University of Southern California Dissertations and Theses

How Latino Los Angeles does ska

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How Latino Los Angeles does ska

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Content

How
Latino
Los
Angeles
Does
Ska

By

Jennifer
Velez

A
Thesis
Presented
to
the

FACULTY
OF
THE
USC
GRADUATE
SCHOOL

UNIVERSITY
OF
SOUTHERN
CALIFORNIA

In
Partial
Fulfillment
of
the

Requirement
for
the
Degree

MASTER
OF
ARTS

(SPECIALIZED
JOURNALISM:
THE
ARTS)

December
2014

2

TABLE
OF
CONTENTS

Abstract…………………………………………………………………………………………………………..….3

How
Latino
Los
Angeles
Does
Ska…………………………………………………………..…………….4

References…………………………………………………………………………………………………………18

3

ABSTRACT

Ska
music
originated
in
Jamaica.

After
Jamaica
gained
its
independence
from
British

rule
during
the
early
1960s,
ska
music
was
created
by
several
Jamaican
musicians
to

reflect
a
genuine
Jamaican
cultural
identity.

Ska
music
eventually
migrated
into
the
United
Kingdom
and
fused
with
local
sounds

to
make
“two
tone”,
the
second
wave
of
ska
music.
The
music
migration
didn’t
stop

there,
however.
Ska
also
reached
the
United
States.
American
ska
is
often
associated

with
a
third
wave
of
ska
music.

In
the
United
States,
one
of
the
hubs
for
ska
became
Southern
California.
During
the

late
80s
and
90s,
ska
became
popular
in
areas
like
Orange
County.

Los
Angeles
also

became
a
popular
scene
for
the
music.

In
the
City
of
Angeles
ska
meshed
with
a
latin

influence.
Today
it
is
one
of
the
most
popular
local
musical
sub
cultures
in
the
city

amongst
latino
youth.

How
Latino
Los
Angeles
Does
Ska
explores
the
origins
of
latino
ska
music
in
Los

Angeles
and
journeys
into
how
the
cultural
scene
is
unfolding
today.

4

How
Latino
Los
Angeles
Does
Ska

A
sea
of
bodies
swells
up
and
down
in
front
of
the
stage
at
MacArthur
Park

just
northwest
of
Downtown
Los
Angeles.
The
horns
blare,
the
drummer
hits
the

symbols
and
the
maracas
shake.
The
guitarist
scratches
out
a
bouncy
ska
stroke.

It
is
a
Friday
night
in
the
heart
of
the
city
and
hundreds
of
young
people
have
come

out
for
free
music.
The
ska
kids
are
scattered
everywhere.

On
an
average
day,
Mac
Arthur
Park
is
not
full
of
ska
kids.
Instead,
there
are
eloteros

pushing
corn
on
the
cob,
soccer
matches
that
last
until
sundown,
and
families

sprawled
across
rolling
hills
of
un-‐manicured
green.
Immigrant
laborers
hang
out
in

front
of
the
lake—the
one
that
erupted
in
the
90s
film
Volcano—and
that
is
just
one

reason
why
it’s
become
known
as
a
cultural
hub
for
Latinos—
most
from
Central

America.

They
have
made
the
area
of
the
park
home
to
their
non-‐traditional

businesses
selling
everything
from
food
to
electronics.

On
stage,
Profesor
Galactico
launches
into

“Tell
Me”
as
a
group
of
teens—wearing

the
usual
black,
band-‐tee
and
tight
pants
attire—forms
a
circle.
They
eagerly
wait
to

skank.
Skanking
is
ska’s
dance.
It
is
what
moshing
is
to
punk,
music
embodied.

Swinging
elbows,
weight
shifting
from
one
foot
onto
another,
and
some
swinging
of

the
hips
are
some
of
the
basics
needed
to
pull
off
a
good
skank.
The
teen
ska
kids

circulate
inside
the
pit,
releasing
energy
with
every
crooked
beat
of
the
music.

5

“When
I
first
saw
people
skanking,
I
was
like
what,
what
is
this
dance?”,
Galactico

tells
me
during
an
interview
about
his
latest
EP
(Curiel
2014
1
).

Galactico
was
once
a
ska
kid
himself.
The
dark-‐haired
singer
is
wearing
his
signature

tight
pants,
thick-‐rimmed
glasses,
and
cap.
He
is
pumped.
His
song
is
playing
and
it’s

not
so
long
before
he
begins
to
feel
the
crowd’s
energy.
Soon
enough,
he
is
bouncing

up
and
down
too,
microphone
in
hand.
In
minutes
he
becomes
a
ball
of
energy.

