SPECIALL GUEST – 1980’s Santa Cruz Ska Band
In 1983, a punk band made up of teen and pre-teen musicians from Mission Hill Junior High played their last gig, changed their name to Speciall Guest, and embarked upon an existence as Santa Cruz, California’s first second-wave ska band. They played their first gig at Cha Cha’s off of Soquel Avenue, with Camper Van Beethoven on the same bill.
They also appeared throughout the Monterey Bay Area, from San Jose to Carmel, at house parties, University of California dorm parties, big halls like the Santa Cruz Civic, and smaller clubs like Dexter’s and Club Culture, where they were the house band, regularly selling out each weekend. Despite all this activity, the recorded output was minimal. Only two songs were ever properly recorded, both originals: “Don’t Fit,” and “Top of the World.” Recorded by local Santa Cruz recording engineer Tom Fox when most of the band was age sixteen, the resulting demo tape was never released anywhere, only passed around among fans and promoters… until now.
“Don’t Fit,” the single, is now available on Spotify. It only took 36 years.
That original demo tape is now a single available on Spotify. The A-side, “Don’t Fit,” is pure-early-eighties-teenage-angst-ska. Penned by lead singer Mike “Skankersore” Faulkner, sax player James Garrison and guitar player Marc Bernasconi, this song fits right between two-tone era ska and the coming, harder, third-wave sound. The B-side, “Top of the World,” again written by Mike “Skankersore” Faulkner, was written as a tribute to a fan that lost her life after being hit by a car. It was guitarist Bernasconi’s idea to harmonize the sax line with the guitar. Publishing company Mike and Mandy Inc. has made these two tracks available to stream today.
Band lineup: Jay Spottswood (Drums, vocals), Bob “Wire” Burns (Bass 1983-86, Guitar 1986-88), Jesse Murphy (Bass, 1986-88), James Garrison (Alto Sax, vocals, keys), Marc Bernasconi (Guitar, 1983-85, 87-88), Wade “Suede” Peterson (Baritone Sax, keys, 1985-88), Mike “Skankersore” Faulkner (Vocals, keys, percussion), Jaime Marshall (Guitar, 1986)