Saturday, April 26, 2025

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' the Day: SKApril XV

Prince Buster, "Take It Easy" from the Prince Buster: Fabulous—Greatest Hits compilation (Rude Boy Mike Papa Whiskey)

Skammentary: From Jamaica to France. Prince Buster returns as a SKAffirmative Action selection, having not enjoyed the SKApril limelight since 2017. I admit, when I'm in the mood for roots ska, I tend to listen to Desmond Dekker over Prince Buster, but there are no unworthy songs in SKApril. If "Take It Easy" wasn't up to snuff, it wouldn't be today's R.B.D.S.O.T.D., period.

Friday, April 25, 2025

Bonus! Song o' the Day: From the SKArchives

Sunday, 25 April 2021
Melbourne Ska Orchestra, "Travellin' Light" from Read All about It! (Rude Boy Mike Papa Whiskey)

Skammentary: Wayback Machine.

Bonus! Song o' Easter Friday

Friday within the Octave of Easter
Daniel Schmit, "O Death, Christ Is Risen Overture" from Mercy: Songs for Holy Week (Saint Mike Papa Whiskey)

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' the Day: SKApril XV

Alpheus, "Real Rudy" from Unify (Rude Boy Bravo Charlie)

Skammentary: Bravo Charlie sent me the above photo yesterday, after I had already selected "Real Rudy" as the R.B.D.S.O.T.D. for today. That's his erstwhile band, The Assassinators, on the same bill with The Toasters, the Scofflaws, & The Pietasters. For context, this is for Wednesday, 26 October 1994, almost three years before I discovered ska; now that's real Rudy!

Thursday, April 24, 2025

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' the Day: SKApril XV

MU330, "Got Caught" from Chumps on Parade (Rude Boy Mike Papa Whiskey)

The Stars My Destination: The Soyuz 1 Disaster

Operation AXIOM: The Space Race—The 58th Anniversary of Soyuz 1
Fifty-eight years ago to the day, 24 April 1967, Pilot Vladimir Komarov perished when his Soyuz 1 capsule crashed into the Earth's surface after its parachutes failed to deploy during atmospheric re-entry, the first man to die during a spaceflight.
Three cosmonauts were meant to launch aboard Soyuz 2, equipped with the same flawed parachute-deployment system, & rendezvous in orbit with Komarov aboard Soyuz 1. The Soyuz 2 launch was called off due to thunderstorms near the launch site; otherwise, they would have perished, too. After the tragedy, the Soyuz program was delayed for eighteen months while the parachute system was redesigned, amidst other refinements.

The Wayback Machine Tour of Soyuz 1
The Explorers' Club, № DCCCLXXVII

Bonus! Space Race Song o' the Day: In Memoriam
The Phenomenauts, "Heroes" from For All Mankind (Space Cadet Mike Papa Whiskey)

Requiescat in pace.

Bonus! Song o' the Day: From the SKArchives

Friday, 24 April 2020
The Hippos, "Far Behind" from Heads Are Gonna Roll (Rude Boy Mike Papa Whiskey)

Skammentary: Wayback Machine. Two consecutive songs by The Toasters followed by two from The Hippos. This chronological model gets worse & worse! All great songs, all worthy of both SKApril & the SKArchives, but I never want to do things this way ever again. SKAugust is the place to go if you want to hear multiple songs by the same band all in a row (& let's be honest, probably Reel Big Fish).

Bonus! Song o' Easter Thursday

Thursday within the Octave of Easter
The Festival Choir & Hosanna Chorus, "Jesus Christ Is Risen Today" from the 100 Church Classics compilation (Saint Mike Papa Whiskey)

Commentary: Requiescat in pace, Papa Franciscus.

Wednesday, April 23, 2025

The Explorers' Club, № MLXXXV

Operation AXIOM: Between the Wars
23 April 1925: The corpse of Floyd Collins was removed from Sand Cave, part of Mammoth Cave; a spelunker during the "Kentucky Cave Wars," Collins became trapped on 30 January; the attempts to rescue him were a national sensation, broadcast on the newfangled radio; Collins perished around 13 February & was finally reached on 16 February; it took a further two months to recover his corpse.
Requiescat in pace.

Bonus! Song o' the Day: From the SKArchives

Monday, 13 May 2019
The Hippos, "Wasting My Life" from Heads Are Gonna Roll (Rude Boy Mike Papa Whiskey)

Skammentary: Wayback Machine.

