Do the Pod Kung Fu Checkerheads! Checkered Past is diving into dark ages Canadian Ska darlings, The Salads! Rob and Engineer Joey kick off with a quick talk on video games and U-hauls before digging deep on this fascinating success story of a musical group from their funk-metal-ska beginnings to their crunchy party records to their final, laid-back era. Put this pod in your ears if you're feeling alright! CP/SC will be performing LIVE at SPI Fest 2 in Connecticut May 17-18! Tix at...

The Ska'd-venture begins on another CPSC Dungeons and Dragons Realplay! Rob, Celine and Joey take their erstwhile band and characters to see their favourite musician perform when something unexpected thrusts them into adventure. There's flying imps, devils and maybe even a bong. How will Whydthey, Large-oh and Xena ever survive? Go back and listen to episode 0 to get all the background you need! CP/SC will be performing LIVE at SPI Fest 2 in Connecticut May 17-18! Tix at...

Anata mo watashi mo POCKY! Checkered Past is digging in on the international Dark Ages Ska hit, OreSkaBand! To help, they welcome their Skassociate Producer and label magnate, Chris Reeves of Ska Punk International! Chris talks a bit about sports before going through whats new with the label and what people can expect from SPI Fest 2. Then, Rob, Celine, Joey and Chris dig in on OreSkaBand from their bubblegum teen beginnings to their arena rock superstardom to their highly experimental, yet...

CP/SC is selling out! Rob, Celine and Joey do a Dungeons and Dragons real play with friend and theme song creator, Keelan as Dungeon Master. In this, the session 0, the CP/SC crew craft their characters, delve into the world and do a first draft encounter in preparation for their first full adventure! It's  DnD with a Ska twist! Tune in April 30 and May 7 to hear Parts 1 and 2! CP/SC will be performing LIVE at SPI Fest 2 in Connecticut May 17-18! Tix at www.spifest.org Hosts: Celine, Rob...

Hope you didn't skip leg day cause its about to get heavy! CP/SC heads to the clam pizza capital of the world to dig in on cult darlings, The Flaming Tsunamis. To help discuss, they welcome back third timer Chris Ruckus and to talk about his new anime/ska/metal group Mutiny. First they catch up with a discussion on The Jinx, the Station Fire and what Chris has been doing since his last appearance. Then, Rob, Celine, Joey and their guest breakdown the entire TFT discography from their hard to...

Gay Rude Boys Unite as CP/SC digs in on the impassioned micro-genre of Crack Rock Steady. Rob, Engineer Joey and Editor Arianne open up the episode with a quick check in before diving in to the scene thats all about ACAB, recreational drug use, mental health and communal living. They go through the genres history from its origins with Choking Victim/Leftover Crack to the various side projects born of them to the many bands influenced by them. They also get in to the complexities of the scene,...

The Two Tone-ament concludes with the semi-finals and finals! The greatest Two Tone records single is crowned with Rob, Engineer Joey and first time guest Eevie Echoes! First, Eevie recounts her Checkered Past, the impetus of her new band The Locations and her history with Two Tone Ska. Then, the trio eliminate songs until they crown the ultimate victor! BONUS: The Checkered Rob Invitational plus a wild card entry and another round of Skarmen Skandiego! CP/SC will be performing LIVE at SPI...

The Two Tone-ament nears its inevitable conclusion with the penultimate episode! This week we invite Andy B of Andy B and the World (plus so many other UK Ska-Punk projects). Andy talks about his Checkered Past, skate punk and morning routines before digging into the next 4 matchups. The CP/SC crew advances the quarterfinals before capping off with a game of Skarmen Skandiego based on the book The Two Tone Story. CP/SC will be performing LIVE at SPI Fest 2 in Connecticut May 17-18! Tix at...

The Two Tone-ament continues as the CPSC progresses the second round of the bracket to determine the greatest 2 Tone Single of all time! To help, they bring along fan favourite guest Esteban Flores of Matamoska, Catbite and Out of Control Army! Esteban catches the crew up on what he's been working on, new fatherhood and upcoming festivals before diving into the next 8 matchups, eliminating half the songs along the way. CP/SC will be performing LIVE at SPI Fest 2 in Connecticut May 17-18! Tix...

The Two Tone-ament continues with the second half of Part 1! In this episode the CP/SC crew eliminate another 8 songs from the bracket in an effort to crown the greatest Two Tone Single of all time! First they do more BookTalk before delving into the match-ups all while discussing whether or not the winning song need to be Ska at all! Tune in on all March long to see the tournament continue! Hosts: Celine, Rob and Joey Engineer: Joey Editor: Cutman Skassociate Producer: Chris Reeves of Ska...

Madness March is BACK and this time CP/SC is going to determine the greatest Two Tone Records single of all time! In Round 1 Part 1, Robby Radiation, Celynval Golding and Joey Dammers pit the first 16 singles in head to head battle to lead into Round 2. They also ask the immortal question... does it have to be Ska to win? Tune in all March long to see how the tournament progresses! The bracket is at www.challonge.com/madnessmarch2024 Hosts: Celine, Rob and Joey Engineer: Joey Editor:...

Why DON'T you play some Ska? Checkered Past presents their third ska primer, this time heading across the pond to explore Ska in the UK from 1998 to 2020. Rob and Engineer Joey chat a bit about movies and AI before delving into the UK's storied history with Ska after Two Tone from the street level Ska Punk of Citizen Fish and Capdown to the dub/reggae /hip hop vibes of King Prawn to the cheeky ladiness of [spunge] and all the bands they influenced along the way. Check out the Canadian Ska...

