Barrymores

For years, Montreal has been the undisputed ska capital of Canada. With bands like the Planet Smashers and the Kingpins ruling Canadian ska in the '90s, and Stomp Records dominating the release of ska albums, as well as distributing the now-defunct Moon Records, there was no doubt that Montreal was the place to be for ska. Well, now a new competitor has placed itself on the forefront of the Canadian ska landscape, in volume if in nothing else. With an impressive array of bands, and a record label to release their records with Bacteria Buffet, ska has found a strong home in Winnipeg. Obviously, much of the growth of ska in Winnipeg can be attributed to a former Stomp records band, Whole Lotta Milka, and one of the driving forces in that band, Greg Crowe, has formed a new band, the Wedgewoods. The Wedgewooods' self-titled CD is a poppy ska affair with female vocals reminiscent of the Dance Hall Crashers. Occasionally they try to bring rock guitars into the mix, but even they get absorbed by the poppy and upbeat vocals. The Barrymores are another female-fronted ska band coming out of Winnipeg. They too are poppy like the Wedgewoods, but their music is faster-paced and they bring more of a punk aesthetic; the rock doesn't seem out of place for them. The vocal fare of both bands is light-hearted in nature, with song titles like ""Up the Bum" (the Barrymores) and "Jesus was a Pirate" (the Wedgewoods) as prime examples. Neither of the bands are exceptionally good; they're just simple, poppy ska with female vocals.