Before
giving
ska
music
a
shot
on
his
own,
Galactico
was
the
drummer
for
LA-‐based

latino
reggae
band
Rocovancoco.
Since
2012
he’s
been
making
his
own
music—
experimenting
with
skacore,
funk,
and
rock.
Tonight,
he
and
many
other
ska
bands

from
around
Los
Angeles
including
La
Resistencia,
veterans
in
the
scene,
give
the

summer
series
a
taste
of
music
rooted
in
Jamaica.
The
music
is
a
mix
of
Caribbean

beats
with
tunes
about
politics
or
lyrics
depicting
what
it
is
like
to
be
young
in
Los

Angeles.
The
songs
are
in
both
Spanish
and
English.
The
Los
Angeles
ska
scene
is

just
what
it
sounds
like—
a
cultural
clashing
of
worlds.

Los
Angeles
may
be
thousands
of
miles
away
from
ska’s
homeland,
but
it

doesn’t
feel
that
way.
The
city
is
a
ska
capital.
Most
shows
take
place
in
its
urban

corners:
East
Los
Angeles,
Watts
and
South
Central
to
name
a
few.
Occasionally,

you’ll
find
a
ska
lineup
at
a
bar
or
Hollywood
venue,
but
nothing
beats
a
homegrown

back
yard
show.

A
backyard
show
can
essentially
be
described
as
a
community

driven
musical
space.
They
are
organized
by
promoters
or
bands
and
are
usually

held
in
a
friend’s
backyard.
Chances
are,
if
you’ve
been
in
the
scene
for
a
while,
you’ll

recognize
many
of
the
faces
at
most
of
these
back
yard
parties.
The
shows
are

intimate
and
anything
goes.
There
are
no
restrictions—they
are
all
ages
and
alcohol

may
or
may
not
be
allowed—it
is
most
likely
snuck
in.
This
amount
of
freedom
also

1

Nicolas
“Profesor
Galactico”
Curiel,
musician.
Interview
with
author,
Kirchoff
Hall

Univeristy
of
Southern
California
September
30,
2013.

6

means
that
sometimes
they
are
not
well
organized.

Bands
may
or
may
not
play
at

their
allotted
time
and
cops
just
might
raid
the
live
music
show.

Ska
music
began
in
urban
neighborhoods
not
much
different
than
the
ones
in
Los

Angeles.
Like
in
the
City
of
Angeles,
ska
music
in
Jamaica
attracted
the
poor-‐working

class
youth.

Ska
lived
in
the
streets
of
Jamaica.
Many
djs
would
bring
their
music
to

neighborhoods
in
Kingston,
Jamaica’s
capital,
and
battle
with
other
djs.
As
Tazy

Phyllipz,
host
of
Ska
Parade
on
Arizona’s
KUKQ,
puts
it—ska
was
Jamaica’s
first

musical
export
as
an
established
country.

During
the
1950s
radio
made
it
possible
for
Jamaican
people
to
listen
to
music
from

American
cities
like
Miami
2
.
Many
of
them
would
tune
in
to
hear
rhythm
and
blues

(R&B).
R&B
would
become
one
of
ska’s
biggest
musical
influences.

Jamaican
musicians
wanted
to
emulate
some
of
the
sound
of
the
rhythm
and
blues,

“but
instead
of
reproducing
a
similar
sound,
ended
up
inverting
the
rhythm”,

Phyllipz
says
as
he
toys
with
a
typical
ska
melody,
rolling
and
tricking
sounds
across

his
tongue
(Phyllipz
2014)
3
.
Ska
actually
got
its
name
when
a
guy
tried
mouthing
the

sound
the
guitar
was
making.
“Play
more
of
that
‘ska,
ska’
“,
Phyllipz
shares
as
he

realizes
that
he
has
just
done
the
same.

This
first
generation
of
ska
was
a
development
of
several
Jamaican
artists
and

entrepreneurs.

Prince
Buster,
a
Jamaican
singer-‐songwriter
and
producer,
was
one

of
them.

Buster
didn’t
just
want
to
listen
to
foreign
sounds.
He
wanted
to
create
a

2

Kevin
O'Brien
Chang
and
Wayne
Chen.
Reggae
Routes:
The
Story
of
Jamaican
Music.

Philadelphia:
Temple
UP,
1998.
Print.

3

Tazy
Phyllipz,
radio
host.
Interview
with
author,
Gina’s
Pizza
and
Pastaria
May
13,

2014.

