When most people think of ska, they consider it as a trend that died out in the late ’90s. While ska’s mainstream popularity definitely started to wane back then, it never went away. The core of ska music has always been DIY and community. These last ten to 15 years have gave birth to a tremendous batch of bands. Ska is having a resurgence of late. That’s why it’s important to highlight as many new bands as possible. That way, people can see how ska has evolved since the last time they remember listening to it.
One such band is Charleston, South Carolina’s Six Mile House. Forming in 2018 as they were high school seniors, the band has their own brand of heavily-political ska punk. Being born into the generation that will drive this country forward to a more progressive way of thinking, it’s refreshing to hear Six Mile House’s take on how things are going in the world.
Lead singer and guitarist Finean Williams and bassist Joey McGuinn sat down to let us know a little bit about themselves and their band. Make sure to bookmark this interview. That way, you can come back in a few years and reminisce about the days you first learned about Six Mile House.
One of my goals for 2021 is to provide a platform to new and/or independent ska bands. So, with that in mind, tell me a little bit about your band.
Finean: We started the band in late 2018 as three high school seniors brought together by our mutual love of music and similar political convictions and understandings, as well as a desire to bring a type of music and environment to our area that is seriously lacking. We’re firm supporters of DIY ethics: most of our released music has been self recorded, we’ve hosted and participated in various house shows, and nearly all of our merch was made by us. I have my wonderful girlfriend Chloe to thank for the two t-shirt designs and the drawing for the keychains. All of which are still available on our Bandcamp! Our EP the following summer had our first studio recordings and was also the last to feature our first drummer Indigo. We’re still on great terms; she just needed to focus on school.
Aside from ska, your music has a definite blend of punk, indie, and even folk going on. Is it challenging to play music that doesn’t fit neatly into one bucket?
Joey: For me personally, I find it very freeing that our band dips into different genres so much. I believe it allows us to explore our band’s sound more without worrying about where our music would “fit in”.
Finean: I believe genre lines were meant to be blurred. The music that interests me the most is dynamic and prone to experimentation. I like listening to music that genuinely surprises me, and I’m a firm believer in doing what you love. You can really hear it sometimes when a band starts writing with an audience in mind. There’s nothing wrong of course with trying to please the fans, but you’ve got to be careful not to sacrifice originality for accessibility; even though that may be the more profitable approach.
The reason it’s challenging is because there’s such an emphasis on marketability in the music industry and our society in general. As creatives in a capitalistic society, we are consistently shown that value is only placed on ideas or talents that turn a profit, which is easier to do when you can tap into a genre’s already established listener base. But there’s also the positive of being able to share our music to any music focused internet groups that we may be relevant to, from any of the genres we incorporate. I like to think that there’s something in our music for everyone.
Last year saw the release of the single “Living Helplessly.” What’s the story behind that song?
Finean: Certainly the longest, and I’d have to say the most ambitious, song I’ve written. At its core, “Living Helplessly” is about the dehumanizing and draining effect of living in a capitalistic society. It can be easy when working a full time job to sort of zone out and stop appreciating shit. If you don’t find joy in your work, then you’re not left with much energy or time to explore passions or discover your purpose.
“I wrote the music and lyrics shortly after moving to a new state with my girlfriend and living on my own for the first time.”
During an extended holiday visit in Charleston, we were able to get the band together with a new drummer and perform it live at our last shows pre pandemic. However, our new drummer Asher had other bands and responsibilities, so by the time we were ready to record, we had to scrounge up another drummer.
I was only in town for a couple weeks, having snagged a temporary live-in farming gig with some family in Kentucky. Enter Stephen to the rescue, a solid drummer I went to middle and high school with for four years, but the only day I ever spoke to him was the day we recorded Living Helplessly. I took the freshly recorded full band track back with me to Kentucky, and subsequently added the overdubbed guitar tracks as well as the vocals. I did all this recording between farming shifts working tirelessly and sweatily in our closet.
There’s also a verse about the democratic primary which I was following pretty closely at the time I was writing the song. I don’t want to get too deep into discussion, but I have one thing to say about it. Most people my age were in support of Bernie, and he was viewed as the progressive choice. However I believe Andrew Yang was leagues ahead in his thinking. This is clearly apparent when taking into account Bernie’s mantra: “No one should work 40 hours a week and live in poverty.” However I believe, like Yang, that people have intrinsic value and that No One should live in poverty no matter how much they work. Some people may call this communism; I call it common sense decency.
As a younger band, I’m curious what your take is on the ska scene today?
Finean: Over the last year I’ve become a lot more plugged in to the scene through various Facebook groups, which is actually how we got in touch for this interview. I’ve met some great people, and some not so great, which is to be expected within any community. But my main qualm with the current ska scene is the lack of diversity.
