
Speaker
I love Mogi, but I'm a Kato guy. I think like his guitar playing, I think he just, I think he do anything. Like, it's just crazy. Yeah.
01:00:30
Speaker
Yeah. Yeah.
01:00:48
Speaker
Yeah, this is like... The vocals are very good.
01:00:53
Speaker
I would say that song is not ah like emblematic of what I usually like with a Tokyo Ska song, but it was very good. And that that there's all that um mini album has a ton of streams on Spotify.
01:01:07
Speaker
So it actually did really well. Their successful mini album ever. Yeah, in terms of streaming, yeah, I did really well. um So finally in 2024, that's just last year, you guys.
01:01:19
Speaker
The band celebrated their 35th anniversary with, you guessed it, 35. That's been the name of the record. This is the opening track, Wings of Phoenix. Hell yeah.
01:01:33
Speaker
Pahonix?
01:01:37
Speaker
It's a real like Hooked on Phoenix. ass synths?
01:01:45
Speaker
Sounds like the beginning of a Bon Jovi song or something.
01:01:51
Speaker
Holy shit, now it's boss music.
01:02:03
Speaker
Ooh wee. Villain music? Yeah. So, remember when i opened by saying, man, it's surprising that they're in their late 50s, early 60s. This is what I was talking about. Yeah. Yeah.
01:02:16
Speaker
They're going very fast. that guitar is fucking the light speed. They're just going as fast as they possibly can. As humans can possibly play music. They're playing as fast as, like, crazy metal. They're scott in their heart zone.
01:02:31
Speaker
Yeah. That goes keys, though. Holy moly. Oki is just, like, insane.
01:02:45
Speaker
These songs are real journeys, these last handful. like you just they really but You did mention that they kind of stopped using more traditional song structures and whatnot.
01:02:56
Speaker
You are not kidding. It's just like part after part after part and then come back to a catchy part sometimes. How did they even um like remember how to play any of these songs? They're jazz musicians. Yeah. yeah That's how.
01:03:09
Speaker
It's like adding a progression. They keep writing more songs. Yeah. Yeah. To remember. yeah Yeah. With more parts. They write more songs with more parts than normal.
01:03:22
Speaker
is the I remember so many parts. Crazy. That's yeah. So basically the way I look at it when i was I was talking about eras, here's here's how I kind of look at it. The the earliest era is their jazzy stuff.
01:03:34
Speaker
Like when they started, it was jazzy. Then by the mid late 90s, it was all city pop. It was the city poppiest of the city poppiest. And then when Kato joined, that's that high energy, like the anime music where it's just like fast for the sake of fast, upbeat energy.
01:03:51
Speaker
And then they moved into kind of the stuff that you guys were liking, which is the more kind of chilled out, maybe, maybe not necessarily chilled out, but the grittier production, the more old school stuff feels. Yeah.
01:04:04
Speaker
And then you get to the modern era, which is the kitchen sink style Tokyo ska. That's like whatever they come up with. yeah Yeah. Fuck it up, TISPO. Fuck it up, TISPO.
01:04:16
Speaker
Hell yeah. And you know what? we It's 2025. We haven't had ah any material yet. I think they single maybe, but that means we'll have more TISPO this year. Hell yeah. i don't know. TISPO. It's great.
01:04:27
Speaker
Fucking rules. That does it. We caught up.
Final Thoughts on Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra
01:04:30
Speaker
What do you guys think? What your final thoughts on... um I feel like there's some that stood out I liked more than I thought I would. like there's so i mean, I always respect them as musicians and artists.
01:04:41
Speaker
But there's definitely... so There's some bangers on here. I'm sure if I went album through album, there'd be more bangers. But how? How? When? how Yeah, who's got the time? Where? Why? Yeah.
01:04:52
Speaker
Honestly. And then you're not even appreciating it at that point because it just like gels together so much. Yeah, imagine I made you all listen to 21 albums. I mean, I don't think just wouldn't.
01:05:04
Speaker
That's true. good end and I couldn't. I don't have the power over you to ask you to do that. No one does. I wouldn't even. Like, even if I made that goal for myself, I'd be like, well. I've been in a ah real... um not listening to music like while I'm commuting and stuff I've just been on like audiobook I'm a podcaster yeah i've been been audio thing lately um but that being said ah ah kind of want to just listen to a whole bunch of city pop as it gets warmer when I get happier I listen to more music yeah I've been super happy lately
01:05:40
Speaker
Y'all want to play a game? Yeah, let's do it.
Game Segment Introduction: Four-Word Band Names
01:05:43
Speaker
Okay. It's been a long time. This game is called four word names or a four letter word. Very proud of that one. Four ah names or a four letter word. Okay.