7

music
Jamaica
could
call
its
own.

Phyllipz
describes
this
original
ska
sound
as
club

ska.

“It
was
like
a
nightclub
thing
out
in
the
street.
All
the
kids
would
come
out
and
dance

and
all
the
djs
would
have
the
hottest
records
from
the
states
and
stuff
like
that,”
he

says.

“Then
they
decided
to
start
their
own
studios
so
they
would
get
a
back
band
you

know,
like
the
hottest
musicians
and
then
they
would
find
different
singers
or

vocalists
to
come
in
and
cut
songs
and
that’s
how
everything
sort
of
happened.”

Ska
became
infectious
in
the
country.
Soon
it
began
to
travel
across
borders
into

other
places.
By
the
late
1970s,
ska
reached
the
U.K.—more
specifically
the
English

town
of
Coventry.
This
is
not
all
that
surprising
considering
the
colonial
relationship

between
Jamaica
and
the
UK.

Music
is
often
one
of
the
things
from
home
one
can

easily
take
anywhere
so
many
Jamaican
immigrants,
who
settled
in
England,
took

their
music
with
them.

In
Ska’d
For
Life:
A
Personal
Journey
With
The
Specials
,
Horace
Panter,
bassist
of
The

Specials,
talks
about
the
affects
ska
music
had
on
the
U.K.
He
writes
“…the
sound

soon
traveled
to
England,
where
it
took
the
‘blues
dance’—a
kind
of
house
party

affair—by
storm”
4

Here
ska
took
a
bit
of
a
transformation.
It
adapted
a
faster
tempo
and
began
to
be

meshed
with
English
sounds,
like
punk.
Ska
in
the
U.K.
is
highly
associated
with
The

Specials,
who
began
to
call
the
English
ska
sounds
“two
tone”
after
their
music
label,

Two
Tone.

4

Horace
Panter,
Ska’d
For
Life:
A
Personal
Journey
With
The
Specials
(
London

Panmacmillan),
61

8

Panter
writes,
“Musically
it
meant
our
punky
tunes
could
still
be
played
fast,
but

with
a
swing
that
made
them
eminently
more
danceable—like
our
reggae
stuff—
and
we
looked
like
a
sixties-‐type
soul
revue.
The
whole
thing
was
becoming
a
lot

more
cohesive”
5
.

Bands
like
The
Specials
used
ska
as
a
political
vehicle
for
the
unision
of
a
racially

diverse
English
society—there
was
much
tension
between
black
and
white

communities
in
the
country.

Racial
tensions
were
fueled
partly
because
of
the
racist
and
classist
politics
that

were
present
during
Margaret
Thatcher’s
term
as
prime
minister.
Thatcher’s
rule

framed
immigrants
as
a
threat
to
national
British
identity.
Professor
of
film
at

Aberystwyth
University
Martin
Barker
describes
these
ideologies
as
“new
racism”

6
.

Thatcher
was
in
office
until
the
90s.

In
the
United
states,
the
80s
welcomed
a
resurgence
in
ska—
incorporating

some
of
the
traditional
ska
sounds
with
punk
and
more
pop
influences
in
the
states

hitting
places
like
California.
In
California,
Orange
County
became
a
center
for
the

genre
hosting
concerts
and
other
events.
Out
of
Southern
California
came
bands
like

Sublime,
No
Doubt,
Reel
Big
Fish
and
Fishbone.
Phyllipz
coined
this
ska
rebirth
“the

third
wave
(Phyllipz
2014
7
).”

Phyllipz
is
an
unofficial
ska
historian—he’s
the
reason
why
Sublime
and
No
Doubt

play
on
L.A.’
s
renowned
commercial
music
station,
KROQ.
During
his
college
years

at
UC
Irvine,
he
worked
at
the
college
radio
station,
KUCI.
The
station
would
become

5

Horace
Panter,
Ska’d
For
Life:
A
Personal
Journey
With
The
Specials
(
London

Panmacmillan),
62

6

"New Racism." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 06 Feb. 2014. Web. 26 Aug. 2014.

7

Tazy
Phyllipz,
Radio
host.
Interview
with
author,
Gina’s
Pizza
and
Pastaria
May
13,

2014.

9

the
home
to
his
show
called
Ska
Parade—which
featured
the
rising
ska
scene
in

Orange
County.
After
getting
approached
by
a
KROQ
dj
at
one
of
his
gigs,
Phyllipz

joined
the
promotions
department.
It
was
there
that
the
radio
station
heard
Sublime

and
asked
Phyllipz
to
procure
a
studio
version
of
one
of
their
songs.
Not
so
long

after,
KROQ
asked
Phyllipz
for
a
similar
sound
and
he
introduced
them
to
No
Doubt.

