Ska/Reggae is one of those genres where even if it’s not ‘your thing’, it still is. No matter what you current playlist of choice consists of, everyone should own a great Ska-Reggae album to put on at parties or for mixed-crowd events. Two and A Half White Guys provide the perfect album for that spot in your life with their newest release Gringo. (Magalith)
Ska legend Victor Rice mixed the album in such a way that it manages to convey a live, improvisational feel, without coming off as tangential or disconnected. Nor is it one more disc that starts solid and drifts slowly into what 20 years ago would have been a B-side. The final track is one of the best parts; a dub-remix inspired by Rice himself.
Oft compared to Sublime, with an immediate disclaimer always following about how they don’t sound exactly like Sublime. The band does sound a little like Sublime’s more fun, upbeat songs, but without the sometimes overbearing references to pot smoking and dogs.
Playing with acts such as Stretch Armstrong, The Slackers, The Toasters, and The Debonaires, the Salt Lake City band is a frequent festival favorite and also lends their talent out to worthy causes in their area.
I have to know, what is the origin of your band’s name?
We started out as a three-piece. Nate, our original drummer Marko, and myself were all roommates and played in the same weirdo-swing band. We were at a gig and the bass player was AWOL, and we needed to kill some time, so the three of us just decided to go out on stage and play some of the covers we used to play at home. We needed a name and Nate suggested 3 white guys, to which our half-micronesian drummer Marko replied, “hey, I’m only half white”. So, we settled on 2 ½ White Guys. And now there are six of us, so the math is a little outdated.
People like to pigeonhole bands in genres and sub-genres. If you had to explain your sound without limiting it to a genre, how would you describe it?
Without limiting it to a genre….hmmm…..well, obviously most of what we do is rooted in reggae and ska, but I don’t think we’re limited by that, and really I don’t consider ourselves to be a true reggae/ska band either. However, there’s something about reggae that lends itself well to mixing with other types of music; whether it’s jazz, afrobeat, punk, pop or whatever. Our latest CD tends to jump from one genre to another with each new track, so it’s hard to put a finger on a single description. I wouldn’t say we “defy” description; I just can’t come up with a unifying theme. Maybe you can?
Being artists, you probably have a number of influences. Culturally, what are you major influences, not limited to just other musicians?
Cultural influences…interesting. Well, obviously Jamaican music and culture are relatively big influences on this band. But I’d also have to say several band members have been heavily influenced by the style and culture of jazz and the aesthetics of punk, the two of which are more similar than many people realize. Utah culture probably has some influence as well. Not so much the prevailing religion of the area, but more just because Utah’s kind of a quirky place to live and I think that’s had some impact on our music.
Mp3s and file sharing, love it or hate it? Explain.
Personally, I don’t have a problem with it. But I’m not losing millions of dollars in income because of it either. As a general rule, I try to buy new music as much as possible, because I understand that somebody, somewhere is depending on that money. But I also think that anytime an artist can gain a new fan, they should take advantage whether they get paid or not. And if you’re already millionaire rockstars, quit bitching about it, because nobody feels bad for you.
As a part of the writing process, do you typically write new songs then play them live first or do you record demos then try to perfect them?
I don’t think we’ve ever recorded a song that hadn’t been played live at least a dozen or so times. On the rare occasion that we actually rehearse, we’ll work out any new material that a band member brings in. Once we have the rough form and structure worked out, we will usually start playing it live and work out the details on stage. With us, a song usually takes a few months of playing live before we settle on a final version. It’s also fairly rare for us to write a song that ends up sounding anything like it was originally intended too.
Your ideal show when you’re big and famous would take place where, with who opening for you?
That would probably depend on which band member you were to ask, because we have vastly different ideas when it comes to that sort of thing. Personally, I’d prefer a small club in NYC with opening act Sonny Rollins. But that’s just me.
When playing live do you incorporate any cover songs into your set, if so, what songs, by who and why?
Depends on the show. If we’re playing in a bar and have to kill three or four hours, then we tend to play some covers. We’ve been known to do some Prince Buster, Ken Boothe, Bob Marley and Peter Tosh. We’ve also done a John Coltrane tune, and some Freddie Hubbard as well. With some covers, the only recognizable part might be the chorus or “hook”, and we’ll just make up the rest.
What is the most memorable situation you guys have been in as a band? Good, bad or anything in-between.
Oh, that’s opening up a big can of worms. Good, would probably be the time we were all uber inebriated at a bowling alley in Long Island and our trumpet player at the time, Father Sluggo Diablo, lost his pants while attempting to throw the ball; to the amusement of many strangers. Bad, would probably be losing the van’s transmission in a small town in Kentucky and being stranded there for a few days while it was fixed. Our motel doubled as a truck driving school, which just made it that much better.
Questions answered by Dan Nelson
~Alexis Paige~
