Mike Sosinski, guitarist for DC-area ska act Kill Lincoln and founder and head of Bad Time Records, has been one of the driving forces of ska support in the USA since founding the label in 2018. TGEFM got ahold of Mike for a little bit of Roll of the Dice. We rolled a NINE.
1) Thank you for agreeing to do this interview and thank you for putting out tons of new Ska music. I feel like I just wrote the review of Wavebreaker 2 and Wavebreaker 3 is already out. Can you tell us what else is coming soon from Bad Time Records?
We just announced “LAVOS” from The Holophonics, and that will be the last new release for 2022 (preorders just opened today at The Holophonics Bandcamp and Bad Time web store – editor). Don’t want to spoil anything for 2023 just yet.
2) Speaking of new releases, the amount of new Ska music coming out the last few years has been pleasantly surprising to me and it seems to be picking up (pun intended). As someone who is behind a large portion of this growth, maybe you can answer the question, are we officially in the 4th wave of Ska? You know what, as the Blue Meanies would say, “It Doesn’t Matter” as it is clear there is a Ska resurgence going on in the last few years. Other than the formation of Bad Time Records, what do you attribute this resurgence to?
I don’t know how to answer the 4th wave question honestly. There’s been over 20 years of great original ska since the “3rd wave” ended in the late 90s. I’m just happy people are listening. I think there are just tons of bands releasing great music and it’s become really hard to ignore. Plus it seems like the stigma of ska being for frat houses or nerds has sort of gone away. People forget why they’re not supposed to like ska until the mozzarella stick meme starts going around.
(He means this one [and also, the band name Skazzarella Sticks is free for the taking] – editor)
3) Some people say ska just continues on and has never gone away and even reject the “wave” term. But there has to be some reason younger bands that were too young or not even born yet during the height of the 3rd wave to want to start a ska band now. Do you feel like a lot of the newer ska bands are of younger age?
There are definitely lots of young new ska bands. I think ska punk in particular is attractive to young people just discovering what punk music is, and ska has such a welcoming and diverse community that it’s very appealing. There are also tons of bands like my own that are in their mid 30s and have been playing the music since we were teenagers. Kill Lincoln still gets called a “new” band and we formed in 2008.
4) What do you feel is drawing a younger audience for new ska music in the last few years? I don’t believe Hawaiian or Aloha shirts are back in style?
I think it’s the energy, the diversity, the message.
5) A lot of ska bands, especially during the 2-Tone era had anti-racist and unity idealism embedded into their music and this is something Bad Time Records has adopted and expanded on. You even put out the Ska Against Racism benefit album a few years back. Can you tell us why these messages are important to you to live on in the current generation of Ska.
Anti-racism is one of the core beliefs of ska music, a music that was created by black musicians in Jamaica. While all modern ska and ska punk bands might not carry on the exact same traditional rhythms, I think spiritually it’s important to stay connected to that message to honor the roots of the music.
6) In addition to the label’s message of equality and anti-hatred, supporting each other and other Ska bands, regardless if they are on your label or not, is a big part of the Bad Time community. Am I correct to say Bad Time formed to support the ska genre first, and not just to become rich? We all know Ska music is where the money is at. (laughter)
Supporting the bands who were holding up the genre through the 2000s was the only reason I started Bad Time. In my wildest dreams the label would break even. I also just love promoting music… I wasn’t satisfied just promoting Kill Lincoln, so I wanted to help my friends.
7) Moving on to your band Kill Lincoln which name comes from the totally awesome movie Fast Times, I assume. It does seem a little like an obscure pull from the movie that’s jammed full of great possible Ska band names like “The Mr. Hand Band”, “Skapicoli”, “Kick 100% of your Ass!”, or the most obvious “Bronco Burger Secret Sauce”. Who came up with the name Kill Lincoln?
Tyler our drummer came up with Kill Lincoln. I’ve never been good at band names. Tyler pitched it and I had never seen Fast Times, but it sounded cool.
8) Kill Lincoln released their first album in like 7 years, but that was a few years back already. The band has released a few tracks since then, are there any plans for more new music or albums in the near future?
Yes definitely. I’m just not sure when. Running the label has seriously cut down on my creative energy and time, and we focused pretty heavily on touring this year. It’s been hard for me personally to focus on writing music. But we have some solid demos and ideas and will hopefully get to focus on them next year.
9) This last question is one we ask in most of these Roll of Dice interviews and it is one that you probably have your finger on the pulse of. Are there any Ska or Ska Punk bands on your radar that TGEFM readers may not have heard of, but you think they should?
The Holophonics, Kmoy, The Pomps, Roshambo.
Roll of the Dice is a short interview format with a variable amount of questions. A Pair of dice is rolled and the total, between 2 and 12, is the amount of questions we can ask. All questions are given to the interviewee(s) at once, and no follow-ups are allowed. The interview may be lightly edited for content and clarity.
Likes fine beer and cheap cheese. He has been a DJ, sound mixer for commercials and television, and currently designs motorcycle parts. He also has a habit of creating pastiche style cover songs and changing the chorus to incorporate “Jeff” or “Sorley.” (sigh… it’s true – Jeff)
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