Wearing
a
black
cap,
a
long-‐sleeve
and
a
smile
that
rarely
leaves
his
face,
Phyllipz
is

someone
who

has
seen
ska’s
growth
throughout
the
years.
He
describes
the
Orange

County
scene
as
very
similar
to
the
current
ska
scene
in
Los
Angeles.

Phyllipz
first

experienced
the
LA
scene
during
a
skafest
in
Watts,
an
area
of
South
Los
Angeles.

“It
reminded
me
completely
of
what
was
going
on
in
Orange
County
like
10
years

prior,
except
it
was
all
the
ska
en
español
bands”
he
says.

The
current
Los
Angeles
ska
scene
isn’t
just
about
the
music.
Like
two
tone,
some
of

the
music
is
full
of
political
messages.
Songs
like
“Resiste”
by
La
Resistencia
and

“Cuidad
Tranvia”
by
Raskahuele
–
two
of
the
city’s
most
popular
ska
groups
–
speak

of
resisting
oppression
and
racial
profiling,
issues
that
affect
many
of
the

communities
that
these
ska
kids
come
from.

“Resiste”
by
La
Resistencia
has
become
like
an
anthem
to
many
followers.
It
says:

“Y
cuando
salgas
a
la
calle
con
en
el
puño
bien
en
alto

No
importa
el
camino,
sobrevive….vive..existe…sigue…Resiste

…Y
cuando
salgas
a
la
calle
con
la
voz
en
alto

La
musica
como
arma”

“And
when
you
go
out
on
the
streets
with
a
your
fist
held
up
high

No
matter
what
journey,
survive…live…exist…go
on…resist

…And
when
you
go
to
the
streets
shouting

10

Using
music
as
a
weapon”

“Resiste”
tells
youth
not
give
up
no
matter
what
their
situation.
Surviving
is
key
and

music
is
a
tool
for
that
survival.

“There’s
bands
like
la
Resistencia
Rocovancoco,
La
Banda
Skalavera,
Raskahuele,
if

not
extreme
a
little
politically
involved.
It
influences
these
kids
to
be

revolutionaries,”
said
Esteban
Flores
who
has
played
with
many
ska
bands
including

Matamoska,
South
Central
Skankers,
and
Café
Con
Tequila
(Flores
2014
8
).

Flores
started
off
going
to
local
shows
as
a
teen
and
was
soon
a
promoter
for
shows

around
L.A.

“I
like
it
because
it
gives
kids
the
drive
to
change”,
he
says.

Ska
represents
a
part
of
Los
Angeles
that
is
often
overshadowed
by
the
glamour
of

Hollywood,
sunny
beaches,
tan
lines
and
other
tropes
about
the
city
that
play
to

outsider’s
notions
and
urban
lore
of
anti-‐intellectualism
and
cultural
void.
Ska

recognizes
that
not
everyone
lives
in
Beverly
Hills
or
wants
to
become
an
actor.

Los
Angeles
is
also
home
to
immigrants
with
roots
from
all
over
the
world—a

majority
being
from
Mexico
and
Central
America.

Migrations
patterns
increased
due
to
the
Nationality
Act
of
1965,
also
known
as
the

Hart-‐Cellar
Act.
This
immigration
policy
allowed
some
family
of
U.S.

citizens
and

permanent
residents
to
enter
the
United
States
legally.
The
U.S.
government
set

quotas
on
how
many
immigrants
would
be
able
to
enter
and
although
only
120,000

visas
were
allotted
to
immigrants
from
the
western
hemisphere,
Latinos—along

with
Asians—
became
one
of
the
populations
that
increased
during
this
time

8

Esteban
Flores,
musician.
Interview
with
author,
Starbucks
March
12,
2014.

11

period
9
.
This
act
elevated
the
number
of
Latinos
from
3%
before
the
1920s
to
43%

from
1980-‐1993.
10
.

Los
Angeles’s

migration
patterns
have
influenced
its
demographics
through
out
its

history.
Los
Angeles
is
a
city
defined
by
race
and
space.
“In
1907,
an
early
president

of
the
University
of
Southern
California
believed
Los
Angeles
was
destined
to

become
a
center
for
Aryan
supremacy,”
states
Eric
Avila,
Associate
Professor
of

History
and
Chicano
Studies
at
the
University
of
California,
Los
Angeles
11
.

