All me a cynic, but I don’t think Marlborough’s Tip The Van is actually ska. In broader terms, what passes for ska nowadays is very loosely related to actual Jamaican music, and is more influenced by skate-punk. As I watched TTV play at Up or On The Rocks this past Saturday, I couldn’t help but wonder: Are they ska because they have a trombone? Because their bassist is wearing a two-tone tie? Because when you cover Weezer’s “Say it Ain’t So” and Sublime’s “Santeria” in the same breath, you sound more like plain old alternative to me.

So the question becomes: How did this “ska” thing transform from the upbeat Jamaican precursor to reggae, to riff-based, punk-fueled pop music? The answer’s pretty straightforward. We did what Americans do best: threw in more guitars, turned them up to 10, and made them the center of attention. To wit, Tip The Van’s guitar and bass were the vanguard of the band’s sound, staying in lock-step with one another the whole time. In ska, one normally expects a big fat independent bassline to take the lead, with the guitar actually acting as the rhythm instrument. Their drummer was rock drumming, rather than sitting back and dropping bass drum bombs on the two and four beat. And there was hardly any brass at all. While the one trombonist was an excellent player, she only had a bit role in what was primarily a rock show.

All of these changes would be acceptable if they were actually pushing the form of ska into a higher place, or developing it by tinkering with the rules. I doubt TTV has such lofty aspirations. They seem less like ska with an attitude, and more like vanilla alt-punk with a horn attached as an afterthought. Come on, kiddies — call a spade a spade.

Disappointed with the tunes at Up or On The Rocks, I crossed town to the beautiful Azucar on Franklin Avenue. The eight-piece Karibe Mambo orchestra was playing salsa and merengue. It took about two seconds of hearing them before my friend and I looked at each other and said, “We shoulda been here all night.”

I have three words to describe Karibe Mambo: percussion, percussion, percussion. Perhaps the only thing more amazing than the complex layers of drums was the way several of the percussionists had a tendency to stare off into the distance disinterestedly, as though they were thinking about what they were going to do on Easter Sunday. In the meantime, I’m thinking, “Dude, maybe you’re not aware of this, but you are beating the shit out of those timbales!” They exude talent without ego, which I’m sure is a huge part of why the atmosphere in Azucar was so upbeat. Supposedly there’s even a room downstairs with a DJ and more of a club vibe. I didn’t have time to scope it out — it was closing time before I could get downstairs.

My one regret was that I didn’t dress nicer: the ladies were all in dresses, and the fellas had sharp clothes on, if not full suits. If you want to see what I saw, head back later this month on Saturday, April 21 — Karibe Mambo is coming back for another night of crazy dance. ●

Friday: Celebrate the opening of Redscroll Records (24 North Colony St., Wallingford; on Rt. 5 near the intersection with Center St.)! Central CT’s newest independent record store opens its doors for the first time at noon. Later that night, there’s a kickoff concert at the Wallingford American Legion (190 Ward St., Wallingford). Living Hell , Wrenchintheworks , Reign Supreme , and Cribdeath blast the roof off starting at 9 p.m. Admission is $7 if you wear a hockey mask (hey, it’s Friday the 13th after all), $8 otherwise, and there’s even free pizza.

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