The Aggrolites have zero ska songs. Sure they play with a lot of ska bands, but their genre is REGGAE, specifically "Dirty Reggae." That means it was influenced by late 60s skinhead reggae, and given a modern, aggressive punk rock edge. The band formed in 2002, immediately appealing to the hardcore skinhead and rudeboy crowd. But in 2007, when they appeared on Yo Gabba Gabba (And performed the E.K. Bunch's classic reggae song "Banana") they gained a much wider audience. Today, we tell the story of The Aggrolites with singer Jesse Wagner and keyboardist Roger Rivas. We talk about the vibrant traditional ska scene they emerged from, and how they formed out of a Derrick Morgan recording project that was never released. We talk in-depth about the first three records and learn how the band went from recording spontaneous jams to thought-out (and sometimes experimental) songs. We talk about the group getting signed to Hellcat and backing Tim Armstrong on his debut solo album, "A Poet's Life" (The session included an Alkaline Trio cover that was released separately). We also talk about how rough it was opening for Dropkick Murphys on tour. We get into the group's style, which has a lot more in common with punk than reggae or ska. And we discuss how, even though they play reggae music, they don't fit into the reggae scene.  Support the show