Jimmy Skaffa

Save Ferris, anyone? Omaha, Nebraska’s Jimmy Skaffa have perfected the art of imitating Save Ferris to a tee. The ten-piece band (formed in 1992 by ex-members of Knuckle Junction and the Porkpie Conspiracy) plays a mixture of third wave ska and swing that reminds the listener of It Means Everything in more than just the vocals. Jimmy Skaffa have a much larger horn section than Save Ferris, but manage to get almost exactly the same horn sound, which makes one wonder why all those horns are needed. The band has two guitarists, which is not very common in ska these days (except for ska-punk acts like Goldfinger). The overall effect of all these instruments is usually a good one. If nothing else, the band has a fuller sound than most. To give Jimmy Skaffa some credit, they don’t sound exactly like Save Ferris. They lean more towards neo-swing, à la Cherry Poppin’ Daddies, on most of the tracks, and they have some excellent instrumental tracks. Singer Robin Goodwin has a great voice, but it’s nothing original. At times it even sounds like (shudder) No Doubt‘s Gwen Stefani. There is some variety, however, when guitarist Daniel Stewart takes over on lead vocals, and when the band’s friend Ross Manhart tries out his best Dicky Barrett growl on “Knock You Down”. The songs themselves are well-written, upbeat and catchy, but to be honest Jimmy Skaffa doesn’t stand out from the countless other bands with the same sound.