In ska terms, SA band Channel One qualifies as a local supergroup. The sextet formed two years ago when former Resistors Gerald Hooper, Laith Fisk, and Jeremy “Germ” Garza joined forces with former Spies Like Us guitarist Jason Trevino.
Hooper, a former Columbia and RCA Records employee, views ska as the jagged rhythmic propulsion that’s driven much of his favorite music rather than a checkerboard aesthetic or lifestyle choice that demands strict adherence.
The band’s new debut album, Pose & Posture (recorded at Keith Harter Studios, and distributed by the Toasters’ Megalith label) demonstrates what a tight, confident, horn-driven unit Hooper has assembled. Standouts such as “I Let My Guard Down” and “Please” recall that golden period of late-’70s British pop when Jamaican syncopation worked its way into everything from Nick Lowe’s “No Reason” to Graham Parker’s “Don’t Ask Me Questions.”
Channel One will promote Pose & Posture with a June 5 show at Houston’s Continental Club, and will return to San Antonio for gigs at Rock Bottom (June 9) and Jack’s Patio Bar (June 10).
