Here at Cornell, there exists a band for the “rude boys” and “rude girls” who so desire that funk in their lives. If you weren’t aware, this university is the home of the Skinks & Skanks, a ska band founded in 2023 by a couple of guys looking to live a little. I had the opportunity to sit down and talk with a couple of members about the band, but it would be rude (pun intended) not to shout out the members beforehand. In no particular order, we have Aidan Kljucanin ’26 on the guitar, Bryan Alvarado ’28 on the alto saxophone, Derek Thompson ’26 on the mellophone, Jeph Owsusu ’25 with the vocals, Rilo Oberg ’26 on the drums, Shania Cabrera ’24 on the keyboard, Yehyun Choi ’27 on the trombone, Josh Williams ’26 on the tenor saxophone, Nicole Hao ’26 on the bass and Eduardo Novoa-Lugo ’24 on the auxiliary percussion.
I spoke with Williams and Alvarado about the band. Williams described himself as the frontman, as he is the founder, as well as “Cornell linguistics strongest soldier.” I started off with some important questions. Some questions and answers are edited for clarity.
Caidan Pilarski: What exactly is ska?
Josh Williams: Ska is a musical genre originating from Jamaica in the 1950s. It’s really a fusion of American rock‘n’ roll with some older music like Calypso. Ska moved around where the Jamaican diaspora moved around. In the business, we call the ’50s Jamaican ska scene the first wave of ska, and then once Jamaican migrants started moving to the United Kingdom in the late ’60s and 70s, they brought ska with them, and there was a fusion of the ska sound and the early beginnings of the punk sound in England, and this is the second wave of ska, also known as two-tone. That two-tone music was then disseminated into America and that inspired bands like Operation Ivy to start the third wave of ska in America which then spiraled off into a whole load of scenes internationally. … Do you know reggae? Imagine that but really fast and with a trumpet. That is the most apt description of the sound.
CP: What is the band’s particular genre?
JW: I feel like there is a continuum from pure ska to ska punk…we are closer to the pure ska angle with just a little bit of a modern twist… think Mighty Mighty Bosstones, with a little more of a classic twist. I would also include Sublime as a little bit of that mix. [We do] a lot of Weezer covers.
CP: How was the band founded?
JW: It all started back in Fall 2023, actually, when I started listening to a lot of The Aquabats and I kept talking to my friend and former manager, Ben Shapiro, about ska and ska culture. Someone told him “If you like ska so much why don’t you start your own band,” and he said “You know what, yeah!” He made a flyer and put it up and got zero applicants, but eventually recruited various people...everyone else got snowballed into it.
Bryan Alvarado: So obviously, I'm a freshman. … I got roped into the band through marching band rehearsals. … Josh went up to freshmen and asked them “Hey, do you like ska” and asked if they’d be willing to join the Skinks & Skanks. … Last semester something happened, he said to just come to rehearsal and fill in (for someone who wasn’t there). ... I did that and actually had a lot of fun so I decided to join right then and there.
CP: What do you think Skinks & Skanks brings to the community at Cornell?
JW: As far as I know, I’ve never heard of another ska group on campus. I don’t know how many people on campus would be interested in reviving ska, most of the band members I recruited didn’t even know what ska was. I think ska is a genre that’s really about bringing people together and playing fun music, ya know. It’s the most fun music in my book.
BA: It’s also really easy to express yourself.
CP: What are some long-term goals of the band?
JW: This year, we did apply for the Big Red Battle of the Bands. … may or may not be posted to the Instagram. … as of today, literally twenty minutes ago. … We didn't make it to the final four. … I still feel like we’re kind of pushing to go for the Battle of the Bands now, but I just wanted to have a final goal for last semester, to have a really good performance, ya know.
BA: We didn’t really have any performances outside of the JAM open mic nights. Battle of the Bands made us a much stronger performative group, it gave us something to work towards. Another important goal is that we are trying to get into at least one house show.
JW: A gig of some sort, something that’s outside of JAM.
CP: What do you look for in band members?
JW: I always, for the ones that I recruited very directly, I kept it intentionally really vague. If their gut reaction was a yes, then they were pretty much in, even if they didn’t know what ska was, I was looking for a willingness to try something new. … I already know ska is a niche genre, and I didn't really expect anyone to be a real “rude boy.”
CP: What do you look for in an audience?
JW: If you're open to moving your body and dancing a little, get a little silly.
BA: Get a lot of silly.
JW: Even when it is serious you can’t take yourself too seriously.
BA: That connects to the times of the insurgence of ska. … Ska generally comes up when people are going through hard times. … Mostly focusing on being fun to play and energetic to play, as a distraction from day-to-day life.
CP: Where and when is your next appearance?
JW: Feb. 23rd, Valentine’s Open Mic at JAM, starts at 7 pm. Bring your boo.
CP: Any other comments?
BA: I didn't know what ska was before joining, but just how fun it was made me stick around. … I've used this band as an outlet a lot, it's just a generally fun thing to do.
JW: Let ska into your hearts, let the Skinks & Skanks into your home.
Caidan Pilarski is a senior in the College of Arts and Sciences. He can be reached at cpilarski@cornellsun.com.