After
WWII,
Los
Angeles
thrived
economically.
Avila
writes
about
a
suburban
vision

for
the
development
of
Los
Angeles
post
the
war.

New
structural
designs

aimed
to

build
residential
resources
that
catered
to
white
upper,
middle
class
citizens.
As

Avila
explains,
such
creations
during
the
late
1950s
and
early
1960s
like
Disneyland,

that
provided
a
sense
of
a
secure
environment
for
its
guests,
and
the
Dodger

stadium,
a
center
of
family
entertainment,
represented
initiatives
to
turn
Los

Angeles
into
a
space
in
which
people
could
establish
an
“American
lifestyle”
and

form
a
nuclear
family.

Some
of
these
initiatives
were
at
the
cost
of
poor-‐working
class
communities
of

color,
who
were
pushed
out,
as
in
the
case
of
the
Chavez
Ravine
community,
which

housed
a
great
Mexican
population
before
becoming
demolished
to
create
the

stadium.

The
stadium
literally
represented
a
kind
of
erasure.

It
was
clear
that
Los
Angeles
was
being
engineered
primarily
by
whites
to
represent

a
sense
of
whiteness
and
privilege.
Even
urban
infrastructures
like
freeways
made
it

9

"Three Decades of Mass Immigration: The Legacy of the 1965 Immigration Act."
Center for Immigration Studies. N.p., Sept. 1995. Web. 26 Aug. 2014.

10

"Three Decades of Mass Immigration: The Legacy of the 1965 Immigration Act."
Center for Immigration Studies. N.p., Sept. 1995. Web. 26 Aug. 2014.

11

Eric
Avila,
Popular Culture in the Age of White Flight: Fear and Fantasy in Suburban
Los Angeles (Berkeley: U of California, 2004), 22.

12

easier
to
forget
that
urban
neighborhoods
and
poverty
existed,
because
people

could
just
drive
over
them.
The
rising
popularity
of
the
automobile
resulted
in
a

culture
that
furthered
people
from
contact
with
urban
places.

The
most
dramatic
shift
in
population
came
after
the
mid
60s
with
the
huge
influx
of

Latino
and
Asian
migrants.
However,
migration
of
African-‐Americans
into
Los

Angeles
had
begun
earlier.
These
migration
patterns
caused
an
increase
of
people
of

color
and
of
residents
with
a
lower
class
status.

Racial
violence
emerged
in
urban
neighborhoods
like
Watts,
a
predominantly
black

community
during
the
mid
60s,
due
to
residential
segregation—African-‐Americans

and
Latino/as
were
restricted
from
purchasing
homes
in
certain
areas—and
police

discriminatio.

Events
like
the
Watts
riots
revealed
existing
tension
amongst
white

communities
and
people
of
color.
Consequently
white
populations
began
to
move

out
of
the
greater
Los
Angeles
area
into
surrounding
areas.

As
these
shifts
occurred
after
the
mid
60s,
Latinos
began
to
create
communities
in

areas
that
were
once
inhabited
by
a
white
population.
Some
of
these
areas
today
are

known
as
Southeast
Los
Angeles
and
include
neighborhoods
like
Huntington
Park

and
Southgate—neighborhoods
that
are
also
home
to
some
of
LA’s
skas
most
loyal

followers.

Profesor
Galactico
was
raised
outside
of
Huntington
Park,
in
an
area
known
as

Watts.
Watts—a
historically
black
community—has
slowly
become
less
inhabited
by

African
Americans
and
more
by
Latinos.

According
to
the
Los
Angeles
Times,
Watts

is
now
61.6%
Latino
and
37.1%
African
American
12
.

Galactico
attended
the
neighboring
Huntington
Park
High
School
where
he
had
his

first
encounter
with
the
music
he
now
plays.

Off
stage
Galactico’s
energy
isn’t
much

different.
He
is
animated
and
a
jokester,
but
still
manages
to
give
off
a
chill
vibe.
He

12

"Watts." Mapping L.A. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Aug. 2014.

13

nostalgically
tells
me
about
his
first
time
hearing
ska
and
a
huge
smile
breaks
out.
It

was
at
ska
show
held
at
the
high
school
and
the
band
was
Chencha
Berinches.

If
you
ask
any
other
L.A.
ska
musician
what
Latino
ska
band
they
heard
first,
chances

are
they’ll
also
bring
up
Chencha
Berinches.
The
band
formed
in
the
late
90s
in
Los

Angeles
and
is
a
sonic
fusion
of
cumbia,
rock,
and
ska.

