Skook is a local ska band here in Orem, Utah. Frontman Ben Wilson had started the band a few years ago in Logan, Utah, with his brother and a couple other people. He then moved to Orem and started it up again, taking Utah Valley by storm. Ben picked up Isaac Hess on bass, Aaron Southerland on trombone, Sean Hess on trumpet, and Tanner Olsen on drums.
  The band has been a hit all over the Utah Valley, and was named the top ska band in Utah for the month of July 2000. They had the #1, 2, and 3 ska songs in Utah for a while, with Oh Yeah, Mac Daddy Man, and I Shop at D.I.
  For those of you wondering what a "D.I." is, it stands for Deseret Industries. It's a thrift store in Utah... it accepts all kinds of donations -- clothes, furniture, toys, anything, and then sell them for really cheap prices. The song I Shop at D.I. centers on the clothes, and I'm sure you can imagine what kind of clothes are for sale there. The In Crowd is about how amazingly STUPID the popular crowd is. Mac Daddy Man is a song making fun of all the guys in high school (or of any age, for that matter) who think they're so cool and try and play all the chicks. "I noticed those guys who would go around making out with all the chicks and I thought it was stupid. This sarcastic song is about those guys. Girls should be respected and treated as people, not objects," says Ben Wilson.Ben is just an amazing songwriter, and an all-around funny guy.
   In addition to singing, Ben also plays the guitar, bass, and drums. He recorded the drum tracks on their CD, as well as the lead vocals and the guitar. On Wednesday, February 7, 2001, he will enter the MTC (Missionary Traning Center) in Provo, Utah, beginning his 2-year mission for the LDS church. Good luck, Ben!
  On February 2, 2001, Skook played their final show ever, due to Ben leaving. They rocked the house for about an hour and a half, it was amazing! They played a whole bunch of songs at first, saving their well-known 4 album songs for the last. Some of the songs they played included cover songs such as the Beatles' Ob-la-di Ob-la-da, U2's With or Without You, Yakety Yak (can't remember the original band), and a lot of their own original songs such as Johnny and the Permafried Punks, I Like Ska, Y2K, and a whole lot more. We also got to hear Take The Ski Bus, which they recorded for a UTA (utah transit authority) radio commercial. It was the only time they'd ever play it live, so it was a once-in-a-lifetime chance! All-around, these guys just rocked the whole place, everybody was into it and they loved it.
  So ends the Skook era, but I have a feeling they will be remembered for quite a long time... and who knows, maybe Ben will start it up again when he comes back from his mission in 2 years? Let's hope so!

-Ryan Sanders