About people. We chose this name because it sounded musical and means "the common people" in ancient Greek. It's pretty funny if you say it repeatedly. Ska too is music for and by people, the average man in the street. Jav's then-girlfriend Mara and Dan came up with it 17 JUN 94 on the way to a J.S. Hall instore at Mt. Hope Record Archive – you may recall this as the same day of the O.J. Simpson white Bronco chase. We're lazy and never sat down to get it out until 18 months later. A humble debut featuring circumstance behind its creation, text about origins, our local Mobil Kodak Park influence, reflective ramblings, 3 measly reviews of releases (one per editor), punk n' ska desert island picks, much random contribution from friends. Personal writing foreshadows seeing objects like legos + autos differently, plus a Mr. Softee murderation illustration copied off the timesheet binder. Dirty solicitors.

Centerfold is a big depth interview with the ubiquitous D. Foster MacAllister, conducted over coffee & cheeseburgers at Peppermill Restaraunt 1/9/96. He talks about life in Maine while the Chi-Lites' "Have You Seen Her" is on Muzak. Later learn this place was a mobbed-up hangout called The Chessmen in the early 1970s. Cover guy drawn by Geoff (M.I.A. since 6/93). Logotype by Danny K, tinfoil junk by Jav.

Who'd imagine a project woulda gone on for so long and develop as much; if you've seen this compared to later ones you know what I mean. In years since we've certainly grown into a spot on the ever-expansive, always on, super ultra culturally pervasive essential must-have interweb.

Do you like to read a television screen?

It was fifteen minutes until 9. The sounds of the Deltones rattled from my stereo. I was mildly disturbed when the phone rang, but it was a phone call that would soon change my life. Deeply involved with a three page report on the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, I reluctantly got up to answer this ghastly clangor. I picked up the phone and was pleasantly surprised to hear the voice of my good friend John.

I was disappointed at first when I found out his only reason for calling was to recite Miggedys' lyrics ("I feel the need, the need to know..."), but soon found myself joining in the merry sing-along. Soon our conversation took a turn, and many other turns to boot. We talked about music, TV, aardvarks, the disturbance in Haiti, past felony charges received on early dismissal days in fifth grade, the images and symbolism used by J.D. Salinger in the Catcher in the Rye to express the loss of innocence through the passage to adulthood. But mostly we just talked about work.

The set up.
Eighties reggae was Eddy Grant's Electric Avenue and UB40 for all we knew. Early 90s, Pete's dad bought multiple vintage Brady-era station wagons. In good shape yes, but working tapedeck no so the oldies station was tuned. Before online networks went household, Steady E brought Gangster Fun to the Boogie Bar in Oct '93; Bosstone fans would collapse the floor there 2 weeks later. Bad Brains came back. Chipper gave Dan an old Madness hits collection. The next year we really dug BIM, Primus, Megatherium, Oyer's new Falling Down project with Miggedy demo and soundboard tapes. For whatever reason (Mara, 7/20/94) I had 500 sheets neon orange paper, but only used 30 – the rest collected dust. Yolk. Eric and Moe T did poster design – these often read "THE MUSIC IS SKA" and few had clue one. In yucky ka ka man fashion, Dan drew up a rude stick figure logo. Johnny Was responsible for dayglo paper doll cutouts which littered the stage during Orange Halls. Peter too was into ska, punk and metal. Record Time stocked us with titles (when not walking to House of Guitars). Habitually sent letters with SASEs to bands we liked on samplers to find out more – no email addresses yet, let alone domians. Soul Coughing sampled Toots & the Maytals. Jumbalya Jim became Grounds Keeper Willy. Gals Panic played the Bug Jar once, but we were just underage; "I think we need helicopters." Tennis legend and terrace fashion icon Fred Perry passes February 2, aged 85. A freed Nelson Mandela gets juxtaposed against Trent Reznor in the senior yearbook collage.

Staunch fans of Music to Bowl By, we are shocked to hear that era Let's Go Bowling guitar vocalist David Molina died suddenly in Fresno, CA 12/27/95.

Shortcut through an Eastview music store and happen upon some mall-circuit unknowns doing autographs. Because there was no line whatsoever, get a signed poster for Ms. Anastasia purely for joke's sake. "The Backstreet Boys" are new kids on the block all over again.

It seems not so much like we chose hodge-podge fanzine culture as it chose us. HP1 got completed late January after an epic hike down into the snowy Genesee gorge for ice cave exploration. Twenty-two miles long and fairly deep, it's touted as the "Grand Canyon of the East." No one ever thought about murder there, at least not until 1988. As much as we'd like to credit Evan Dorkin's 1993 comic Where have all the Ska 'zines Gone? for inspiration, some favorites were Adventures of Stickman #3 (Buffalo), Punk Life #16, Dishwasher #12, Stargreen #3 & 5, Tighten Up #15, 737 #3, Moon Skazette #12, E. Atkinson's Skaville Times – a newsprint broadsheet outta Boulder CO. Glenn Morrison SkaOi! #2 Aug 95. Local lit arts of the Refrigerator. And who could forget that one off ultra-limited Miggedy promo fanzine spring 1995 containing a Slash interview?

HP1 never went too much past our close friends until #2 was completed, when we could barely scrape up postage for a tiny mailing of both. A first class stamp costs 32 cents. It wasn't even a true xerox, but big ups to that ancient Pitney Bowes revving at 296.