For
many
ska
artsists
in
the

area,
they
are
known
to
be
some
of
the
godfathers
of
the
Latino
ska
scene.
They

along
with
bands
like
La
Resistencia,
and
Viernes
13
were
among
some
of
the

earliest
bands
to
be
signing
in
Spanish.

“The
current
ska
scene
in
LA,
and
I
think
I
can
name
names,
is
because
of
Javier

Oveido,
the
first
Chencha
Berinches
singer,”
Don
Diavlo
drummer
for
the
band
told

me
through
a
phone
interview
in
Spanish
(Ramos
2014
13
).
After
family
trips
to

Mexico,

Oviedo
would
bring
back
cassettes
from
Mexico
to
sell
at
his
music
store
in

Los
Angeles.

“This
was
in
‘95,
‘96.
That’s
where
we
got
our
influence
from.
We
really
liked
the

sound
of
the
bands
he
was
bringing
in
those
cassettes…especially
bands
like
Sekta

Core
and
Malditia
Vencidad,”
said
the
long-‐bearded,
tattooed
drummer

The
Los
Angeles
ska
sound
is
a
mesh
of
genres
like
punk
and
hardcore,
but
it
has
a

distinct
Latino
alternative
twist.
The
influence
of
Mexican
ska
and
rock
en
Español
is

at
the
heart
of
the
music.
Not
hearing
Spanish
at
a
show
today
is
highly
unlikely.

Nowadays
musicians,
like
Galactico,
even
use
Spanglish.

“Everyone
knows
their
Panteons
and
their
Tijuanas
and
their
Sekta
Cores
and
you

know
I
think
at
the
end
of
the
day
everyone
is
influenced
by
the
same
bands”
said

13

Armando
“Don
Diavlo”
Ramos,
musician.
Interview
with
author
via
phone
April
6,

2014.

14

Azael
Hernandez
saxophone
player
for
La
Pobreska
and
promoter
for
Concrete

Jungle,
an
LA
based
ska
promotion
company
(Hernandez
2014
14
).

Panteon
Rococo,
Tijuana
No,
and
Sekta
Core
being
all
ska
bands
from
Mexico.

Having
the
U.S.
and
Mexico
so
close
to
each
other,
the
musical
migration
of
Mexican

Ska
into
Los
Angeles
seems
almost
natural,
right?

This
cultural
connection
to
Latinidad
goes
back
even
further
than
this
musical

migration,
however.
During
the
creation
of
ska
music,
Jamaicans
were
being

influenced
from
American
music
as
much
as
they
were
being
influenced
by
Afro

Latino
music.
Being
so
close
to
other
islands
Jamaicans
also
were
exposed
to
other

sounds
from
the
Caribbean,
including
Cuba.

In
fact,
Caribbean
Beat
Magazine
calls

Cuba
the
birthplace
of
many
Jamaican
ska
artists
including
Roland
Alfonso
of
The

Skatalites
15
.

“The
thing
about
it,
one
of
the
key
aspects
of
when
the
originals
Jamaicans
were

putting
together
the
music,
say
like
the
Skatalites,
I
mean
there
was
a
major
Afro-‐
cuban,
Mexican
influence
with
the
music”,
Tazy
Phyllipz
said.
“Ska
has
a
lot
of
cross

over
with
the
Mexican
styles
so
its
very
easy
for
the
culture
to
accept
that
and

embrace
that.”
(Phyllipz
2014
16
)

Like
ska,
there
are
different
types
of
cumbia.
Traditional
Mexican
cumbia
has
a

slower
tempo
than
cumbia
from
Colombia,
where
it
was
born.
Most
of
the
kids
at

ska
shows
might
only
be
caught
listening
to
cumbia
at
a
family
party.

14

Azael
Hernandez,
musician.
Interview
with
author,
Tierra
Mia
Coffee
March
20,

2014.

15

David Katz, "Do the Cubans Do Reggae?" Caribbean Beat Magazine. N.p., n.d. Web.
26 Aug. 2014.

16

Tazy
Phyllipz,
radio
host.
Interview
with
author,
Gina’s
Pizza
and
Pastaria
May
13,

2014.

15

“If
you
listen
to
ska,
it
sounds
very
similar
to
cumbias,
a
ranchera,
it
is
similar
to
our

music
that
we
bring
from
our
small
towns
in
Mexico,
that’s
why
ska
is
so
important

to
me”,
Don
Diavlo
shared
(Diavlo
2014
17
).

It
seems
to
be
that
other
young
Latinos
also
strongly
resonate
with
the
music.

