Road Rules

@cal body 1 no indent:Vic Ruggiero, frontman for N.Y.C. ska rockers the Slackers, isn’t bitter that the Great Ska Music Revival of the '90s left his band behind. The fact they didn’t become modern-rock staples like Rancid and Sublime might be the best thing that’s ever happened to them, he says. “We were never the popular kids on the scene. We always had something to strive for, and we’re always trying to make something happen. That underdog mentality helps us. It makes for a longer shelf life.” @cal body 1:Many post-Specials ska bands give off a marching-band-nerd stench. But the Slackers are about as genuine as Americans get playing Jamaican dance music. Their latest album, Peculiar, even dives into the rocksteady riddims of classic 2-Tone bands. The rhythm tracks were recorded live onstage, while vocals, horns, and other overdubs were done in the studio. “We wanted to make this is as live-sounding as possible,” says Ruggiero. And for the first time in their decade-long career, the Slackers get overtly political on songs like “Propaganda” and “International War Criminal.” “It’s a more urgent time. It’s ironic, because when we were younger, we never wanted to change the world.”
Fri., Dec. 1, 9 p.m.