Ska Boom Interviews - Brendan Tween of Mephiskapheles/Barbicide on the 30th Anniversary of Satanic Ska

Welcome to Ska Boom Interviews, which is the audio companion to my book Ska Boom: An American Ska & Reggae Oral History now available from DiWulf Publishing and Amazon.   In this episode, I’m speaking with  Brendan Tween the guitarist and vocalist who co-founded Mephiskapheles along with drummer Mikal Reich. The two now play together in the New York-based ska band Barbicide Mephiskapheles started in New York City in 1990 after Brendan's hardcore band The Shaved Pigs split up and he and Mikal  -- who met as co-workers at a Mexican restaurant where they work alongside  struggling comic Jon Stewart  --  decided to start a ska band.As they put the band together they added something to ska that no one had done before: Satan. Looking to mix ska with elements of punk, metal and rock, the invocation of Satan was a hook that set them apart and certainly had something to do with Mikal's work as a creative for an advertising agency. And although satanic ska may sound gimmicky,  Mephiskapheles truly were and remain one of the most innovative and creative third wave American ska bands in the business. Please note: The music clips included in this podcast fall under the “Fair Use Doctrine” as defined by Section 107 of the Copyright Act. The law allows for use of music clips for purposes of criticism, comment, and news reporting.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices