Sunday, December 3, 2023

The end of days...

 We always knew this day would come but now it's just a few weeks away. I have a few more things that I want to post before the new year. Before the blog ends.

For numerous reasons I have decided to bring Tone and Wave to an end. At the beginning of 2023 I didn't think I would make it another year but here we are. I really don't have much left to offer. I have a lot of those "kind of ska-ish" things, funk, reggae sorts of things and even though I did post some of that stuff over the years I did try to adhere to ska, reggae, ska punk, and as much of the 2 Tone sound as I could. But, alas, I have very little left. 

I do have lots of other music I have collected along the way. Stuff that was sold online as ska but wasn't really ska, stuff that had some ska but was more "other" than ska, and lots of things that I found along the way that wasn't ska at all. 

 

That's why I started my side blog Tune Out to post some of these things that didn't fit on this blog but were still worthy of being posted. 

I mentioned before that the name "Tune Out" was not my first choice. I probably had 20 names I liked better but it was the one that wasn't already taken. It's not bad. It could have been worse. 

 Tone and Wave is done but I will continue posting all kinds of stuff on Tune Out including some reggae and even some ska.

I received lots of criticism whenever I posted something on this ska blog that just wasn't ska enough for some people.  Doing a blog that allows for all sorts of random music gives me freedom to post those ska-ish sounds that weren't appreciated here.

I have made a lot of friends doing this blog and I appreciate every one of you. I have learned a lot and have had a lot of things shared with me that I probably never would have known about otherwise. 

I was going to make a "Thank You" list of names of people who contributed to this blog over the years but it's been so long and I can't recollect everybody so I'm reluctant to make that list out of fear of omitting somebody who deserves recognition. I am grateful for everybody who has ever taken the time to send me anything they felt would contribute to the blog whether I posted it or not. Thank you all! I am grateful for your efforts.

 

This mug posted here is one of 11 in the world and I am proud to say I have one. After I did the post on Sir Lord Erotic the band made these mugs in commemoration of their influence in the world of ska music. I am the only person in the world outside of the band and their immediate circle to possess such a treasure. This is a great honor. 

 

This is not the only thing that I received from fans of this blog. I thank everybody who has ever sent me anything. The greatest of which is the numerous fanzines sent to me by Rikard. Rikard has been an very active contributor to this blog for a long time and he has sent me a stack of 'zines that I intend to scan each and every page of and upload them to Internet Archive.

 

I will announce them on Tune Out.

 

I have been doing this blog for 17 years and I have so much more to say but I won't bore you.

 

 Here's a picture of me in 2007 when I first decided to start a ska blog. The world was different then. I was different then. I was newly married I just quit my job in the automotive industry and I started a radio show. I made enough from that show to pay my bills but there was no money for other things so I started working for my friend's Italian restaurant. My wife and I lived in a cabin in the mountains in Southern California. We drove around those mountain roads listening to ska music every day for years. It was a great time that we didn't appreciate at the time.

 

No matter what you think about what's happening in the world right now you should realize that today is your good ol' days. 

There will be a time in your life where you will look back to where you are right now and you will lament the passing of these days.

Make the most of today. 

Call out sick for work tomorrow.

Drink a bottle of something nice.

Take one day out of your whole life to celebrate you.

You're worth it. 




12 comments:

Mark L. said...

Just wanted to say thanks for the years of dedication. Always appreciated introduction to things I hadn't come across and insights & access to many rare recordings (you're still my blog hero for coming up with that Jumpers EP I'd been looking for about 15yrs). Cheers, M.

Stuart Bedasso said...

Hey, we've appreciated your blog... in fact, we've been playing some stuff you've posted on our station Stuart Bedasso Radio. So, thank you!

jonder said...

Thanks for the advice and all the music! Glad you are continuing the other blog. Best wishes for the new year!

Mikeska said...

Dude, thank you so much for all the music that I had believed was lost to me forever. Without your hard work and diligence a lot of our musical lives would have been a lot sadder. Cheers to you and much luck on the other blog. I'll defiantly be tuning in.

goodie said...

thanks really enjoyed the blog , been introduced to loads of bands i had never heard off before , will always be grateful for you sending me the Too Hot links , all the best in whatever you do next

EricC said...

This blog will be missed. You have introduced me to all kinds of cool indy ska that I would have otherwise never heard of. I am following your other blog now as well!

Carmine234 said...

It was your blog that got me into ska music in the first place! Thanks for your years of commitment. You are a big piece of internet ska history, if such a thing exists.

Captain J.mo said...

I hold you responsible/thank you very much for rekindling my love of ska. Whether it was something I sold off 25 years ago, or something I never purchased in the first place, I've always appreciated the opportunity to (re)discover sounds from the past. Keep on with the new blog; I'll make sure to add it to my own blogroll.

said...

I'm always late to the party so nothing new here. Just saw this post as I was going through back posts that I had overlooked. I believe I have been a fan of your blog since its inception. We have communicated many times over the years. I have always appreciated the great tuneage you share & your dedication to ska. Sorry to see Tone & Wave end, but am glad you are going on with Tune Out (which I also check out regularly - last dl was va Stage Diving to the Oldies - thanks, by the way). I have only been able to continue on by sharing a vast number of genres (if I had stuck to punk or Dub either one I would have run out of material long ago) so I can totally relate. Thanks for a great run from a great blog.

xtimmyx said...

I appreciate all you've done here and the physical Connecticut tapes/vinyl i've gotten from you. Happy holidays and a rad new year. Here's to a fun time in your new blog and to the new record player you get!
Tim.

Tone and Wave said...

Thanks for the comment and thanks for all of the incredible things you have shared with me over the years.

I really am running out of things to post but I do have a folder with a lot of the things you have shared with me. With your permission I'd like to do a whole post dedicated to five or ten things that I would like people to hear. If you give me the green light I'll find the time to get it posted.

Either way, I thank you for everything! I think the last time we communicated I misunderstood your comment and I left a very rude response. A few days later (when I was sober) I read my comment and I deleted it out of embarrassment. I remained embarrassed for long time. I don't know if you read the comment or not, but either way, I apologize.

If nothing else, I'd like to share that Jumpstarts album. Let me know.

Tone and Wave said...



This comment was for xtimmyx:

"Thanks for the comment and thanks for all of the incredible things you have shared with me over the years.

I really am running out of things to post but I do have a folder with a lot of the things you have shared with me. With your permission I'd like to do a whole post dedicated to five or ten things that I would like people to hear. If you give me the green light I'll find the time to get it posted.

Either way, I thank you for everything! I think the last time we communicated I misunderstood your comment and I left a very rude response. A few days later (when I was sober) I read my comment and I deleted it out of embarrassment. I remained embarrassed for long time. I don't know if you read the comment or not, but either way, I apologize.

If nothing else, I'd like to share that Jumpstarts album. Let me know. "