I made a post on one of the aforementioned Facebook groups a while ago asking for ska bands with multiple women and/or people of color, because all of the bands I was finding organically were composed of white men. I wasn’t very careful with my wording I’ll admit, but I didn’t think I had to be. Immediately, I started receiving a multitude of backlash. People calling me racist for even talking about race, and trying to convince me that race doesn’t matter. Employing the age old colorblindness argument commonly used as a façade for implicit racism. There were even some people misconstruing the checkerboard design and calls for unity to fit this agenda.
One guy even told me that “maybe ska isn’t for me” if I’m looking for diversity. I really wasn’t trying to start anything, I just wanted some recommendations. Thankfully there was a second wave of ska fans that were much more open and accepting. Both giving me the recommendations I requested and denouncing those that came before them. It’s strange and disconcerting how a genre invented by black people and born out of poverty has become almost entirely associated with white guys and suburbia after reaching stateside. This isn’t anybody’s fault, but it’s all of our responsibility to listen to and help promote new bands with women and people of color.
“Lack of diversity isn’t unique to ska, it’s just particularly striking considering the roots of the genre.”
It’s also a big problem in punk. This is confusing since punk is often political and targeted at oppression, yet the dominant demographic creating it is the least oppressed in our society. The segregation in the music scene is also a microcosm of our society as a whole. Our schools, neighborhoods, and churches are segregated; it’s no wonder it carries over into music circles. Race can be a sensitive topic among white folks, but we need to be able to talk about these issues or nothing will ever change. And to people who believe it’s just music and social issues have no place here: I disagree.
At your heart, you’re a politically motivated band. That’s evident on songs like “Cops N’ Piggies”. Did any bands influence you to take a more political edge with your music?
Finean: I’ve been exposed to injustice and the fight for equality a lot of my life. My mom took a job as the lead organizer of a local justice ministry when I was in middle school, which is what brought us to Charleston. Her organization is different from other nonprofits. Rather than providing direct relief to people in need, it looks to change the systems that put those people in need of relief in the first place. Researching best practices and holding public officials accountable by pressuring them to accept the community’s demands in front of 2000 members of said community.
“I honestly despise politics. But, people are being fucked over constantly, and as an advantaged citizen of America, it would be too easy for me to sit back and pretend it isn’t happening.”
My political agenda is simple: I care about people and want others to care too. I’ve also been witness to the atrocities committed by my local police department which should be enough to radicalize anybody in my opinion. Both recently with violence against peaceful protesters and before. I remember in middle school, hearing about Walter Scott being shot in the back for a non functioning brake light not more than three miles from my home. The cop claimed Scott was threatening him with his own taser. A video later surfaced of Scott being shot while running and then a taser being dropped next to him. And that’s just the shit you hear about. There are countless scandals and abuses of power that never got press or were never exposed.
As far as specific bands go, I’ve been pretty heavily influenced by the politics within the crack rocksteady scene. Bands like The Stupid Stupid Henchmen and No Service Project. It’s also been incredibly refreshing the way much of the scene has rejected Scott Sturgeon, often credited as the originator of the crack rocksteady sound. There are several reasons he’s not worth supporting including his hypocrisy and money worshipping. But most importantly he’s a piece of shit abuser. Both to previous girlfriends and his current fiancée, Whitney of the band Days N’ Daze. There are screenshots floating around the internet of since-deleted posts made by Whitney insinuating some pretty scary stuff. If you need proof feel free to DM Six Mile House on instagram!
Also gotta shout out Fishbone both for their influence on our genre bending tendencies and our politically leaning lyrics.
What are you hoping to accomplish as a band in the near future?
Finean: I would like our next project to be more polished, while still maintaining our punk ethos and organic sound. We have lots of new music we’ve been working on. I’m a relatively new guitar player, so I’ve improved a lot since our last album. Our instrumentals have gotten a lot more complex and we’re still experimenting with our sound. Expect more metal and funk elements in future releases. We’re also eager to get back to playing shows. We hope to venture out more in terms of touring and such once it’s safe and responsible to do so.
When you’re not making music, what are you up to?
Joey: I am an environmental science major at USC, so a lot of my time is spent attending virtual classes and homework. I also enjoy going on hikes watching Better Call Saul.
Finean: I love nature and the mountains. Hiking, camping etc. I dig books too. Philip K Dick, Ann Patchett, and Han Kang being a few of my favorite authors. I also like movies and TV shows (I introduced Joey to Better Call Saul), and exploring abandoned properties.
If folks want to check out your music, what’s the best way to find it?
Finean: Our Bandcamp and Soundcloud have all releases; Bandcamp has lyrics as well as merch. Also on Spotify, Apple Music, Youtube etc.
What’s a fun and interesting fact about each member of Six Mile House?
Finean: Joey has been abducted by aliens. Finean grew up in Kansas where much of his family still lives.
Any last words?
Finean: Currently accepting drummer applications.