Here’s an extraordinary guide to starting for a ska band, from a man who really knows his bidniz. Victor Rice is a master producer, musician, composer, and all around scholar of ska and dub and reggae musics in their myriad forms. His step by step guide, published as a guest blog on Ska Blah Blah, is an enjoyable read for any ska fan, and could be essential to someone really taking the plunge. Professor Rice’s discussion of tempo, in particular, could save bands, and their audiences, a lot of grief! The study of upstroke vs. downstroke guitar upbeats is eloquent – I have never heard it described so accurately.