Checkered Past is the lesser of two weevils as they explore the history of the pride of Utah Ska, Stretch Armstrong! Or is that Stretsch Armstronng? Or the Stretch Band? However you spell it, Rob and Celine need some help so they bring along the online Ska godfather, RJ Phoenix of 23Min of Ska and On the Upbeat! First, RJ talks about R/Ska on Reddit, his history building Ska's online presence and what he believes the future may hold for the genre. Then, the trio dig in on the wild world of Stret...
Jul 19, 2022•1 hr 44 min•Ep. 56
Checkered Past takes a break from their regular TromBonus format to do a Canada Day special and highlight the part of Canada to be most proud of: the thriving Ska scene from 1990 to Present! Rob presents to Celine and Joey tracks from some of the genres forebearers to its Stomp heyday to some of the bands making waves today! Oh Skanada! Hosts: Celine, Rob and Joey Editor: Joey Engineer: Joey www.checkeredpast.ca www.patreon.com/checkeredpast...
Jul 12, 2022•53 min•Ep. 55
Work hard pod hard see you in the graveyard, Checkered Past is taking a rare trip to the modern day to discuss UK's Popes of Chillitown! To do as deep a dive on this elusive group as they can, Rob and Celine welcome Felipe Rosales of Flip and the Combined Effort. They dig in on Flip's Checkered Past, his new teacher-themed EP and discuss live band hip-hop before discussing all three albums of Popes. Finally, they play three different games and answer listener questions... cause there's no manner...
Jul 05, 2022•1 hr 32 min•Ep. 54
Go Psycho! Checkered Past heads to Australia to discuss Skabilly band, The Living End and do an album by album review of their Ska tracks. Celine takes the reigns on this episode as Rob and Joey take the co-host slots in discussing the Psychobilly genre, The Living End's genre evolution and how Ska fits into the picture. Its a Psychobilly Freakout! Hosts: Celine, Rob and Joey Engineer: Joey Editor: Joey www.checkeredpast.ca www.patreon.com/checkeredpast...
Jun 28, 2022•57 min•Ep. 53
A message to you Checkerhead! Checkered Past finally gets their 2 Tone talking about one of the most influential Ska bands of all time, The Specials! To break down the bands classic era, Rob and Celine welcome Tim and Brit from modern Ska darlings, Catbite! They talk about their recent tours, their new album and the changes in the Ska scene post-pandemic before entering the Time Skachine. Then, the crew get down and dirty going through the Specials trio of 70's/80's albums deep diving on the roo...
Jun 21, 2022•1 hr 39 min•Ep. 52
Thank God there are a hundred ways to kill enemies as Checkered Past blind listens to the Ska tracks of Japanese ragga-metal band Silence Iz Mine! After quickly picking it up where they left off, Rob, Celine and Joey go through the SiM's tracks from their early 00's metal influences to their stylistic whiplashes to their modern EDM textures. Every song is a wild journey so buckle up for the Rumbling! This TromBonus' music was curated by Ersatz on the CP/SC discord! Sign up for the Checkerhead Pa...
Jun 14, 2022•55 min•Ep. 51
Chris Reeves of Ska Punk International does a host takeover of Checkered Past to turn the tables on Rob and Celine and ask about the last 12 months of the podcast. Then, Engineer Joey is on hand as co-host to help break down the first 3 albums of international Ska superstars Ska-P from their working class roots to their arena-filling success. All the while, Chris inverts the podcast, plays games and asks embarrassing questions all to show the CP/SC crew what it's like from the other side of the ...
Jun 07, 2022•1 hr 41 min•Ep. 50
Ho ho the rattlin' pod as Checkered Past heads down to Mesa Town to see what the f' is goin' down! Rob and Joey break down the Ska tracks of Arizona skate-punk band Authority Zero from their triumphant major label debut to their modern independent releases. All the while they discuss their surf and sublime take on Ska, their penchant for acoustic live recordings and all those times they sang folk songs really fast. Thanks to echub on the discord for the suggestion! Sign up for the Checkerhead Pa...
