For those of you who are asking "What exactly is this ska stuff?" and "Isn't a skank one of those nasty girls?". I'm going to clue you into the last, truly alternative type of music. You won't see this stuff with Idalis on MTV, to experience this music you have to get yourself to a real live concert. Ska originated during the 60's in Jamaica, later giving birth to reggae music. Soon ska became very popular in Europe with bands such as Madness and my personal favorite, the Specials. The best way to describe ska is that its quite similar to reggae, but has a very bouncy beat that is super easy to dance to. The dance that you'll see all the rudeboys (the most stylish ska fans) doing is called "skanking", go to a show and you'll know just what I mean.
One reason why Ska is so great is that the bands really care about their fans. Their purpose is to play a kick ass show that the crowd can get into, without the moshing "I'm obnoxious with big boots that can break your ankles or other body parts" mentality. I totally saw this at the WPI ska fest, the bands even invited the audience on stage to "skank it up"! I've attended quite a few Pub and Coffeehouse shows, but I must say this was definitely my favorite to date.