On Tuesday Feb. 12, just in time for Valentine’s Day, show your love for ska with the new children’s book HEY SKA-BURBIA written by MIKE DAMANTE and illustrated and published by H.E CREATIVE. Pre-orders for this limited release book are up, and you can pick-it up, pick-it up, pick-it up today!
A kid’s guide to catchy, and positive music, HEY SKA-BURBIA is the perfect way to introduce youth to brass instruments, and important punk rock and ska ethos like unity, acceptance, and anti-racist activism. The origin and elements of ska are told in an engaging, and fun way that highlights some of ska’s biggest acts like No Doubt, Reel Big Fish, Operation Ivy, Less Than Jake, The Interrupters and many more! Written by author and former music journalist MIKE DAMANTE (author of Hey Suburbia: A Guide To The Emo/Pop-Punk Rise) and illustrated by scene staple H.E CREATIVE , HEY SKA-BURBIA is a love letter to fans of all ages.
“H.E CREATIVE was really the perfect collaborator to bring this project to life; their ethos and creativity align perfectly with what this book is about,” Damante said.
In the 1990s, alternative rock radio was taken over by two different waves of punk rock dominance with bands like Green Day, Offspring, blink-182 and others becoming staples of popular culture. Part of that wave included ska acts like No Doubt, The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Reel Big Fish, and others garnering play on radio, MTV, and becoming some of rock’s biggest acts.
“I remember hearing The Mighty Mighty Bosstones on the radio, and hearing Goldfinger in the Tony Hawk Pro Skater game, and like many, those were my introductions to ska,” Damante said. “I always was a fan of ska, but I revisited the genre fully after having my first daughter. I wanted to share the music I loved with her, but also wanted something that was upbeat, and fun, and ska was the perfect choice. The book was inspired by that idea, as well as the ideas of racial unity, acceptance, and were part of the ska scene, which are all important ideals to pass along to kids.”
HEY SKA-BURBIA is out Feb. 12.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR INFO:
Mike Damante is an author, ex- Houston Chronicle journalist, and former award-winning teacher. Damante is the author of the 2021 coffee table book “Hey Suburbia: A Guide To The Emo/Pop-Punk Rise,” which was featured in USA Today, The New York Times, and Hi My Name Is Mark. Damante is the author of the non-fiction trilogy of the paranormal “Punk rock and UFOs” series “Punk rock and UFOs: Stranger Than Fiction," “Punk rock and UFOs: True Believers" and "Punk Rock and UFOs: Cryptozoology Meets Anarchy, “ and the YA fiction novel “Pumpkin Spice and Nothing Nice.” He’s interviewed artists like blink-182, Bad Religion, Aerosmith,Donald Glover, Reel Big Fish, Less Than Jake, Alkaline Trio, Good Charlotte, Tegan and Sara, the Descendents and many more. He currently lives in Houston with his wife and daughters.
ABOUT THE ARTIST:
H.E CREATIVE is a design studio based in the UK and known for collaborating with some of the biggest labels and names in punk like Epitaph Records,The Distillers, H20, and other high-profile clients like Columbia Records, Sony Pictures, MTV, Virgin Holidays, Universal, Cannes, Jaegermeister, FSG Books, Phoebe Bridgers, Third Eye Blind, Sick Of It All, and many more.
If you are a fan of emo and pop-punk, Mike Damante’s book “Hey Suburbia: A guide to the emo/pop-punk rise” is out now, and features exclusive interviews with the blink-182, New Found Glory, Alkaline Trio, Less Than Jake, Taking Back Sunday, Descendents, and others.