At this point, the stalwart lads from Undercover S.K.A. have been awaiting the "big ska revival" for over a decade and a half. They clocked into the club circuit around the same time that the Specials were coming out with "Ghost Town." It gives a lot of Undercover songs ("Practice all night/ Gonna practice all day/ Work like a German to make ska pay") a certain, um, poignancy. And, while we have yet to see if all that hard work will actually "pay" off, we do know from last week's sold-out Slim's show that the band has met the challenge with great, bouncy, skinny-tied aplomb and people have noticed. It's hard not to. The permanent addition of drummer Eddie Sassin gave the group an extra kick that had been missing with previous lineups. Sassin -- whom you might recognize from his years of modeling for Levi's, Joe Boxer, and Armani, or from all the local bus sides that his lovely mug has recently graced -- is a fuck of a drummer, matched only in energy by the more recent addition of percussion loon Stark Raving Brad. While Sassin supplies Undercover S.K.A. with a flamboyant and adroit core (accompanied by a necessary crash helmet), SRB (dressed like a 2-toned jester) bounds across the stage, beating on pillars, bottles, an elaborate kit, and the bassist's bum. As before, the band favors the old-school side of ska -- a union of laid-back reggae riffs with hyper-pill-popping white-boy rhythms, instead of the more fashionable ska-punk variety -- but the two drummers have given the band irrefutable presence and extended the humorous dementia initially concocted by the more subtle teamwork of frontman Bob Glynn and bassist/vocalist Pat Smith. A flame has been lit under the collective Undercover rump. Of course, as the heart of the group, Glynn sustains the band's sweet-natured integrity -- the song "Super Nice Guys" (a fabulous new version of which appears on the recently released The Things That Men Do) should be their theme if it isn't already -- but a touch of mania never hurt anybody. Undercover S.K.A. open for the Specials at the Fillmore on Thursday, July 31, at 7 p.m. The show is all-ages, which is good because only 15-year-olds can skank for three straight hours without breaking a sweat. Tickets are $21.50; call 775-7722.
A few months back, Boobzilla -- a large and luscious go-go dancer who gets naked, paints herself green, and wears a big, scaly monster tail -- destroyed a cardboard model of Tokyo by crushing the city between her opulent breasts. It was quite a sight, but that's common fare at "Stinky's Peepshow." This week, Boobzilla hosts a special little pool party for all of her friends (expect to get wet). As always, DJ Spike (lead singer for the untouchable Me First & the Gimme Gimmes) will spin all your white-trash faves. As a special treat, a mysterious outfit calling themselves Band From the Pubs will supply a sweaty musical interlude. (And who are they, really? Rumor has it that it's a local punk band -- one that, when not in Europe, sells out the Trocadero with the greatest of ease.) "Stinky's" invites all rock-loving meat-eaters to join them at the CW Saloon on Thursday, July 31, at 9 p.m. Tickets are $5; call 974-1585.
-- Silke Tudor