May 31, 2022•50 min•Ep. 49
We can't wait to tell you about our new ep! Checkered Past welcomes Chris Ruckus of Pittsburg Skacore band Dissidente on the podcast to discuss influential Ska Punkers The Suicide Machines! First, Chris recounts his formative Ska years, the realities of going to shows as you age and the unfortunate realities of pay-to-play booking. Then, Rob, Engineer Joey and Chris go through the 90's era of The Suicide Machines from their snotty early years to their Hollywood Records deal to their Beatles-infl...
May 24, 2022•1 hr 35 min•Ep. 48
Throw back your favorite alcoholic beverage and pull a comb through whatever colored hair you have, cause Checkered Past is tackling swingsters Cherry Poppin' Daddies! On this TromBonus, Rob, Celine and Joey listen to the bands Skaboy JFK compilation front to back tackling their Ska tracks from 1990 to 2009. They discuss the bands whiplash stylistic choices, their top shelf musicianship and, of course, their still questionable band name. For the full 60 minute episode uncut and unedited in both ...
May 17, 2022•48 min•Ep. 47
Megababes rejoice: Checkered Past welcomes Diglo and Michi of indie-rock band Megawave! They talk to Rob and Celine about their friendship with the Ska community, their Ska origin stories and the various influences on their debut record Rainbow Heartache. Afterwards they all dig in on the tumultuous career of 2000's Ska pioneers, Streetlight Manifesto covering their original music, their antagonistic relationship with Victory Records and their current reputation in the Ska scene. To get the enti...
May 10, 2022•1 hr 35 min•Ep. 46
It is the debut episode of our first spin-off podcast, Gear In Your Bedroom with Engineer Joey! It's a podcast dedicated to the DIY musician: their songwriting process, their influences and, of course, their gear! It's a journey to learn more about how someone gets the idea to write music and brings it to completion with a finished product... but with that CP/SC sense of absurd humour! In the debut episode, Joey interviews Ska-Punk musician Common Sense Kid about his early days of writing music ...
May 06, 2022•46 min•Ep. 45
I'm gonna make this milky clear, Checkered Past is breaking down pop-punk bros Zebrahead! Rob, Celine and Joey break down every Zebrahead album going through all three of their phases starting with their funk-punk beginnings to their pop punk superstardom to their metal-influenced modern era. All the while, finding and dissecting the band's attempts at Ska, their workhorse mentality and their international appeal. What will Celine say about their prolific amounts of phallic humour? Tune in to fi...
May 03, 2022•51 min•Ep. 44
Yipee Ki-yay Mother Skanker! Checkered Past welcomes Austin-based Skacore band Hans Gruber and the Die Hards on to discuss the pride of Connecticut Ska, Spring Heeled Jack USA! First, Rosie, Kurt and Chris discuss their Christian upbringings, the music scene of Connecticut and the origin of their song No No Bronto. Then they dive into SHJ USA from beginning to end and finish the episode with a game of Where in the World is Skarmen Skandiego and answer some listener questions! Hans Gruber's new a...
Apr 26, 2022•1 hr 33 min•Ep. 43
Grab a pizza with pineapple and a fruity punch as Checkered Past explores the one-off Dill Records cult classic, Tantra Monsters! Rob and Engineer Joey blind listen to the complete album and comment on each song while also talking about what little they know about Hawaii, fast guitar playing and the 90's obsession with funk rock. Sign up for the Checkerhead Patreon to get the complete unedited episode including Joey and Rob playing a game of Build-a-Band Workshop! www.patreon.com/checkeredpast w...
