Ska band Los Skallejeros continue comeback at Wicked Nite #2 concert

A ska band from South Central Los Angeles returned to the local music scene after a more than 10-year hiatus with their latest performance being at the Wicked Nite #2 event in Downtown L.A.

For the past two years, the band has been reentering the music scene, performing at local venues and building up their fanbase. 

Los Skallejeros’ reunion was sparked when the band’s guitarist, who had already reconnected with drummer Gabriel Nunez, reached out to vocalist Charlie Galves unexpectedly to pitch the idea of bringing the band back to life.

Galves shared that his return to music required deep personal resilience. 

“To be honest, we’re not all the original members. Some of us are, but we came back with new members,” Galves explained. “We tried to get the old band back.”

Galves explained that his absence from performing allowed for significant personal growth and reflection.

“During school, I went down a bad path and it took me a while to be able to come back,” said Galves. “I was a little hesitant, but we came to the agreement that if we’re gonna do this, we’re gonna do this for real. We’re gonna give it our all and that’s what we’ve been trying to build these past two years.”

Addressing their music, which includes tracks like “Frisk” and “Pelos de Elote,” which reference law enforcement and immigration alongside a performance featuring a Donald Trump piñata, the band emphasized their commitment to supporting their community.

Galves explained that the piñata was a gift from local band Misguided, which they chose to pass on to the crowd.

As the lyricist, he explained that the band’s platform belongs to regular people.

“I feel like we try to make music for regular people, your 9-to-5 people that go to work and are seeing the things that we are seeing,” Galves said. “I wouldn’t feel right staying quiet. It would be a disservice to our community to not talk about any of that.”

For Los Skallejeros, addressing ongoing issues is a necessary form of community support.

“I feel like the way we can contribute to some kind of resistance is through music,” Galves explained. “A lot of people in the scene grew up with police harassment, and that stuff doesn’t just go away. You don’t just forget about it because it’s still going on, so we’re gonna talk about it.”

Following up on the statements raised by Galves, trombonist and vocalist Nena Cristobal expanded on how the band’s message is deeply rooted in their cultural background and a shared belief in community action.

“You know, we live in a Mexican household,” Cristobal said. “I live with my Latin culture. I’m very devout to my religion and seeing people hurt each other, it’s not so cool.”

While Galves emphasized using music for resistance, Cristobal explained that true impact requires collective unity. 

“There’s only so much that we can do individually, but I think if we get together and we do something about it and we work together to make something about it, then we can create a change,” Cristobal said. “Because it takes one person to start, and it takes a whole village to make it happen.”

Cristobal delivered a direct statement reinforcing the band’s critical stance toward immigration and law enforcement. 

“So, as always, f— ice, f— the police. If you guys are not here for us, then don’t try to defeat us because we’re undefeated,” Cristobal said.

Drummer Gabriel Nunez shared his perspective on joining the current band, reflecting on his shared history with the members and their approach to making music.

“Well, growing up, I was somewhat around the same age as them 15 years ago and I was in another ska band,” Nunez said.

He watched Los Skallejeros establish themselves in the community during their early years.

“As we were growing, they were growing too, but they were a little bit more ahead of their journey, so they were getting known throughout the community. I thought it was great to hear about Los Skallejeros,” Nunez said.

Nunez emphasized that the current group’s shared mindset is what moves their songs forward.

“Coming into that brand new, it is just exciting and it’s pretty interesting to say the least, because we all have the same mentality as far as making music goes,” Nunez shared. 

“We always try to make things sound different. If we already did something, the automatic rule is throw it out, do something else. We always try to make it fresh somehow, and yeah, that’s what’s great about the band now.”

^{Ska fans skank, a dance style of ska music, during Los Skallejeros performance at Wicked Nite Two on Oct. 23. Wicked is a Halloween-themed music event held in Downtown Los Angeles with multiple ska music groups. (Jasmine Rosales)}

When reflecting on the audience support since returning to the stage, Nunez stated that the crowd response has been unexpected. 

“First of all, it’s really surprising,” Nunez stated. “When we restarted this thing, we were doing it for fun and to see where things go, so now to see and hear the fans show up to support, it’s really surprising to say the least. We try to be humble as much as we can, but we do see the growth, and that’s not possible without the fans in reality. So if anything, we thank the fans as much as we can.”

To prepare for each performance, the group maintains a specific pre-show routine forced on safety, focus and connection. 

“Usuallly we do a huddle, and particularly we huddle up and have a quick conversation within us to lock in,” Nunez explained. 

“Charlie’s always letting us know, ‘Hey, whatever you believe in, universe, God, whatever happens, help us with this set, help us get through this, and then have fans have a good time. Let’s all be safe. Just make sure the fans are safe, and let’s do our best’.”

This routine plays a central role in their stage preparation, regardless of the venue size, while highlighting the band’s bond.

“Either small or big, we do it, but that itself gets us in the zone and we get pumped up,” Nunez said. 

“For the most part, we might have our ups and downs with each other, but we tend to still be tight-knit and we still tend to have fun with each other, and we get over things pretty quick. We put focus on what’s important, which is the music, the show and of course, the fans,” Nunez said. 

Keyboardist and bassist Nelson Figueroa discussed his goals for the group following their long absence.

“I’m probably one of the newest ones here, but we all have the same goal in mind. It’d  be great if we can somehow stop worrying about going to work as much because we’d like to dedicate more time to this,” said Figueroa. 

“We for sure want to put out more music, a bunch of cool stuff. Eventually, one day, we can bring ska to the rest of the country and hopefully the world.”