Ska-core Kings the Mighty Mighty
Bosstones have toiled in the club circuit for almost 15 years, scalding
audiences with their pungent horns and propulsive rhythms. But "The
Impression That I Get," a tuneful song about life's little obstacles
from the Boston-based bands' breakthrough album, "Let's Face It"
(Mercury), has given the hardworking octet its first real taste of
national success (thanks in no small part to massive exposure on MTV).
Holed up between shows in a Hyatt somewhere in Pittsburgh, guitarist
Nate Albert recently discussed technique, dancing and the importance of
dodging airborne panties.


MAXIMUM GUITAR: How does it feel to have a hit after all these years?

NATE ALBERT: I don't know, dude, because we're doing the same gigs
we've always done. People congratulate us now, but we're still in a van
looking for a shower. It's no that different.

MG: Aren't you playing to bigger crowds?

NA: We've always drawn a lot of people. We'd done festivals like
Lollapalooza before we had a hit. Come the fall we'll get weirded out,
playing award shows and getting involved in that rock-star thing. Then
we'll feel it. But the road is a bubble, you don't feel it. [turns to
the other band members in the hotel room] Do you guys feel any
different since the hit?

THE BAND: What hit?

NA: Exactly, what hit? I always thought seeing myself on MTV would be
great, but after a coupla times, it doesn't even feel like it's you.
The first time, the sensation lasts about two minutes. Masturbation is
way better.

MG: Who's that dancing fool in your stage show?

NA: That's our homey, Ben Carr. He's in the band and he's also our tour
manager. He dances the whole set, dude. He's the ringleader, the
official Bosstone. We've worked it out so he doesn't trip over
anything.

MG: And when you record?

NA: Ben's in the studio, hanging out, dancing. It's a hippie-fest, an
acid campfire, love-fest thing.

MG: The Bosstones prefer that hippie love-dance vibe at their shows?

NA [laughs]: Yeah, a psychedelic, acid-trip hippie love vibe.

MG: You all have been playing ska since 1983?

NA: Yah, the same shit. People were not ready for ska-core at that
time.

MG: Are bands like No Doubt and Goldfinger ripping you off?

NA: Nah, they got their own thing. No Doubt, God love 'em, are more
like Madonna than a ska band and they've been around a long time, too.
And Goldfinger used to be a metal band. We're ripping off the Specials
as much as they're ripping us off.

MG: Is there a different approach to ska between East and West Coast
bands?

NA: West coast is more pop, with harmonies and big choruses. East coast
is harder, more rough-and-tumble. And we're more metal than punk rock.

MG: Are there challenges to playing ska guitar that people don't
realize?

NA: Well, we're more about songs than playing solos. It's not about
jerking off. You want to stay out of the way of the vocals and the
melodies. I think the Beatles are way better than any metal band you
can name. But when we play live, I do freestyle and ad lib, which
annoys the band. I throw in some ninths. It gets jazzy and weird.
You're a percussive element but you also have to color everything.
There is a balance to maintain. If you play ska badly, it's a joke. You
have t understand the technique. There's a lot of finesse and taste
involved.

MG: Who are some of your main influences on guitar?

NA: I like Andy Summers, Albert King, Kendall of Fishbone, Dr. Know
from Bad Brains, Mick Jones, Bob Stinson and Peter Tosh.

MG: So, you're enjoying the road life: the burgers and the babes and
the flying panties?

NA: I'm loving it, man. And the panties do happen.  But watch out when
they're dirty. It can hurt.