Apr 19, 2022•44 min•Ep. 42
All Our Best Friends Are Checkerheads! Checkered Past welcomes the Ska Daddy himself, Five Iron Frenzy vocalist Reese Roper on to the pod to continue their discussion of Less Than Jake! Before that, they talk about the early days Five Iron, Reese's journey as a vocalist and the Christian music scene. Then, Celine, Rob and Reese dig in on Hello Rockview, Less Than Jake's separation from the majors and their sole effort on Fat Wreck Chords. For the full, uncut, unedited interview in video format, ...
Apr 12, 2022•1 hr 52 min•Ep. 41
Now that Madness March is over, it's time for the night to feel our pod with Canada's Ska-adjacent dynamic duo Bedouin Soundclash! Engineer Joey and Rob talk about the bands heyday on the radio, beach-bum reggae and the nature of the music industry in the mid 00's. If you want some chill-dude vibes this is the episode for you! Hosts: Rob and Joey Editor: Joey Engineer: Joey
Apr 05, 2022•44 min•Ep. 40
Madness March reaches its inevitable and satisfying conclusion! To ensure the absolute best Madness single is selected as the winner, Rob and Celine invite Mike Park of Skankin Pickle, Bruce Lee Band, The Chinkees and Asian Man Records. Mike rolls through his introduction to Ska, his relationship to Madness and his definitive 2Tone rankings. Then, the trio go through the semi-finals and finals of the bracket including 2 songs brought back for redemption! Afterwards, Engineer Joey hops on mic to ...
Mar 29, 2022•1 hr 35 min•Ep. 39
It Must Be Love cause you came back for Round 3 of Madness March! On the penultimate episode, Celine and Rob are joined by Middagh Goodwin of This Is Ska Radio to break down 4 more matchups on the path to deciding the greatest Madness Single of all time. This round is based on the band's prolific videos that is guaranteed to have some silliness, at least one fez and perhaps a tiny saxophone. Middagh is also on hand to bring his robust of knowledge of Madness' singles, his history in the Ska comm...
Mar 22, 2022•1 hr 32 min•Ep. 38
My name... is Michael Caine. At least that what YOU will be saying after you finish your midlife crisis with Round 2 of Madness March! Laptop Ska-Punker Common Sense Kid (aka Craig from Frome) joins Rob and Celine to advance 8 more matchups and offer his UK perspective to give legitimacy to the proceedings! He talks about Madness as a mainstream band, his Ska origin story and the UK Ska-Punk scene of the early 00's before giving Checkered Past the gears for their initial eliminations. How many m...
Mar 15, 2022•1 hr 36 min•Ep. 37
Madness March continues for the last half of Round 1 on Checkered Past: The Ska'd Cast! Celine, Rob and Engineer Joey continue to blind listen to 16 more Madness singles in head-to-head matchups and decide the winner based on their initial impressions! Will the most popular singles make it through or will some dark horses make an upset? Stay tuned all month long to see how the bracket continues and follow along at www.challonge.com/madnessmarch Hosts: Celine, Rob and Joey Editor: Joey Engineer: ...
Mar 08, 2022•51 min•Ep. 36
Checkered Past is doing the unthinkable... pitting 32 songs of legendary Two Tone Ska band, Madness against each other to see which is the greatest of all time! In this first episode, Celine, Rob and Joey go through the first 8 matchups to help narrow the down the field. The theme is simply first impressions and as to be expected, there are several upsets! Tune back in all month as the tournament advances! Follow the bracket at challonge.com/madnessmarch Hosts: Celine, Rob and Joey Engineer: Joe...
Mar 01, 2022•51 min•Ep. 35
It's time for Maximum Fun as Checkered Past welcomes podcast phenom, Jordan Morris of Jordan Jesse Go and Bubble to chat about Less Than Jake! Jordan discusses with Celine and Rob his Ska origin story as well as his thoughts on the Mighty Mighty Bosstones break-up and Less Than Jake's foray into NFTs. Then, the trio delve into LTJ canon with their college town beginnings, extreme work ethic and eventual rise to the majors. At the end, they play a round of C-O-L-L-E-C-T and answer some listener q...
