In Defense of Ska Ep 169: Save Ferris' Monique Powell

In the ’90s, ska began to break into the mainstream. And yet, even during the great ska boom, only a handful of bands had an actual radio hit. One of the few acts to accomplish such a feat was Save Ferris, scoring big with their cover of Dexys Midnight Runner's 1982 song “Come on Eileen." This week on In Defense of Ska, Save Ferris vocalist Monique Powell discusses the group, the Orange County scene, having a popular video on MTV, and their monumental cover. Listen wherever you get your podcasts.

Powell runs through the somewhat tumultuous history of the band, from their formation to their break-up in 2003 to the 2013 reformation that led to a flurry of legal issues. Through all of the highs and lows, however, Powell and Save Ferris delivered some unforgettable, surprisingly popular ska -- all steeped in Orange County vibes, of course.

Listen to Monique Powell go deep into Save Ferris' history on this episode of In Defense of Ska, and make sure to like, review, and follow the series wherever you get your podcast. Fans can also get early and ad-free episodes by joining the IDOS Patreon, and don't forget to check out all the Consequence Podcast Network series here.

You can also support the In Defense host Aaron Carnes by purchasing a copy of his book, In Defense of Ska. The 2nd, expanded edition will be released in Oct 2024.

If you like our theme song, go download the EP Lives by Slow Gherkin. They wrote the opening and closing songs for our podcast. You can get both tunes from their Lives EP. Also, check out Dan P and the Bricks two LPs. They provided the mid-roll ad transition music. 

Co-host Adam Davis has a band called Omnigone. Their latest record, Against The Rest released on March 31, 2023. 

The In Defense of Ska editor Chris Reeves runs a record label called Ska Punk International. They have new releases coming out all the time.