The Aquabats are a musical ensemble from Huntington Beach, California formed in 1994 known for their humorous lyrics and outrageous live shows, during which the band is often attacked by supervillains onstage.
Starting as a parody of the booming third-wave ska scene in Southern California (their first show, reportedly, was played with fourteen members, at least half of which were wielding horns), The Aquabats played third-wave ska with a surfy, b-movie-esque twist that set them apart from the sped-up two-tone/pop-punk mash-ups most bands of the time were playing. Over time, their sound became even more eclectic, dropping much of the surf guitar leads and ska rhythms for more varied influences, including (but not limited to) new wave a la Oingo Boingo, power pop inspired by Cheap Trick and Pixies, and lots of They Might Be Giants-esque weirdness.
Their current sound blends upbeat rock and roll, new wave-type post-punk, and ska/rocksteady with synth replacing their horn and woodwind section. Notable influences upon The Aquabats are Devo, Oingo Boingo, Madness, and Toy Dolls.
The Aquabats' current lineup is The MC Bat Commander (vocals), Ricky Fitness (drums), Crash McLarson (bass), Eagle 'Bones' Falconhawk (guitar) & Jimmy the Robot (keyboards/tenor sax). Former Aquabat Prince Adam (guitar/keyboards/trumpet) has been known to come back into the fold for the occasional show, most recently a benefit show for Bikeride's Tony Carbone on February 2, 2008. Other former members of the group have turned up in such bands as Blink-182, GOGO13, Bikeride, The Transplants, and +44.