Melodica Gang rise up! Checkered Past's favorite guest, Common Sense Kid is back and this time he isn't on a bracket! So in order to celebrate this momentous occasion he sets his sights on one of the most influential Ska Punk bands of the UK, Capdown! There is lots of talk about beans, CSK's performance on the 2023 Best Ofs, and where he's at in his music journey. Then, the foursome dig in on the brief career of Capdown from their humble beginnings to their indie ska-punk hits to their final,...

It's that time of year again... Madness March! Every year Checkered Past runs a bracket of 32 songs eliminating each until a winner is crowned. The pre-show is all about the side projects, solo projects and other hustles associated with the subject of the bracket. What is the theme for 2024? You will have to listen to this episode to find out! Hosts: Celine, Rob and Joey Engineer: Joey Editor: Joey Skassociate Producer: Chris Reeves of Ska Punk International NEW Yum Yum More Ska merch:...

It's the debut of a new Checkered Past spinoff podcast, PowerPod! Rob of the CP/SC crew welcomes Edmonton musician and singer-songwriter, Maz as his co-host to begin a multi-part history of an infamous musical genre: Power Metal! In the first episode, they go through the history of hard rock and heavy metal and how it eventually shaped into what we now know as Power Metal by the end of the 80s. Keep It True! Make sure to check out Celine and Maz's new band Femmes Voyous...

Don't worry about that metalhead in the parking lot, Checkered Past is talking about the legendary Chicago Ska Punk band Slapstick! But rather than just talk about the band themselves, Rob and Joey go through the infamous Slapstick Family Tree and discuss the many offshoots, derived bands and side projects that all splintered off. It's a fascinating slice of Chicago punk history! Hosts: Rob and Joey Engineer: Joey Editor: Joey Skassociate Producer: Chris Reeves of Ska Punk...

Remember as a child when certain TV shows would come on and you'd hear some upbeats and it wasn't until you were an adult that you realized that it was Ska? Checkered Past Remembers! Rob and Engineer Joey play a series of television clips in which Ska was mentioned, played or dunked on as a joke... mostly the latter! It's a discussion on Ska's place on popular culture as well as the moments when the reference was in jest, in love or even mean-spirited. It's basically a Checkered Past Clip...

It's that time of year again! Rob, Celine and Engineer Joey countdown the best episodes of 2023 as voted by the listeners! In the second installment they go through episodes 5 through 1 all while playing clips, reminiscing of the past year and giving the listeners a peak behind the curtain on how the podcast comes together.  Hosts: Celine, Rob and Joey Engineer: Joey Editor: Rob Skassoicate Producer: Chris Reeves of Ska Punk International Website: www.checkeredpast.ca Patreon:...

It's that time of year again! Rob, Celine and Engineer Joey countdown the best episodes of 2023 as voted by the listeners! In the first installment they go through episodes 10 through 6 all while playing clips, reminiscing of the past year and giving the listeners a peak behind the curtain on how the podcast comes together. Tune in next week for episodes 5 through 1! Hosts: Celine, Rob and Joey Engineer: Joey Editor: Rob Skassoicate Producer: Chris Reeves of Ska Punk International Website:...

Another year and another Holiday Special from CPSC! This year, Engineer Joey is preparing for the episode when Evil Chris interrupts to enact a plan of such malice to upend all of Ska as we know it! Joey is then thrust into an adventure across the Multiverse of Ska (re: Skaltiverse) with only his magic Vape Pen to restore order and get back to his original timeline. It's Engineer Joey in the Skaltiverse of Madness!  Listen to last year's semi-scripted Holiday Episode as well! Skaldiay...

Don't watch your 10... watch your back as Checkered Past digs in on highly influential Canadian Ska band, The Kingpins! In this special episode, Engineer Joey takes over hosting duties with Celine as they welcome returning guest, The Ghost of Ska Past to do some much needed Ska history! First they catch up the listener on Ska Past's Checkered Past, how he came to pass away and how he became the beleaguered spirit he is today. Then, the trio dig on the Kingpins from their spy-ska debut to...

It's the annual CPSC Year-End wrapper and this year we decided to do something different... we went to our socials and the Checkerheads to get a list of favourite random stuff of 2023 and we spin a wheel to determine which one we answer! Along the way, Celine, Rob, Engineer Joey and Editor Arianne select a few non-Ska songs that they liked in the year. Voting for our Best Of 2023 is now open! Click on the link to choose your Top 5 episodes of the year!...

Is Sugar Ray Ska? In order to answer this earth shattering question, CPSC welcomes back thirdtimer, and HyperSka Superstar, Eichlers! But first, Ike catches the crew up on his last year, his tour of Japan and what new music he's listening to. Then, Rob, Celine, Engineer Joey and Ike dig in on the entirety of Sugar Ray's career with a focus on the larger than life exploits of lead singer and bon vivant, Mark McGrath. You might say... the story is unbelievable. Check out Eichlers past episodes...

It's the best fest with the number that doesn't match its year! Once again CPSC has enlisted a trusty Checkerhead to put boots on the ground at another major festival to do some patented Back Alley Interviews! Our Skacore-respondent this time is our resident talking dog, Maxi Ska Taxi who asks inane questions to both concert goers and musicians alike. Rob and Engineer Joey listen to the shenanigans in the Skankatorium while playing songs by some of the bands that performed. The Fest is an...

Who do voodoo we do?! Checkered Past finally digs in on legendary Riverside Skacore band, Voodoo Glow Skulls! To help with the discussion they welcome Bex, Andy and Duck of the one and only Joystick! But first, they dig in on Duck's checkered past, how Bex and Andy joined up with Joystick! and the group's new firebrand EP, Dwell! Then, Rob, Celine, Joey and Joystick! discuss Voodoo Glow Skulls from their backyard start in the 1980's to their massive success on Epitaph and their career all the...