01:05:52
Speaker
Yeah. In this game, with the help of Ranker, I have the top 30 bands with four words for their names. This is family feud style. So you go back and forth until we run out of names.
01:06:04
Speaker
The bands in question are all top 40 artists of some kind from the 60s till today. So there's nothing too obscure. um But what I'll do to throw throw something in, because it is a little bit of a weird idea, is I'll give you each three hint tokens.
01:06:19
Speaker
And so what if you run out of ideas or you need me to like help you along with an idea that you're coming up with, ah you can just say, I need a hint and I'll throw a hint your way.
01:06:30
Speaker
Well, lifeline, just me V Joey. Yeah. Yeah. Because I have the answers. Well, yeah. and No, that's what I mean. I mean, I would i would win. Yeah, tan show down showdown and it's It's until you're ah they're eliminated. I will say the ah, of, and all the conjunction. Yeah. Those do count.
01:06:49
Speaker
Right. Okay. Just to make it so that it's not complicated. Right. So Lynn, I'll start with you. Just any band with four. Any band with a four with four word name for the band.
01:07:04
Speaker
Is it the Red Hot Chili Peppers or Red Hot Chili Peppers? I'm just going give it to you because that is one of them. Red Hot Chili Peppers. That is number three. but yeah I don't know what this is ranked on, but whoever made the ranker, I guess, and and then people voted on it.
01:07:20
Speaker
Red Hot Chili Peppers. Perfect. Me? My turn?
Naming Challenge and Humor
01:07:24
Speaker
Yep, Joey. Five Finger Death Punch. You got it. I said it before. Number four. You it earlier. Five Finger Death Punch.
01:07:31
Speaker
ah Is it the Steve Miller Band? Oh. I think it is, actually. You know what? It might not be on the list, but I might give it to you because that's a good poll. One second. But is it Steve Miller and the Silver Bullet Band or is it the Steve Miller Band?
01:07:49
Speaker
so The the but silver bullet band is Bob Seger. Oh, shit. Yeah, that's the the other guy. I was like, what are you about? what? it is the Steve Miller band, so I'm going to give it to you. Oh, there you go. There's a lot of those. I'm just going to say this. This is a free hint.
01:08:03
Speaker
There's a lot of those the blankety blank bands on this list. Okay. so Right. Okay. um Oh, that's three. Yeah, I'm not going to get that many. the the but Where? Don't look at me.
01:08:19
Speaker
i keep thinking of three words. Yeah, me too. I keep having three word ones. ah Give me a hint. yeah um You guys are missing a lot of the metal stuff.
01:08:30
Speaker
There's a lot of like new metal bands, or at least a couple. that are up here and they're not popular i don't need a hint i have one bring me the horizon bring me the horizon it's a freebie i'm giving it to you i mean like the white stripes doesn't get like i just i can yeah i gave a hint about ah thought about about new metal but yeah none of the new metal bands i get like the olympus get like it's like i'm like i don't disturb like i don't you should get to the metal bands that you like
01:09:02
Speaker
Not the ones that Joey likes. No, but I don't know. what I don't know, kid. Like, I don't know that many new metal bands, honestly. ah Like, I really don't. Think politics.
01:09:12
Speaker
Oh, geez. Oh, ah it's still your turn. But just go. Come with it now. That band. Just go. i' my brain is again oh sugar yeah Rage Against the Machine. Yeah, that's one. yeah That's a good one. Okay. Flynn, do you want to try another one?
01:09:28
Speaker
I guess give me another hint. i don't i honestly just can't think of anything. um but but i wish I could. Think goth bands. There's two like art arty goth bands that you were that you specifically were a fan of. in I guess Susie Sue and the Banshees.
01:09:47
Speaker
It's two names. No, that's five. and by five and theend um But no, think more modern than Susie. Like more in the ninety s two thousand the typo negative not bad not bad see this is what i'm saying like i'm sure if i had the list i'd be like obvious but just coming out i know coming up with yeah it's yeah it's hard for for someone with a terrible memory like myself it's very hard does does a date a year date count as one word
01:10:19
Speaker
I'm going to say no. Let's skip that. case That's too much. Death from above 1979 does not count. No, that's kind of too complicated to figure out because there's more obvious answers on here. That's fair.
01:10:33
Speaker
um More hints. We need just a little guidance. Yeah, okay. Let me let me let get back up here. and I did say political nu metal and this one is staring me dead in the face. Abel and the Sniffers is for...
01:10:48
Speaker
Yeah, I'll give you that one. There you go. There you go. Amal and the Sniffers. I'm trying to think of political nu metal that wasn't Rage Against the Machine. Yeah, there's another one. where we Really?
01:10:59
Speaker
they they They were almost exclusively when they weren't talking about parts in their days. Oh, oh, oh, oh. ah they they System of a Down. Yes, correct. why Number one. thatmo that's good That's a good one. Yeah.
01:11:15
Speaker
I felt like I was trying so hard to steer you all to that one. Maybe it was not worth it. That's fine. ah Panic at the Disco? Yes, Panic at the Disco is on the list. Nicely done. Joey, what do you got um The Fallout Boy. No. It really it is fun to just add that in front of a member.
01:11:36
Speaker
Get away from emo. I feel like like the Panic at the Disco is the one that you're going get. That was a big one. Hmm. Hmm. don't look at me yeah i know i'm i'm a what what do we got for another another lifeline um you know something important happens in september something important oh 9 11 earth wind and fire correct that's my yeah the mamas and the pop is not too many words
01:12:07
Speaker
Yeah, very close though. I guess it's sick. It's not that close. The mamas and the popas. So many words. yeah Also, just makes me want to end up with you, kind of. Co-space heed in Cambria.
01:12:24
Speaker
I have a quick question. Here's your final hint, Flynn. Okay. Can I kick it? i don i See, I'm like, my man i'm my brain is mush. i don't know what to tell you people. My brain is mush lately. I think that's that's an official towel throwing moment. Joey, do you want to do you want what take it home?
01:12:40
Speaker
No. It was a tribe called Quest. ah yeah is i yeah I was like, the run DMC?
01:12:52
Speaker
ah Let's go through some of these. Jimi Hendrix experience. ah okay not jimmy it's ah jimmy Okay, yep, yep. A Day to Remember. Oh, that's a metalcore band. yeah okay Yeah, I'm surprised that you missed that one, Joey.
01:13:06
Speaker
The Allman Brothers Band. Okay, so Steve Miller was kind of similar energy. That's what I was saying. I was like, there's a few of those. There's also the Marshall Tucker Band, the Charlie Daniels Band.
01:13:18
Speaker
um andda We got Derek and the Dominoes. Yeah, none of these I would have got. Death Cab for Cutie. Okay, there's one. Yep, that is.
01:13:31
Speaker
A Flock of Seagulls? I would have never knew it was A Flock of Seagulls. The Sisters Mercy, Céline. Oh, I'm not, and I also would have thought it's Sisters of Mercy. Yeah, wouldn't have thought there was a The. And I'm not a big Sisters of Mercy fan.
01:13:47
Speaker
How about Pretty Girls Make Graves? Oh, yeah. I mean, I haven't thought about them for 20 years. said you used to be. I was very specific. When I said you used to be, I didn't mean yesterday. I honestly forgot. I don't think I've thought. No, but I literally forgot they existed until you mentioned it, which is great. But yeah.
01:14:05
Speaker
yeah My brain, it's no good. i don't know what to tell you guy i literally forgot they
Game Conclusion and Camaraderie
01:14:12
Speaker
existed. oh so Mindless self-indulgence. a Mindless self-indulgence is three. oh mindless The mindless self-indulgence. The mindless self-indulgence. of Of Monsters and Men, if we're going to go with a more modern band.
01:14:25
Speaker
Yeah. yeah Those are kind of the bigger ones. Frankie Goes to Hollywood. Relax. Relax. Frankie goes on. I guess I could have said that instead of can I kick it. I should have just said relax, Lynn. Relax.
01:14:38
Speaker
ah yeah and Relax. Alright, we did it. Congratulations, Joey. You won. Thank you. Hooray. just have a bad brain.
Closing and Anniversary Teaser
01:14:50
Speaker
yeah Thanks for listening to Checkered Pass. Hit us up on Instagram, Twitter, Blue Sky, YouTube, and TikTok at CheckeredPassPod or send us an email at CheckeredPassPod at gmail.com.
01:14:59
Speaker
To support the pod and get bonus content including a full length and unedited video of this episode, sign up for the Checkerhead Patreon at patreon.com slash CheckeredPass. We also have merch available at CheckeredPass.ca.
01:15:11
Speaker
This episode is engineered by Joey and edited by Cutman. Special thanks to Chris Reeves, Megamichi, and Adam the Ska Mailman for making this podcast happen. Thanks also to Keelan for all his work on the podcast music.
01:15:23
Speaker
The theme song for today's episode is OAO by Edmonton's own Mad Bomber Society. Next week, it's the four-year anniversary episode. but Until next time, I'm Rob, Selen, and Joey.
01:15:36
Speaker
In the immortal words of Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra, we know it's pod or nothing.