Usually
traveling
in
packs
to
shows,
the
music
goers
embody
an
urban
rock’
n
roll

aesthetic.
Being
influenced
from
other
music
such
as
punk
and
even
rockabilly,
they

tend
to
wear
the
tight
pants,
chuck
or
vans,
band
tee,
black
clothing
look.

The
ska

scene
is
not
to
be
confused
with
these
other
two
musical
cultures,
even
if
similar

garb
inhabit
the
three
scenes,
ska
stands
on
its
own.

In
the
historic
Mariachi
plaza
in
Boyle
Heights,
a
17-‐year-‐old
girl
who
rocks
a
punk

look—tight
clothing
patched
up
in
bands
names-‐-‐
patiently
waits
for
Profesor

Galactico
to
play
another
ska
show.
18

“I’m
in
love
with
the
beat
and
bands
that
just
nothing
really
goes
wrong
like
there’s

no
one
arguing,
no
one
like
getting
all
heavily
wasted…
it’s
like
a
really
chill
vibe
for

everyone,”
she
told
me.

Despite
the
odd
looks
they
might
get
from
outsiders
for
their
rebellious
style,
these

youth
come
out
to
the
shows
for
the
happy,
up
beat
rhythm
of
ska
music.

“You
can’t
really
get
upset
when
you’re
here
that
beat
you’re
happy
you
go
for
it
and

you
just
have
a
good
time,”
she
said.

The
ska
scene
has
become
a
community
for
a
lot
of
teens
who
look
forward
to
seeing

their
favorite
local
acts
live.
Youth
like
Melanie
feel
like
they
can
be
themselves
with

17

Armando
“Don
Diavlo”
Ramos,
musician.
Interview
with
author
via
phone
April
6,

2014.

18

Interview
with
17-‐year-‐old
girl
at
ska
show
in
Mariachi
Plaza
March
23,
2014.

16

other
music
goers.
No
matter
what
their
personal
situation
is,
they
come
to
get
lost

in
the
music—and
the
skanking.
Ska
is
an
after
school
activity
and
a
place
of

unification
for
friends
that
live
far
from
each
other.

“I
think
it
has
become
a
community,
even
with
the
bands.
A
lot
of
bands
work
well

together
like
they
have
the
Los
Angeles
Collective
with
The
Paranoia’s,

Professor

Galactico,
Ekolekua
like
they
help
each
other
they
work
together
and
they
know

each
other
and
its
like

that’s
what
makes
it
a
whole,”
said
Hector
Rivera
of

Matamoska
and
Mafia
Rusa
(Rivera
2014)
19
.

Many
of
the
musicians
themselves
started
off
in
the
pits,
skanking
to
their
favorite

ska
artists.
Musicians
like
Esteban
Flores,
Hector
Rivera,
Josie
Quintanilla
of
the

South
Central
Skankers
were
all
fans
and
now
play
with
some
of
the
bands
the

looked
up
to
as
teens.
This
is
the
kind
of
scene
that
ska
is.
One
day
you
can
be

watching
in
front
of
the
stage
and
another
day
you
can
be
performing
on
it.

While
there
is
a
significant
age
difference
between
most
of
the
performers
and
the

audience
member—15
to
18-‐years
–olds
are
the
dominant
age
group
at
shows
-‐-‐

some
attribute
ska
as
a
“young
scene.”
You
either
end
up
starting
a
band
or
move
on

to
other
21
and
over
music
activities.
However,
others
don’t
mind
being
around

such
a
young
crowd.

“I
don’t
really
care,
I
feel
like
it’s
the
music
that
draws
us
to
it.
It’s
not
an
age
thing.
A

lot
of
people
say,
“Oh
I
grow
out
of
it.”
You’re

probably
in
it
just
to
be
cool.
It’s
not
a

bandwagon.

It’s
something
you
feel.,,that’s
why
I
still
come
to
the
shows,”
said
a
25-‐
year-‐old
who
shifted
into
the
ska
scene
after
feeling
like
the
punk
scene
was
dying
20
.

The
scene
may
not
always
function
perfectly,
shows
may
get
raided,
other
shows

might
be
across
town
and
too
far
for
some
usual
concerts
goers
or
the
shows
may

19

Hector
Rivera,
musician.
Interview
with
author,
Tierra
Mia
Coffee
March
26,
2014.

20

Interview
with
25-‐year-‐old
at
ska
show
in
Mariachi
Plaza
March
23,
2014.

