In Defense of Ska Ep 166: Daraka Larimore-Hall (The Adjusters)

After forming in 1995, The Adjusters quickly made a name for themselves in the bustling Chicago scene for their blend of ska and soul, as well as their intensely political edge. Over time, the group has only gotten more and more active. Lead vocalist Daraka Larimore-Hall joins In Defense of Ska this week to dive into the band's history, their overtly socialist politics, and the direction ska took in the '90s. Listen wherever you get your podcasts.

The Adjusters may not have ever been chart-toppingly huge, and that may have been because they didn't fit in with the typical third-wave pop-punk/ska stylings that dominated the late '90s. In between exploring the band's origins and political views, Larimore-Hall explains why he's hesitant to even call these groups "ska," pointing out how their connection to the genre's Jamaican roots are distant at best. (Before you get your pitchforks out, though, he also has plenty of praise to sing for the genre! The dude was in a ska band!)

Listen to Daraka Larimore-Hall talk about The Adjusters and '90s ska on the latest 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.

Check out Daraka’s podcast here! 

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. 

Support the In Defense host Aaron Carnes by purchasing a copy of his book, In Defense of Ska. The 2nd, expanded edition of In Defense of Ska will release in Oct 2024. 

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.

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