The World Needs The Aquabats! Kickstarter Campaign

daniphotography (45)in #music • 6 years ago (edited)

The Aquabats are the greatest band in the universe with hearts of pure gold. And right now, they need our help. I don't want to live in a world where The Aquabats get their Battletram repossessed (that actually happened) and have to stop being a band. The possibility breaks my heart.

THE WORLD NEEDS THE AQUABATS!

You're probably asking, "Who are The Aquabats"? In their own words: The Aquabats are seriously the best band in the world, who are also legendary superheroes, and who have created 25 years of rad songs, and also an emmy award-winning television show about their adventures to help the kids, the world, and stuff, until their network shut down, and left their show a homeless orphan, who need you to join them and help save the world!

I discovered The Aquabats by happenstance around 1998. That was sophomore year of high school for me. I didn't have cable television, but there was this weird show called Bohemia Afterdark that aired sometime after midnight. Usually, it played rap videos or indie stuff. Late one fateful night (or early one fateful morning) I took a break from playing Final Fantasy and switched over to see Bohemia Afterdark. They aired The Aquabats video for 'Super Rad', and thank goodness, I had a tape in the ol' VHS player ready to record. The horns! The energy! The silly costumes and funny lyrics! What in the heck was an Aquabat? I didn't know, but I was in love. I bought their first two albums and cherished them. My tastes have changed greatly over the years, but at any point in time, if you were to ask for my favorite band: The Aquabats have remained a constant. I know I'm not the only one who has struggled with depression for one reason or another over the years. Listening to The Aquabats' music instantly brings a smile to my face, and before I know it, I'm tapping my toes and singing along!

Over the years, the more I learned about them, the more I loved the band. It's rumored they started almost as a joke to poke fun at a music scene who took themselves too seriously. The Aquabats music is light-hearted, fun, and whimsical. They don't use curse words. They wear anti-negativity helmets and have a detailed backstory of the band's beginning in Aquabania. Their live performances are high-energy and interactive; The Aquabats often have staged fights with villains during their set and encourage crowd participation. They even have a few really great instrumental ska tracks, "Fight Song" and "Ska Robot Army", which I'm sure were written for this purpose. There's a lot of depth and craft to their simple, silly, catchy songs. They also have an official fan-club, which (originally) included a custom Aqua Cadet Membership Card, and entry to their nearly annual Aqua Cadet Summits (1997-2006), which featured live performances, the naming of the Cadet of the Year, crowd competitions, and on one occasion, a 3-hour campfire sing-a-long. I have not actually been to a Cadet Summit, but I hope to someday!

The band evolved over time, but has always remained nothing short of awesome. After their first three albums featuring an eight-man ska band with a full horn section (1994-2002), their numbers shrank to the five-man band we know and love today (2004-forever).

In recent years, The Aquabats incorporated a kids show element to their personas. I know it sounds pretty strange for a SoCal ska band from the mid-90's to end up becoming a kids show, but for The Aquabats, it feels completely natural. They've always been wholesome, silly, costume-wearing dudes, who love to entertain, so why not? And wouldn't you know it, The Aquabats! Super Show was actually pretty successful! After two seasons (2012-2014) there were lots and lots of little Aquabat fans joining the ranks of Aqua Cadets.

Which brings me to their Kickstarter campaign! The Aquabats need to raise $1.1 million dollars before the September 1st deadline. That sounds like a lot. And it is. But they have big plans including new studio albums and new episodes of The Aquabats! Super Show. I won't go into the details here, because it's all thoroughly outlined on their Kickstarter campaign, complete with plenty of illustrations and video updates. You can check it out for yourself; you will be entertained and educated.

As of today, it's almost 50% funded.

Let's get it to 100% before September 1st !!!

Note: Any Steem proceeds generated by this post will be donated to The Aquabats.

Damn the man, SAVE THE AQUABATS!

Cute side story: Evan and I are getting married next week, here in beautiful New Orleans, Louisiana. OMG! Our backyard barbecue wedding reception will have great food and live jazz music. We've been learning to dance the Lindy Hop and the Charleston! Turns out, the jazz guitarist is, get this, an Aqua Cadet from years ago!!! He's a well-known musician in the area and has a great traditional jazz repertoire, so we only had three requested songs: Sposin' by Fats Waller, Taking a Chance on Love by June Christy, and of course Red Sweater by The Aquabats :) :) :)

I've experienced two of The Aquabats live shows, many years apart, and both were fantastic in very different ways. They somehow managed to keep their live performances both kid-friendly and true to their roots for their adult longtime ska and punk rock fans. No other band could do that!

'This Better Work or We Are Dead' Tour 2006: The Loveland in Portland, Oregon
MC Bat Commander commands the crowd to have a good time!
(Taken with my super cool 2006 flip phone)

bat commander 1.jpeg

'20 Year Anniversary' Tour 2014: The Wonder Ballroom in Portland, Oregon
MC Bat Commander borrows a fan's phone to take a selfie.
(Taken by yours truly)

My Aquabat Uniform! I purchased the blue rashguard, anti-negativity helmet, and goggles. The power belt is homemade. Pictured alongside Evan's bee costume.