The Slackers and Phonosonics

It makes me a bit sad that Ska music never really took off, mainly because bands like The Slackers deserved more attention than they have been getting. I mean, how can you not love slightly quirky, big band music? The full (current) lineup of The Slackers includes Vic Ruggiero on keyboards and vocals, Jay Nugent on guitar, Save Hillyard on saxophone, Glen Pine on trombone as well as vocals, Marcus Geard on standing bass and Ara Babajian on drums.

With so many people providing sound to the band, its no surprise how crowded the stage looks once everyone takes their place with their instruments. Because of the awesome sounds of the horns and sax, there is a large jazz sound to the band, giving them a leg up on a lot of other live bands that I’ve seen. They also have the added plus of being dressed in suits, which makes them seem to embody the word “cool.” There is a lot of movement, both from the members of the band, as they sway to the beat of the music, but most of the audience is dancing about as well. You know that each show that you see The Slackers perform, you get a completely unique show because of all the solos that each instrumentalist will take at one point or another.