Maybe it’s the Hawaiian shirts and checkerboard stereotypes. Maybe it’s the goofy era of ‘90s Third Wave. Whatever it is, ska music doesn’t always get taken as seriously as it should. Sure, sometimes ska is guilty of just being silly party music, but it also has a long history of focusing on social and political issues as well.
Personally, I tend to find ska music at its best when the band is willing to focus on potentially personal and uncomfortable topics. One such band is ska punk band Call Me Malcolm. Hailing from Kent, UK, these five gentlemen combine three-part harmonies with melodic punk and a crunchy ska beat. As the band has evolved from 2014’s We Did This To Ourselves, they’ve written albums focusing on mental health struggles and the subsequent struggles with recovery – both personal and societal. In May, they put out their first album on Wiretap Records called Me, Myself, And Something Else. This time around, instead of focusing on internal struggles, the band turns their attention to the struggles of navigating a world gone mad while also suffering from depression and anxiety. The album is as catchy as it is important, and may just end up being one of the best ska releases of 2020.
Lucias, lead vocalist and guitar for Call Me Malcolm, took some time to answer a few questions about the band, the new record, mental health, the modern British scene, and a few things in between.
May was a pretty big month for you despite a global pandemic – a new record label and a new full-length. How have you been able to find ways to celebrate your accomplishments?
Hah, we and our partners all got together for a video chat the day it was released, but we’ve been too busy to really settle down and take it all in. Which, to be honest, is a nice problem to have. I’d be more concerned if we put the album out and suddenly had nothing to do because no one was listening to it!
Once the dust settles, what are you most excited to do as a band?
I think every band is desperate to get back out on the road as soon as it’s safe and sensible to do so. Particularly for us, we can’t wait to play the new songs live. People should definitely have enough time to learn the words too.
Wiretap Records is known mainly as a punk label – what was it about them that caught your eye and made you say yes to them?
First and foremost, Rob’s passion. As soon as we got talking we knew we shared a love and respect for the music community. For us, the scene is about love and empathy for each other – you know the axiom “when someone falls, you pick them up”? – and we make a point of trying to work with like-minded people.
Of course, our UK brothers The Burnt Tapes (who are genuinely one of our favorite bands) were already on the label, so it helped knowing someone already at the party.
With England being so monumental in the history of ska music, what effect did the 2-Tone era have on you as you grew into your own as a musician?
I was a big fan of Madness when I was in single digits, age-wise. I listened to a lot of reggae too – my mum informed me I bounced around to Aswad at Glastonbury when I was maybe 2?! Anyway, by the time I was a musician, the 2-Tone era had sadly passed. But I spent a lot of time going back. Certainly, those up-tempo rhythms that were such a big part of 2-Tone definitely became the bedrock of the third wave and what we do now.
As a ska-punk band, what is it about those two genres of music that inspired you to form your band?
Great question. I’m not sure how critically I’ve ever thought about it. I heard Turn the Radio Off by Reel Big Fish when I was 17, and it was honestly love at first listen. It just made me smile, start to finish. I adore the musical power and aggression of punk, but coupled with the playful, punchy melodies of brass and tempo of ska it becomes, in my mind, something magical.
There’s also something objectively absurd about brass and woodwind instruments being coupled with punk. I mean, what’s more anarchic than recruiting half an orchestra?
If there’s someone reading this interview who’s hearing about you for the first time, what can they expect when they put your music on?
Aggressive punk, crunchy ska, and three-part harmonies. All played with our scarred hearts very much stitched on our sleeve.
If they could only listen to one of your songs to decide if they want to listen to more of your music, which song would you choose and why?
“All My Nameless Friends” is about the best calling card we have. More than anything, it’s about coming out the other side of a breakdown and being picked up by our friends in the music scene.
On the new album and your previous albums, you’re not afraid to tackle some pretty heavy themes – especially mental health. How hard is it to get your message across while also trying to write catchy music?
I think any kind of artistic success is predicated on communicating some kind of truth. I have struggled with my mental health in one form or another for 20+ years. Once I opened up to the band, I discovered being open and honest about it in music was not only a kind of focus and therapy that really helped, but also that I was not alone. We’ve connected with so many of our fans, had after-show chats about breakdowns and difficulties that others have experienced because so many of them have suffered too.
There’s always a danger that your message will get misinterpreted, or that it will miss the mark, but we are very careful to be exact in what we are saying. Not sure you’d believe how many hours we spend (over) analyzing everything when we’re on the road or in the studio.
Right now with quarantines and pandemic going around, mental health is even more important. Any advice for people trying to get through all of this? Any coping techniques?
I will happily share what tends to work for me, but I’m aware people are very different. I exercise four to five times a week, eat as cleanly as I can, and talk when I’m experiencing a bad period of mental health. I’ve also started listening to audiobooks when falling asleep as it stops my mind going to work, if that makes sense?
It’s so, so important to note though, that it’s OK to not be perfect in any of this. A slump or a bad day will not set you back to square one. A muffin will not ruin your diet. Rest days will not make you unfit.
If you had to choose the Mount Rushmore of ska-punk, who’s on your list?
Questions like this always, ALWAYS throw me. I will give you my answer with the understanding that I will be awake at 3am for the next week thinking about the answer I should have given you. So…
John Feldman, Aaron Barrett, Aimee Interrupter and Gwen Stefani.
And with that, I can already name another 15 that also deserve a kilometre high stone carving. Quickly, let’s move on…
When it comes to bands from the UK in your genre, I’m only really aware of you and The Bar Stool Preachers these days. Who else would you recommend folks across the pond check out?
Gosh, so many. If you want something edgier, go for Random Hand. If you want a super intelligent genre blend, Popes of Chillitown. If you want to hear the best voice on the scene, Millie Manders and the Shutup. For lyrical genius and musical aggression, check out Riskee & the Ridicule.
What’s a typical Call Me Malcolm live show like?
Inclusive. No matter who you are, where you come from when you watch us play, we sing, dance and sweat together and leave everything in that room.
Is there anything fans can do to help you while you can’t tour right now?
Just keep listening. This will pass. We will see each other at a show in the future, and when that time comes, we should treat it like the blessing it is. Our favorite thing in the world is seeing everyone happy and singing along with every word, and we respect that even more now than we did.
Have you met John Feldman and if so, was he mad and did he put his foot up your ass?
Hah, I love being asked about John Feldman. To my knowledge, he never heard the song. I mean, I kinda hope he never heard it, we’ve had two albums since and they are exponentially better.
Cheap Plug time – aside from the new album, anything else you’d like to promote?
A plug, but by no means cheap. On stage in the UK we often talk about Mind and Samaritans. So for the US, organisations like NAMI and Samaritans USA. If you’re reading this and you do suffer from any kind of mental health issues, know that there are people that can help, and that Call Me Malcolm is with you every step of the way.