In Defense of Ska Ep 181: Songwriting with Joe Gittleman (Mighty Mighty Bosstones) & Sammy Kay (The Kilograms)

This week, In Defense of Ska becomes Song Exploder…or rather SKA Exploder. We bring on two prolific ska songwriters: Joe Gittleman (The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, “Lean On Sheena” by Bouncing Souls) and Sammy Kay, who’s performed solo and in numerous ska and Americana groups. The two each even have brand new solo albums. But last year, they also formed a group called The Kilograms. So, there’s a lot to talk about. 

First, we break down Joe Gittleman’s song “Chores” from his new album, Hold Up (Bad Time Records; June 21, 2024). After that, we break down Sammy Kay’s song, “How Fast To Run” off his upcoming record, July 1960 (July 19, 2024). Then they give us a little peak into their collaborative songwriting process by breaking down The Kilograms’ song “Can’t Be Beat” from their debut EP (February 9, 2024). In our extended Patreon episode, we break down co-host Adam Davis’s new song “Quicksand” off his band Omnigone’s upcoming record Feral (Bad Time Records; July 26, 2024)

We also talk about the Black Sand Relief benefit comp for Michelle Ska and the people of Maui that initially got them to work together, how the Kilograms drummer Michael McDermott plays with Joan Jett & the Blackhearts, and we discuss what makes a perfect song. Magnetic Fields’ “Papa Was a Rodeo” and Cher’s “Believe” get discussed. 

Listen to Joe Gittleman (Mighty Mighty Bosstones) & Sammy Kay (The Kilograms) talk about all this 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 D