Let's Go Bowling is a Third Wave Ska band hailing from the Greater San Joaquin Valley. Since the band's inception in 1986, the band's traditional ska style, barbershop harmonies, wisely crafted instrumentals, and its frantic live performances, helped set the standard for dress and culture for West Coast Ska, which in turn, set the groundwork for the Third Wave Movement in 1995. The third wave of ska music (ska punk, skacore) arose in the 1990s in the United States. ... The eight-county San Joaquin Valley is the part of the Central Valley of California that lies south of the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta in Stockton. ... Ska is a form of Jamaican music combining elements of traditional mento and calypso with an American jazz and rhythm and blues sound. ...

Let's Go Bowling has shared the stage with many diverse musical acts, including Fishbone, No Doubt, Pearl Jam, Moe., Blues Traveler, David Byrne, The Skatalites, Reverend Horton Heat, the Young Dubliners, Shaggy, Steel Pulse, The Violent Femmes, and Busta Rhymes. Fishbone is a pioneering alternative rock band that plays a unique fusion of funk, ska, punk rock, reggae, heavy metal, and more. ... No Doubt is an American pop/ska/rock band. ... Pearl Jam (formed in 1990 in Seattle, Washington) is a rock band considered one of the most popular and influential artists of their decade. ... moe. ... Blues Traveler is an American jam band from Princeton, New Jersey. ... David Byrne can refer to: David Byrne, Irish politician and former European Commissioner for Health and Consumer Protection David Byrne, musician and former Talking Heads frontman This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... The Skatalites The Skatalites is a Jamaican music group that played a major role in popularising ska, the first truly Jamaican music created by fusing boogie-woogie blues, rhythm and blues, jazz, mento, calypso, and African rhythms. ... The Reverend Horton Heat: Scott Churilla (left), Jim Reverend Horton Heath (center), Jimbo Wallace (right) The Reverend Horton Heat is both three-piece psychobilly / rockabilly band from Dallas, Texas and the stage name of its singer/songwriter, Jim Heath (born in 1959 in Corpus Christi, Texas). ... The Young Dubliners are a musical group, who have developed a reputation early on for high-energy gigs fueled by musicianship, pints o bitter, and the thrill of a good Celtic-rock mash-up. ... Shaggy (born October 22, 1968, in Kingston, Jamaica as Orville Richard Burrell), is a Jamaican reggae artist who takes his nickname from Scooby-Doos companion (possibly from the similarity of their first names). ... Steel Pulse are a well-known roots reggae outfit. ... The Violent Femmes are a rock and roll band, originally forming in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in the early 1980s. ... To meet Wikipedia quality standards and WikiProject Music guidelines, this article or section may require cleanup. ...

Biography

Early history

It is hard to pinpoint exactly which was the first of the Third Wave Bands to emerge in the mid '80s. The clash between who were the "First" remains a topic of controversy to this day, but no one can deny that the roots of US Ska were deep on the West Coast. One such band, San Joaquin's Kyber Rifles, was founded by Mark Michel, who on bass, were playing shows and recording EPs as early as 1983. (Norwood Fisher credited Mark as being an influence on his playing in the 1980's.) This sound would become instrumental in bridging the gap between fellow musicians Darren Fletcher (a baseball standout at Selma High, nephew to Bobby Cox), Guitarist David Molina, Drummer Jason Ellam, Tenor Saxaphonist Dean Olmstead, Trumpeteer Jason Boyte, Trombonist Mark Berry, and frontman/trombonist David Weins. This was the nucleus of the Music To Bowl By era of Let's Go Bowling. The Kyber Rifles was a band formed in Fresno in the mid-1980s. ... John Norwood Fisher (known as Norwood Fisher) is the bass player for the funk/rock/ska/schizo/metal band Fishbone. ... Darren Fletcher (born February 11, 1984, Edinburgh, Scotland) is a young football player currently playing for Manchester United. ... Robert Joseph Cox, most widely known as Bobby Cox, (born May 21, 1941 in Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA) is a former player — and current manager — in Major League Baseball. ...

