Ska band ready for ‘battle’

The “Reagan Motels” are battling not just for the money or love of music, but to keep the beat going in the local ska scene.

Musician and UNM student Steven Krum said he isn’t into music for the money; there’s more to it than that.

“I wouldn’t say it’s my job as much as it’s what I do — it’s why I get out of bed, not how I pay for the bed,” he said.

Krum is guitarist to local ska band the “Reagan Motels.” He said he and his band mates are on a mission to revitalize Albuquerque’s ska-punk scene. On the way, they’re playing in the Gorilla Battle of the Bands on Sunday at the Launchpad. The top contender is awarded $500 and 20 studio hours.

In the early 2000s, more bands played ska shows in Albuquerque, thriving on youth-oriented gigs like “Ska Prom” at the El Rey, guitarist Colin Montgomery said.

“They would play on three stages, and hundreds of people would show up — it was really big,” he said.

A few years ago, bands stopped playing, fans grew tired of ska and several local venues went out of business, Montgomery said.

“It became pretty much just me, Colin (Montgomery) and about five people who would go to ska shows,” Krum said.

With their favorite music scene fading away, members of “The Reagan Motels” did the only thing they could do — play the music they love, Krum said.

“If I can play music that I enjoy, and can give people who were in the position that I used to be chances to go to fun shows, it’s like bonus points,” drummer William Judd said.

Although the lineup is dominated by local hardcore punk bands, the “Reagan Motels” said they won’t be too intimidated by the lack of ska fans because they play primarily for their own pleasure.

“There’s a deep, deep part in ska’s heart that says, ‘go f*** yourself,’ and unlike metal or something, it doesn’t even allow itself to be upset about it,” Krum said. “It’s just like, ‘screw you, I’m going to ignore you and have a good time, because that’s how much I hate you.’ It’s defiantly happy.”

Being one of only a handful of ska bands in Albuquerque, the “Reagan Motels” play any show they can find, regardless of who they play with, Montgomery said. It is at these shows, he said, where they can begin building a new ska community, rich with fans of other genres.

Fan Joshua Huggins said he’s seen the band perform six times, and it’s the group’s energy that keeps him going back.

“There’s a lot of dancing, a lot of camaraderie,” Huggins said. “Everyone gets along and it’s always a lot of fun. It’s a really cool, small group of people.”

Gorilla Battle of the Bands
Sunday
4 p.m.
$8 in advance, $10 at the door
Launchpad
618 Central Avenue S.W.
All ages
LaunchpadRocks.com