Bim Skala Bim - Jim Arhelger of the Ska band

By: Dominick A. Miserandino


DM) What was the start of the band?

JA) The band started in 1983 with the current singer, Dan Vitale, and the bass player, Mark Ferranti. After about a year, they shelved it. Then in 1985, they decided to put the band back together. Bim has had virtually the same line-up since 1985. The singer and keyboard player were roommates and started working on songs. The keyboard player brought in the drummer and guitar player from another project. It all exploded from there.

DM) Where did the name come from?

JA) It's a twist on "sim sim sala bim." Kind of like abbra cadabra. We got it from Hadji on the old Johnny Quest cartoons.

DM) Any songs that you'd recommend on this latest album?

JA) "Pete Needs a Friend" is the first single, and also "Shakin' All Over", a cover of a '60's hit by Johnny Kidd & the Pirates. (It was also covered by The Who on Live at Leeds). "Same Mistake" is another favorite.

DM) The music on the album is so upbeat, would you call yourselves a party band?

JA) It's definitely dance music. There are messages and stories within the lyrics, but I think the first things people hear at shows are the overall songs and rhythms. It is worth getting the albums and checking the lyrics more closely.

DM) Does Boston have that much of a Ska scene?

JA) Yes. There are several great ska bands from Boston that have established themselves nationally as well. Most notably are The Bosstones (who will tell you that they aren't really a ska band.), The Allstonians, Skavoovie and the Epitones, Thumper, Big D & the Kids Table, The Pressure Cookers, and many more.
I would venture to say that Boston had one of the first ska scenes in the United States, along with New York City and Los Angeles in the early eighties.

DM) Do you find any influence in the Bosstones?

JA) I think more than being influences on each other, we have similar influences in common. We both started out in Boston in the 80s. Now they're huge and doing great, but they haven't forgotten where they came from. They hooked us up with an awesome two month tour last fall, the "Boston on the Road" tour.

DM) What made the tour so good?

JA) Playing every night for two months for anywhere from 2,000 to 7,000 people really honed our playing. Also traveling in a tour bus took a lot of the pressure off as far as driving and road managing. We had the same PA and lights and crew every night as well, which made things very smooth.

DM) Does it ever frustrate you when you see the success of bands like the Bosstones?

JA) No. All the ska influenced bands that are getting big success now are making "ska" a household word. We've spent nearly 15 years explaining and playing ska to mostly an underground following. Now everyone's in on the action. As far as the Bosstones go, we're extremely proud of them. We helped get them started way back a while, and they haven't forgotten. They hooked us up with the best tour we ever did last fall, the "Boston on the Road" tour. (It is about time, however, about time for the "Rudie Come Latelys" to get it out of there systems and get out of the way of the bands who were around
before the trend and will be around after.

DM) That must have felt like a relief to have people look at you as mainstream.

JA) Yes, in a way. I hope the commercial success of ska doesn't dilute its strength. I hear ska music in commercials almost every day. I'm not sure if that's good or not, but it certainly keeps the basic rhythm and sound of ska in people's ears.

DM) What are some of your favorite clubs to go to in Boston to hear ska music?

JA) The Middle East in Cambridge is currently the best club to play and to see ska bands. Also T.T. the Bear's, which is right around the corner from The Middle East. Unfortunately, some of our favorite venues have closed (The Rat and The Channel), or in the case of the first club we ever played back in 1985 (Jack's in Cambridge), burned down.

DM) Does it surprise you to see how far you've come from Jacks?

JA) Just the fact that we've stayed together with virtually the same line up since Jack's surprises me. We still play clubs very similar to Jack's to this day. We like that atmosphere.

DM) Well, thank you very much for the interview.

JA) No problem.

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