Music To Bowl By was recorded for Moon Ska Records in the winter of '89 - summer of '90. This captured the band at its pioneering stage, with emphasis on style and songwriting, unheard of in its current central valley contemporaries. (The Central Valley is home to some of the most influental Ska outfits of the later century, including Let's Go Bowling, as well as Kyber Rifles, Checkmate, and Los Hooligans). The band blended three part vocals, infused with a latin vibe, inherent in its frontman/vocalist David Molina. David Weins acted as the MC, as the boisterous trombone playing ruffian. "Music To Bowl By" is considered to be a Classic in all ska circles and a credit to the genre. Moon Ska Records was one of the most influential ska record labels of the 1980s and 1990s. ... When you first hear the name “Los Hooligans,” you might think, “Oh, another Latin band. ...

LGB, in support of their album, pressed for then-new label Moon Ska in NY, went out to tour, in support of their record, with labelmates that included The Toasters, Hepcat, Dance Hall Crashers, Skankin' Pickle, and the Slackers. Let's Go Bowling got the call to be the opening act for Bad Manners in 1991, which led to them being "the" chosen US opening band by all the original Two Tone acts, including The Specials, and The Selecter. After such success, the band disbanded briefly for a period of time, as members went their separate ways, to pursue other career avenues, leaving the band disfunct for a brief period of time in the early Nineties. The Toasters are a third-wave ska band formed in the early 1980s by Robert Bucket Hingley. ... Hepcat are a third-wave ska band formed in southern California in 1989. ... The Dance Hall Crashers are a ska punk band that formed in 1989. ... Skankin Pickle was a San Francisco based ska punk sextet during the late 1980s and early 1990s. ... The Slackers are one of the more well-known bands emerging from the New York City ska scene, having been formed in Brooklyn in 1991. ... Bad Manners Bad Manners are a second-wave, or Two Tone, ska band. ... Two Tone (or 2 Tone) is a style of music created by fusing elements of punk rock and ska. ... The Specials are a British band formed in 1977 in Coventry (see 1977 in music). ... The Selecter were a British ska revival band from Coventry, England, formed in the late 1970s and who became one of the essential bands of the British ska movement. ...

Mr Twist era

Mr. Twist was recorded the Summer '95 in Fresno, CA. With the help of Brian Dixon (The Aggrolites, Checkmate), the band went back to their old catalog, with such gems as "Hot-Buttered" "Mayhem," and the single "Spy Market," finding new life with a new line-up. The new line-up included Adam Lee (who, with Darren Fletcher, was briefly a part King Apparatus), Patrick Bush (a heavy influence on the new LGB sound), M. Rey DeLeon (trombonist prodigy, at the age of 18), and Gilbert Lopez on the tenor Saxophone. This also was the proper introduction of Paul Miskulin, who had replaced David Molina years prior, and had now had his forum to contribute his Soul-heavy, blues guitar to the already potent mix. This line-up of the band that would be the line-up to enjoy the most critical success of the band's career, in the Third Wave Explosion of 1996. Fresno is the county seat of Fresno County, California. ... The Aggrolites are a reggae band from Los Angeles, California. ...

On the eve of the release of their second studio album in almost 5 years, LGB was dealt a tragic blow when news that original guitarist, David Molina, had died on December 27, 1995. The band, which included Javy Molina, David's brother, were about embark on a 6 week independent tour of the US. December 27 is the 361st day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (362nd in leap years). ... 1995 (MCMXCV) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

On this tour, the support act was No Doubt. By the end of the tour and LGB's arrival on its home turf of Fresno, CA, "I'm Just A Girl" was breaking the radio airwaves for the first time. Things started to happen fast, and the new band had to act quickly, recruiting lead guitarist Lincoln Barr, formerley of the Santa Rosa Ska outfit The Conspiracy, which gave them a much needed edge in the guitar department. No Doubt is an American pop/ska/rock band. ...

In the summer of 1996, LGB released the single "Spy Market", which the video for was in heavy rotation on the new rock affiliate, MTV2, and was prominently featured on a special for MTV's 120 minutes, entitled "The Third Wave". Along with the Toasters, Let's Go Bowling was then dubbed, on national television, one of the flagship bands of the genre. The energy at the shows, from the audience and the band itself, was at an all time high. MTV (Music Television) is a cable television network headquartered in New York City. ...