Feb 22, 2022•1 hr 33 min•Ep. 34
Should you stay or should you go? Definitely stay and listen to this episode of Checkered Past! Rob, Celine and Joey talk about Joey's recent COVID adventure, Celine's accent work and their upcoming projects while shallow diving into the Ska-adjacent world of The Clash. They explore the heavy dub influences, the extravagancy of their 80s years and the concept of good-but-kind-of-boring. Checkered Past can't fail! Hosts: Celine, Rob and Joey Engineer: Arianne Editor: Joey
Feb 15, 2022•52 min•Ep. 33
This pod has energy, the kind we think you really need! Checkered Past return to St. Louis to finish the history of Indie-Ska superstars, Mu330! Andrew from Flying Raccoon Suit returns and this time brings along his bandmate, Jessica to gab with Celine and Rob about their bands origins, their future and the validity of melodicas. After, they discuss the final 3 albums of Mu330 including their controversial holiday album, their critically acclaimed final album and their relative inactivity in the...
Feb 08, 2022•1 hr 59 min•Ep. 32
If this was Jeopardy, it would be called potpourri! Rob, Celine and Joey listen to the Ska dalliances of MC Lars, Shiloh, The Neverland Pirate Band and Weird Al Yankovic. All the while sprinkling in bits of trivia, whether the Ska actually works and mid '00s Canadian Pop-Punk. Bonus track from Joey featuring his band's attempt at Ska! Madness March is open! Head over to www.challonge.com/madnessmarch to pick your favorite Madness singles of all time and get ready for the March festivities!f Host...
Feb 01, 2022•50 min•Ep. 31
Grab your banjo, your grass and your organic protein bars 'cause Checkered Past is digging in on Santa Monica Ska-Punks, Mad Caddies! For the journey they bring along Ben from Saskatchewan Ska flag-bearers, Minivandal. The trio discuss CanCon, the nature of Ska in the Prairies and fusing multiple genres together. After, they dig in on the early years of the 'Caddies including their granola lifestyles, their loyalty to Fat Mike and their ground-breaking incorporation of Dixieland Jazz. It's all c...
Jan 25, 2022•1 hr 49 min•Ep. 30
All these podcasts are gold, only Checkered Past breaks the mold! On this TromBonus, Celine, Joey and Rob run down the Ska tracks of 90's movie soundtrack mainstays, Smash Mouth! They talk about the Guy Fieri conundrum, the mozza-stick energy of their first album and ask once and for all: "is Smash Mouth good?" They finish it all off with a beach-themed edition of Build-a-Band Workshop. By the end, maybe YOU will be a believer! Hosts: Celine, Rob and Joey Engineer: Joey Editor: Joey...
Jan 18, 2022•47 min•Ep. 29
There's more than one way to pickle your Ska! On the latest Checkered Past, Celine and Rob chat with New Tone and Laptop Ska wunderkind, Kenny Malloy aka KMoy! The two talk about New York, Listmania and the joys of Newgrounds before diving into the brief but fascinating discography of Ska-Rockers, Slow Gherkin! They discuss the band's juvenile origins, their ground-breaking heyday and their unfortunate demise. Plus: a very un-ska edition of Big Five! It's long but it's strong! Welcome to 2022! H...
Jan 11, 2022•2 hr 11 min•Ep. 28
Ollie, grind, flip, grab and manual your way to the newest episode of Checkered Past! On this TromBonus, Celine, Rob and Engineer Joey shallow dive into the Ska tracks of Swedish Skate-Punks, Millencolin! Plus they discuss Baldos, The Matrix and Disco Elysium before playing a skate-themed edition of Build-a-Band Workshop! You don't have to be 13 years old to enjoy this one! Hosts: Celine, Rob and Joey Engineer: Joey Producer: Joey
Jan 04, 2022•54 min•Ep. 27