17

only
allow
21
and
over
fans.
Despite
the
challenges
many
of
the
musicians
are

hopeful
that
the
scene
will
only
continue
to
grow
.

“To
me
it
was
like
I
could
have
a
good
time
going
to
these
shows.

It’s
the
same
thing

as
going
to
watch
the
Red
Hot
Chilli
Peppers
or
a
big
band
like
that,
as
long
as
you

can
relate
to
the
music
which
nowadays
a
lot
of
people
can
relate
to
cause
there’s
all

these
experiences
being
placed,
”
Galactico
says
(Galactico
2014
21
).

Whatever
the
reason
a
15-‐teen-‐year-‐old
or
a
25-‐year-‐old
has
to
go
to
a
ska
show,

the
LA
ska
scene
is
continuing
many
aspects
of
the
traditional
ska
before
it.
While
it

may
be
political
to
some
or
just
a
good
time
for
others,
it
says
something
about
Los

Angeles.
The
music’s
infectious
cultural
beats,
political
messages,
and
good
times

themes
keeps
the
urban
streets
of
Los
Angeles
alive
with
a
musical
beat
of
its
own.

21

Nicolas
“Profesor
Galactico”
Curiel,
musician.
Interview
with
author,
Kirchoff
Hall

Univeristy
of
Southern
California
September
30,
2013.

18

REFERENCES

Avila,
Eric.

Popular Culture in the Age of White Flight: Fear and Fantasy in Suburban
Los Angeles. Berkeley: U of California, 200, P22.
Curiel,
Nicolas
“Profesor
Galactico”,
musician.
Interview
with
author,
Kirchoff
Hall

Univeristy
of
Southern
California
September
30,
2013

Flores,
Esteban,
musician.
Interview
with
author,
Starbucks
March
12,
2014.

Interview
with
25-‐year-‐old
at
ska
show
in
Mariachi
Plaza
March
23,
2014.

Interview
with
17-‐year-‐old
girl
at
ska
show
in
Mariachi
Plaza
March
23,
2014.

Katz, David. "Do the Cubans Do Reggae?" Caribbean Beat Magazine. N.p., n.d. Web. 26
Aug. 2014.
Panter,
Horace.
Ska’d
For
Life:
A
Personal
Journey
With
The
Specials.

London

Panmacmillan.

Ramos,
Armando
“Don
Diavlo”,
musician.
Interview
with
author
via
phone
April
6,

2014.

Rivera,
Hector,
musician.
Interview
with
author,
Tierra
Mia
Coffee
March
26,
2014.

"Three Decades of Mass Immigration: The Legacy of the 1965 Immigration Act." Center
for Immigration Studies. N.p., Sept. 1995. Web. 26 Aug. 2014.

"Watts." Mapping L.A. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Aug. 2014.

Abstract (if available)

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Asset Metadata

Creator Velez, Jennifer (author)

Core Title How Latino Los Angeles does ska

School Annenberg School for Communication

Degree Master of Arts

Degree Program Specialized Journalism (The Arts)

Publication Date 09/22/2014

Defense Date 09/20/2014

Publisher University of Southern California (original), University of Southern California. Libraries (digital)

Tag bicultural,bilingual,community,culture,expression,Latino,Latino America,music,OAI-PMH Harvest,ska,subculture,youth

Place Name California (states), Los Angeles (cities), Los Angeles County (counties), Mexico (countries), North America (continents), Orange County (California) (counties), USA (countries)

Format application/pdf (imt)

Language English

Contributor Electronically uploaded by the author (provenance)

Advisor Kun, Joshua D. (committee chair), Anawalt, Sasha (committee member), Tongson, Karen (committee member)

Creator Email velezj@usc.edu,velezjenn@gmail.com

Permanent Link (DOI) https://doi.org/10.25549/usctheses-c3-481541

Unique identifier UC11287877

Identifier etd-VelezJenni-2970.pdf (filename),usctheses-c3-481541 (legacy record id)

Legacy Identifier etd-VelezJenni-2970.pdf

Dmrecord 481541

Document Type Thesis

Format application/pdf (imt)

Rights Velez, Jennifer

Type texts

Source University of Southern California (contributing entity), University of Southern California Dissertations and Theses (collection)

Access Conditions The author retains rights to his/her dissertation, thesis or other graduate work according to U.S. copyright law. Electronic access is being provided by the USC Libraries in agreement with the a...

Repository Name University of Southern California Digital Library

Repository Location USC Digital Library, University of Southern California, University Park Campus MC 2810, 3434 South Grand Avenue, 2nd Floor, Los Angeles, California 90089-2810, USA