The band was touring the US as a headlining band, whose national prominence had given them greater control over their live shows and opening acts. Ska was exploding in the West, where Sublime and No Doubt had become KROQ darlings. The OC, home to Reel Big Fish, Save Ferris, and The Aquabats (with unknown Travis Barker at Drums). Let's Go Bowling was the original West Coast ska band, and enjoyed the laurels bestowed upon them by these bands, who had cited Let's Go Bowling as an influence in interviews, and also in record releases (No Doubt thanked LGB in their release of "Tragic Kingdom"). For the band, see Sublime (band), or their third album Sublime (album). ... KROQ is a commercial rock and roll music radio station in Los Angeles, California, broadcasting on 106. ... Official website: http://www. ... Reel Big Fish is a Southern California third wave ska band best known for their 1997 hit Sell Out. ... Save Ferris was a ska punk band formed circa 1995 in Orange County, California. ... The Aquabats are a musical ensemble from Southern California known for their humorous lyrics and outrageous live shows, during which the band is often attacked by supervillains onstage. ...

LGB, whose tourmates included The Specials, Bad Manners, and The Selecter, hooked up with swing auters Cherry Poppin' Daddies, for a tour of the US in 1997. It was at this time, that the Ska explosion had opened the door for the Swing Scene, which included the Daddies, who recruited M. Rey DeLeon as a touring Trombonist, and Tom Mattot, who was the LGB soundman since '93, and an Oregon native, as their Front Of House Soundman. The Specials are a British band formed in 1977 in Coventry (see 1977 in music). ... The Selecter were a British ska revival band from Coventry, England, formed in the late 1970s and who became one of the essential bands of the British ska movement. ... Cherry Poppin Daddies Cherry Poppin Daddies is an American band formed in 1989 in Eugene, Oregon. ... The Swing Revival was cultural phenomenon of the 1990s and early 2000s which featured renewed popular interest in music in the style of the swing period of the 1930s and 1940s. ...

Freeway Lanes era

With things really going on, Let's Go Bowling released a live record for Asian Man Records (Mike Park's Skankin' Pickle label) entitled Freeway Lanes. This captured the band at its most innovative, with the band performing freely, and capturing golden moments of interaction between the band, and its beloved scene. It is at this time, that the band started to become more free form, and detached with the rigidness of its structure, and would routinely stretch out its Skatalite covers into 15 minute episodic affairs. M.Rey's solos over "Man In The Street" and "The Reburial of Marcus Garvey" were highly innovative in its use of delay to create a richochet of brass, inpsired by Dub music. These solos would extend, and lend themselves to Gilbert Lopez's Tenor Saxophone innuendoes, forming huge, parallel, harmonic ideas, completely improvised, and helped break down the barriers of what could be done within a previously stale, formulatic ska medium. Also included were tributes to its predecessors The Untouchables' "Live and Let Dance" and The Equators' "More Than A Person". Also included is a composition by 20 year old M. Rey DeLeon, entitled "Sock Monkey March", a blistering and ominous march, intended to be a send up of old Esquivel compositions, and an ode to their manager, Richard "Cord" Burke (Who some say resembles a sock monkey in flight). Asian Man Records is a small record label that has released music by artists such as The Broadways, Alkaline Trio, MU330, USA. It is an impressive, though small indie label, because the quality of its bands, and the fact that it has been able to become successful while never changing... Mike Park Mike Park is a Korean American who was originally a saxaphone player for Skankin Pickle. ... Skankin Pickle was a San Francisco based ska punk sextet during the late 1980s and early 1990s. ... Dub is a form of Jamaican music, which evolved out of ska and reggae in 1970s Jamaica. ... This article is about the musician Juan Garcia Esquivel. ...

LGB toured in support of their live record as part of The Spirit of Unity tour, sponsored by Teva, whose tourmates included Steel Pulse, Ghetto Youth (the Marley kids), Buju Banton, Beres Hammond, Third World, and Shaggy. Teva Sport Sandals is a major maker of footwear (mainly, but not exclusively, sandals) and a division of Deckers Outdoor Corporation. ... Steel Pulse are a well-known roots reggae outfit. ... Buju Banton (born Mark Myrie 1973) is a Jamaican dancehall, ragga, and reggae singer. ... Beres Hammond (b. ... Third World is a Jamaican reggae band formed in 1973. ... Shaggy (born October 22, 1968, in Kingston, Jamaica as Orville Richard Burrell), is a Jamaican reggae artist who takes his nickname from Scooby-Doos companion (possibly from the similarity of their first names). ...

