Ska music is made for dancing and parties and fun, which often leads to fans' buying their favorite band drinks. Drinks they sometimes have to turn down if they're gonna make it to the next town alive -- because they're professionals who care about their craft.
Didn't expect to hear that about a ska band, right?
Reel Big Fish hits the Pageant with Less Than Jake and Authority Zero tonight, bringing with it the experience to know just how hard to party in order to make sure the party is on-point for the fans.
"You learn how to do it after a while," says RBF trumpet player Johnny Christmas.
Not that Christmas doesn't love beer and whiskey -- he does -- and he'll calmly enjoy a drink while talking to fans. Hell, the band brewed a Reel Big Fish beer while it was in Denver. He just wants to make sure everybody gets the show they paid for.
"I'm old enough to know my limits," Christmas explains. "People think it's not rock & roll, but you've got to take care of yourself. I'm here to do a job and play the best I possibly can... I'm not there to drink as much as possible and throw up in my shoes."
Limits aside, Reel Big Fish is excited to take the professional party back out on the road after a couple of months off, especially considering that it's hitting the tour with one of its favorites: Less Than Jake.
This isn't the first tour together for the bands, who will crisscross the country, alternating the headlining slot. Christmas said he gets "giddy" watching LTJ hit the stage because of the show it's known to put on.
"It takes a professional to spot another professional," he says. "You go, 'Oh, those guys get it.' And they do get it. Giving those guys hugs the other night [before the tour opener in Denver] was like a homecoming... We always want to go on tour with them."
This year marks twenty since RBF caught national notice with the song "Beer" before becoming one of the biggest ska bands of the mid-'90s "third wave" when "Sell Out" hit MTV.
Both RBF and Less Than Jake are now often referred to as ska legends, with Christmas noting that he's pretty sure lead singer Aaron Barrett has written the soundtrack to a lot of people's lives. On top of regular touring, RBF makes it a point to reach out to colleges and universities so it can play all the prefinals and end-of-semester events.
Continue to page two for more.
