Promotional Photo

The Allstonians

The Allstonians

With Tip The Van, The Duppies, Live Now, Johnny 9 and The Racers and Stalemate. 7 p.m., Oct. 16. The Space, 295 Treadwell St., Building H, Hamden. $10. 203-288-6400, thespace.tk.

Formed in 1992 in Allston, Mass., the Allstonians play a brand of ska that is by no means authentic, but it’s closer to the Jamaican variety than 99 percent of the so-called ska or reggae bands out there today.

In the mid-’90s, the band hit its stride and rode high on ska’s third-wave revival thanks to old-school sounds blended with (tasteful) pop sensibilities.

The band released two well-loved albums on Moon Records, the center of the ska universe at the time, and toured the world with real-deal acts like the Skatalites and Toots and the Maytals, and even acted as the backing band for Lord Tanamo and Laurel Aitken.

When ska maxed out its genre-of-the-month credit card in the early 2000s, the roller coaster ride screeched to a halt. The Allstonians could no longer make a living doing what they did, but unlike many bands from the era, they kept making music anyway.

This Friday, they’ll appear at the Space, sandwiched between younger bands who could learn a thing or two from these seasoned vets.

Keyboardist and singer Nigel Knucklehead shared his wisdom via e-mail from his home in Allston.

Advocate: When do you think the third wave peaked? When were the clubs the most packed and the most ska records selling? When did it crash and why?

Nigel Knucklehead: 1999 was the golden year. Things were really cooking and a lot of good bands emerged. You still had Bim Skala Bim and the Toasters, but Skavoovie [and the Epitones], Skoidats, Dr. Ringding, Beat Soup, Hepcat and a few others were going strong too.

The Allstonians were making enough money to pay for our space, vans and hotels. We were all over New England and eventually ventured down to Florida, the west coast and Europe. I quit my job in 2000 to run things, and that’s when it started going bad. The clubs saw the money coming in at ska shows (there were a lot of people who enjoyed drinking when they attended the shows … and before … and after) and they started booking more and more of them. By 2001, there were three or four ska shows a week in Boston. The scene exploded and there were tons of crap bands with 30 fans who would be willing to play with four or five other bands to fill the clubs. The bars rode that horse until it keeled over.

A: Why do you think the whole Moon Records scene was such a success? The right place at the right time? Good branding? Just a good time for creativity?

NK: Creativity is always there. It just moves from style to style. Look at the Kooks, the Spinto Band and Vampire Weekend, all very talented, all not ska and all right now. I would go with the right time at the right place. Many of us in this wave heard the original stuff and then the explosion from England and we let the idea incubate.

A: While the Allstonians don’t strive for an authentic Jamaican sound, you don’t have a typical rock-infused third wave sound either. Where does it come from?

NK: We tried to take as much as we can from the Jamaicans. Father David Roy, who re-joined the band after an eight-year hiatus, was talking about doing things a bit jazzier, like the Skatalites, but we aren’t cut out for that — we do a much more muscular version of ska than the Jamaicans. I think it has to do with our rock roots. It also has a bit to do with Two Tone bands. You want to retain as much of the Jamaican sound as you can. We wrote very poppy tunes and that was our way of marking the music, and it influenced the way we played the tunes.

A: What would you say are mistakes newcomers to the scene make when they’re trying to play ska or reggae?

NK: No. 1: Listen to one another. They are listening only to themselves to make sure they sound right or good. They don’t look at each other and anticipate. We are at the point, and it took a long time, where I can go into a 3/4 time while everybody else will stay in a 4/4, or instruments can drop out without frightening the other members. No. 2: Do not accept all songs without scrutiny. Not everyone is a songwriter, but many think they are. It’s that whole “if you believe in yourself” crap. You cannot believe yourself into being a good songwriter. If you write songs about your pain, you suck. If you write about ska, you suck. If you use the word “rude,” you suck. If you write unison horn lines, you suck. Of course, any of these rules can be broken if they are done in the right way. In other words, most “songwriters” shouldn’t use that term. No. 3: Don’t be a dick. There’s nothing different or special about musicians, though people will pump you full of that shite. Your barber has talent and he isn’t a dick. Your doctor has talent but she isn’t a dick. Your musical talent does not make you better than anyone. So treat all the people who come to see you with respect.

A: Back in the day, Grant Thayer’s Boston Ska e-mail blasts were packed with shows and news. Boston was a hub of ska activity. What’s going on up there these days? Any new bands you recommend? Any old ones who took a break who are back at it?

NK: Grant did a great job up here and we still run into him now and again. He worked really hard for this scene. Who’s back? Beat Soup never stopped. I do have one band that blew me away, the Stress out of Providence, R.I. Those cats were really tight, great vocals and they had some good songs. Also, our friends the Have Nots are absolutely great. We are actually becoming more involved with the rockabilly/punk/alternative scene. The Sprained Ankles, the Alrighters and the Swinedells are a few of the bands we love to play with and see.

A: Tell me about the new record in the works.

NK: We are building our own studio, Studio Nun, in which to record it. It will be more vocal-heavy in the harmony section. Actually, we’re thinking of doing two CDs, one vocal and one instrumental. A few Skatalites covers may be done as well as some jazz standards. What’s different? I think we know where we want our instruments to go. If we use our own recording, it will be more live-sounding. We will have complete control of mixdown, etc. We have always wanted to be a bit more like Lee Perry, and now might be our chance. We also have a ton more 20-40-second songs that we will probably include ... kind of like a They Might Be Giants trip.

A: What were some career highlights? What are some goals the band still has for the future?

NK: Highlights include backing Lord Tanamo and Laurel Aitken, playing with the Skatalites, Toots and Yellow Man and touring the States and Europe. As for goals, it’s always a musician’s goal to play for a living. In a way, we are still trying to do that but in another way we are happy just to be playing. We’ll keep recording and hopefully keep selling and making people happy … even one person enjoying our work is worth it.