In 1998, Let's Go Bowling was the opening act for both The Reverend Horton Heat and for the reunion tour of Men At Work, playing to packed houses all around the U.S. The Reverend Horton Heat: Scott Churilla (left), Jim Reverend Horton Heath (center), Jimbo Wallace (right) The Reverend Horton Heat is both 3 piece psychobilly / rockabilly band from Dallas, Texas and the stage name of its singer/songwriter, Jim Heath (born 1959 in Corpus Christi, Texas). ... Men at Work was an Australian reggae-influenced rock band of the early 1980s (see 1980s in music). ...

Let's Go Bowling, feeling the imminent pressure to release a follow up to Mr. Twist, amidst the great success of its contemporaries, recruited Stoker (drummer for Dexy's Midnight Runners & General Public, and producer for Hepcat and Ice Cube) to man the boards of its first release for its brand new label, Liberation Records. To conform to a more radio friendly sound, the band recruited Glen Parrish, a Fresno musician about town, to become its third lead vocalist and lead guitarist. The collaboration of the entire band, with Adam Lee providing a healthy dose of new punk infused material, and Patrick Bush lending his Dub sensibilites to the mix, with the "radio" pop stylings of Parrish, and the Blues heavy, vegas-inspired soul of Miskulin. Lincoln Barr left the band to tour with Neville Staples of The Specials, and M. Rey DeLeon, left the band to pursue his music career in Los Angles. The band was at a creative clash, and within that confusion, Stay Tuned was released. The album was met with mixed reviews, and was met with harsh cirticism from their original "True Tone" fan base. Too-Rye-Ay (1983) Dexys Midnight Runners - the name consistently spelled without an apostrophe [1] - were a British New Wave and Northern Soul band, who achieved their major success in the early to mid 1980s. ... The band General Public formed after the 1983 break-up of The Beat (see 1983 in music). ... Hepcat are a third-wave ska band formed in southern California in 1989. ... Ice Cube (born OShea Jackson on June 15, 1969 in Los Angeles, California) is an American actor and rapper. ... Liberation Records is an Southern California record company. ... The Specials are a British band formed in 1977 in Coventry (see 1977 in music). ...

Let's Go Bowling still plays its traditional material for its still adoring fans. LGB assembled a Sweet 16th for its anniversary in March 2003, which played host to a Central Valley scooter rally, in its honor. The band still has original members Darren Fletcher and Mark Michel, as well as LGB founding member Dean Olmstead, and longtime members Patrick Bush, Paul Miskulin, and Adam Lee.

Band members

Founding Members

• Darren Fletcher (1986-present) Keyboards/Vocals
• Mark Michel (1986-present) Bass/Vocals

Guitarist/Vocalist

• David Molina (1986-1992)
• Paul Miskulin (1993-present)
• Glen Parrish (1998-present)

Lead Guitarist

• Chris Ridge (1994-1995)
• Lincoln Barr (1996-1998)

Saxophones

• Martin Stuart (1986-1991) Alto
• Dean Olmstead (1988-1992, 2000-present) Tenor
• Gilbert Lopez (1993-1998) Tenor
• Dakota - (1998)
• Erik Dvorak (1994-present) Baritone

Trumpet

• Pete Nicholson (1986-1987)
• Dan Dorval (1987-1988)
• Jason Boyte (1988-1992)
• Patrick Bush (1993-present)

Trombone

• Mark Berry (1986-1991)
• Geoff Belau (1987-1988)
• David Weins (1987-1994)
• M. Rey DeLeon (1995-2000)
• Robert Ruffner (2001-present)

Drums

• Jerry Mora (1986-1988)
• Jason Ellam (1988-1992)
• Scott Abels (1992)
• Adam Sebastian Lee (1993-present) Bass(1991-1992)

Co-Frontman

• Javier Molina (1986-1988, 1996)

Discography

• Music To Bowl By (1991)
• Mr. Twist (1996)
• Freeway Lanes (1998)
• Stay Tuned (2004)

External link

• Official Site