By MATT ROSEILI
Staff Writer
 

Mrs. Skannotto and the Rubber Policemen kept the Silo banging for the duration. The Rubber Policemen, a punk band loosely formed two years ago, are guitarist/vocalist Todd Robbins, bassist Matt Twiest, and drummer John Seager.

Mrs. Skannotto, who made their debut at the Ronj last year during The Battle of the Bands and also had a gig in the Page lounge last short term, are the Rubber Policemen plus horns and keyboards to add that ska flavor. Mark Annotto (a.k.a. "Skannotto," the origin ofthe band's name) sings and plays trumpet, Eric Hemmeter sings and plays alto sax, Nicole Granger sings and plays keyboard, Katie Driscoll plays tenor sax, and Justin Lloyd plays trumpet.

Mrs. Skannotto started off the night, playing an inspired set that mixed humor with skankable ska rhythms. Skannotto points out that some of the band's songs "are more punk influenced whereas others are more traditional ska."

Their cover of Judge Dread's "Big Seven" was more on the straight-up ska side, featuring Skannotto doing a reggae-style solo on vocals. "That featured a little ragga muffin flavoring," he said. On their version of the Skofflaw's "William Shattner," they "added a punk element," boosting up the distortion on Robbins' guitar.

The lighter side of the performance, never avoided by this band, came when Skannotto rapped a version of "Baby Got Back" (you remember that Sir Mix-a-Lot song from middle school), with Twiest thumping out the bass line and Seager holding the funky beat. From the danceable to the ridiculous, they had the crowd digging the scene from beginning to end.

The Rubber Policemen came out and replaced the ska party with some hardcore punk. There were no horns here, just bad ass rock `n roll. "They're straight punk," said Skannotto. They played mostly original tunes except for "Bar Room Heroes," by the Drop Kick Murphy's, and a Minor Threat cover.

The mosh pit was lacking...unless of course you consider one guy trying to kick about twenty five other people a mosh pit. The place still rocked though: Robbins kept the intensity high on lead guitar. And what has the drummer to say about all this excitement? "Playing with the Rubber Policemen is 666% fun." Weird- I was having similar feelings.

Mrs. Skannotto seemed a little concerned about the crowd's fear of the dance floor. Skannotto just shrugged, a bit confused: "Ska is just Jamaican dance music. It's totally designed for dancing."

Anyone looking for another chance to get down and hear some quality ska music, Mrs. Skannotto is holding a Happy Skalidays concert on Friday, December I Ith that will feature two new original songs and some covers of Christmas ska songs. Keep your eyes and ears open for more information. And maybe have your dance shoes polished in the meantime, too.