There's always some random ska shows on Long Island, but nothing to the extent of how it was in the mid-'90s with clubs having ska showcases every weekend (Deja One, I'm talking about you!). Clearly, the ska trend has been considered "dead" in scenesters' eyes for quite some time now, though the bands that have stayed true to the genre haven't stopped making records and touring. I've always had a penchant for (good) ska and still listen to the stuff occasionally and catch shows here and there, but I wondered if others felt the same. Thus, I had to go to the Ska Is Dead Tour, which stopped here on Long Island during the fest's first leg in February (the second leg will commence in April). Well, to my surprise the show was sold-out days before and I entered the club only to be greeted by hordes of kids. Yes, it seems the kids are still into ska, but people my age are not! Definitely one of the older attendees, it felt almost like a time warp being at The Downtown on this night. Kids skanking like mad, totally feeling the music. It was like a big party, and thus, I longed for my teenage years! But once I was able to get past the nostalgia, I did enjoy most of the band's sets and recommend that anyone who has a chance to catch this tour do so.

I arrived a bit late and hence only caught the latter part of ASOB's performance, but what an energetic, proud-to-be-ska set it was! ASOB, or the Arrogant Sons of Bitches, are a Long Island band that have had their ska groove on since the mid-'90s and haven't forsaken ska for the next big trend - emo - and they had much to say about this sad phenomenon. For instance, before ripping into the appropriately named "Abandon Shit", they touched upon this subject and backed up their resounding shout of "Ska is NOT dead," by pointing out how many people came out to see a five ska band bill. Similarly, they directed us so that when they would say "emo," we would shout back "go home!" ASOB also played "Royale Fuck Deluxe", and their finale was prefaced with an emphatic yell of "Ska Orgy!" During this upbeat skank fest, they were accompanied by some Catch 22 and Big D and the Kids Table members. Again, what I got most out of their set was their well-founded hatred of emotional hardcore, as over the years it has certainly depleted the seemingly floundering ska scene of many fans and bands.

Montreal's Planet Smashers didn't impress much. Well, I should clarify: the kids LOVED their fun, comical brand of ska, but I wasn't feeling the charm. Maybe it's because I'm biased: I remember flipping channels one night and hearing this annoyingly poppy song "I Like Your Girl". Not willing to undergo the horrific task of listening to the entire song in order to find out just WHO was behind it, I never knew what band played it, and truthfully, never thought about it again. However, when the band played this, it all came back and I finally put two and two together. And when they asked everyone to sit down on the floor for a while until they would motion us to get up during one song, my cronies at the bar and I defiantly stood our ground, not following their lame shenanigans like the rest of the lemmings. Anyway, some songs they performed were "Life of the Party" from the album of the same name, which I must admit did have a good stomping beat, "Never Going to Drink Again", and the horrifically titled "Super Orgy Porno Party". They ended on "Sk8 or Die" and said they'd be back for Warped Tour. My sentiments aside, it was apparent they were well-received on their first-ever LI stop.

It's nice when a band plays requests, and the speedy ska-punk behemoths Big D and the Kids Table were all about the requests on this night, yielding to intonations of "Jeremy" and playing another song the kids wanted to hear immediately after. Also in this fiery Boston band's repertoire was a Rudiments cover and more originals, including "Evil Girl/Angry Girl", a song dedicated to some dude Randy who apparently was drenched in vocalist Dave McWane's blood, causing the young man to quickly ask Dave if he had AIDS (the answer was a no, if anyone cares!). Someone in the band said Randy deserved a t-shirt, but instead he was treated to this song. Funny stuff. On the whole, Big D played a good set.

Perhaps the greatest incentive to come out for this show was the prospect of seeing Mustard Plug again. Not having seen these Grand Rapids, MI ska kings since '99 (I think) with Catch 22 and the now-defunct Edna's Goldfish and Errortype-11, made me think back to the good old days! The amicable fellas took the stage after a bit of real momentous-sounding music was played while kids chanted "Mustard Plug," immediately tearing into "Not Enough" off their '02 LP Yellow #5, and kept the momentum going through till their final offering, "Beer Song", a number you can't help but sing along to. In between, we heard such greats as the uproarious "Skank by Numbers", which was followed by the slightly more sedate "You", their best song EVER "Mendosa" from '97's Evildoers Beware, and "Lolita". For their penultimate song, they asked us if we wanted to hear either "Box" or "Mr. Smiley" - it was a no brainer: the upbeat and fun "Mr. Smiley" all the way. Hands down, Mustard Plug's undeniably entertaining set was the true highlight of the night.

To the sounds of extremely theatrical music and the inevitable shouts of "Catch 22," the New Jersey six-piece came out, heading straight into an instrumental piece then "What Goes Around Comes Around" from Alone in a Crowd. Newer songs they performed off their latest release entitled Dinosaur Sounds, included the soulful "Motown Cinderella", "Wine Stained Lips", the slower "Chasing the Moon", and the mellow "Good Times", which was thoughtfully dedicated to all the bands on the bill. There was much singing along and arm waving in unison from the crowd for "On and On and On" from their debut Keasbey Nights. At one point during Catch 22's set, they said they wanted to slow things down, but couldn't, realizing the crowd was just going too crazy. Sure, because of this fact they couldn't do what they had intended, but if the crowd's reacting like that, it's always a good sign the band's doing something right. As a result, they decided to do the super-fast, more hardcore "Sounds Good, but I Don't Know" from AIAC. Another song that elicited much action was "9mm and a Three Piece Suit". I actually left after "12341234", and can only guess that that was towards the end of their set, as previous times I've seen them, this was the case. Undoubtedly the fine showmen came back for a couple songs as an encore. Overall, they had good participation from the crowd, a commanding stage presence, and some very, very strong horns - they really sounded great (as usual)!