Bonus! Song o' Easter Wednesday

Wednesday within the Octave of Easter
Audrey Assad, "Death in His Grave" from the Death, Be Not Proud E.P. (Saint Mike Papa Whiskey)

Commentary:
On Friday a thief,"
On Sunday a king,
Laid down in grief,
But woke with the keys
To Hell on that day,
Firstborn of the slain,
The man Jesus Christ
Laid death in his grave…"

Operation ÖSTERREICH: Easter Feaster Edition

Weekly Wednesday Weigh-in
Last weigh-in: 330.2 lbs. (12 June 2024)
Next weigh-in: ? lbs.
Difference: +/-? lbs.

The scale would not lock onto a weight, just fluctuate until deactivating. I replaced the batteries, but this yielded no positive change. The Weekly Wednesday Weigh-in is at a standstill until I can acquire a new scale. *Expletive deleted!*
Bonus! Lied von ÖSTERREICH
Dance Hall Crashers, "Good for Nothing" (live) from The Live Record: Witless Banter and 25 Mildly Antagonistic Songs of Love (Rude Boy Mike Papa Whale)

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' the Day: SKApril XV

The Skluttz, "All I Want Is You" from the Confidence Is Key E.P. (Rude Boy Mike Papa Whiskey)

Skammentary: Tell her how you feel.

Tuesday, April 22, 2025

Bonus! Song o' the Day: From the SKArchives

Sunday, 22 April 2018
The Toasters, "Daddy Cry" from Don't Let the Bastards Grind You Down (Rude Boy Mike Papa Whiskey)

Skammentary: Wayback Machine.

Bonus! Song o' Easter Tuesday

Tuesday within the Octave of Easter
Daniel Schmit, "Christ Is Risen" from Mercy: Songs for Holy Week (Saint Mike Papa Whiskey)

Commentary:
"Christ is risen from the dead,
Trampling over death by death,
Come awake, come awake,
Come and rise up from the grave!
Christ is risen from the dead,
We are one with Him again,
Come awake, come awake,
Come and rise up from the grave!

O death, where is your sting?
O Hell, where is your victory?
O Church, come stand in the Light!
The glory of God has defeated the night!…"

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' the Day: SKApril XV

Club Sandinista!, "Rock'n'roll Weekend" from the Rock'n'roll Weekend single (Rude Boy Mike Papa Whiskey)

Skammentary: As with most Japanese bands (with which yours truly is familiar), Club Sandinista! sing predominantly in Japanese, but with chorus gang vocals in English. They describe their sound as, "Punky ska music."

Monday, April 21, 2025

Bonus! Song o' the Day: From the SKArchives

Friday, 21 April 2017
The Toasters, "I'm Running Right through the World" from Don't Let the Bastards Grind You Down (Rude Boy Mike Papa Whiskey)

Skammentary: Wayback Machine.

Bonus! Song o' Easter Monday

Monday within the Octave of Easter
Beverly Hills All Saints' Church Choir & Brass Ensemble, Craig Phillips, & Thomas Foster, "Jesus Christ Is Risen Today" from Easter: Hymns, Carols, & Anthems (Saint Mike Papa Whiskey)

Commentary: The great festival of the Eastertide continues until Pentecost, its fifty days being longer than the forty-ish days of Lent. In an even more special way, we celebrate the Octave of Easter, a continuation of Resurrection Sunday for eight days, symbolizing the New Creation in the Risen Christ.
"Jesus Christ is risen today, Alleluia!
Our triumphant holy day, Alleluia
Who did once upon the Cross, Alleluia!
Suffer to redeem our loss, Alleluia!…"

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' the Day: SKApril XV

The Suicide Machines, "New Girl" from Destruction by Definition (Rude Boy Mike Papa Whiskey)

Skammentary: On the ska-punk spectrum, The Suicide Machines definitely tend toward the punk end, which explains but does not excuse their long absense from SKApril, having only made their debut in SKApril XII (2022).

"New Girl" does not contradict my thesis that romantic love never works out in third-wave ska-punk. I would maintain that the blossoming romance hasn't yet had the chance to turn sour, but that it will.

Just in case you weren't already feeling ancient,
Destruction by Definition was released in 1996; actress Giorgia Whigham (above) was born in 1997.

Sunday, April 20, 2025

Bonus! Song o' the Day: SKApril XV

Spring Heeled Jack, "Mass Appeal Madness" from Songs from Suburbia (Rude Boy Mike Papa Whiskey)

Skammentary: Spring Heel Jack's absence was an unrecognized lacuna from SKApril. "Mass Appeal Madness" & last SKApril's "Jolene" ought to be SKArchive songs. Better late than never, though.

I'm very grateful for the many ska bands I've seen live on stage, the fruit of touring, yet I know that I could never tour the way they do. Your humble narrator is far too much of a homebody for a life on the road.
"We've been gone for so long
That it doesn't really matter where we're going to,
There's no looking back.
I know I should be strong,
But my heart isn't in it,
And I don't know my limit,
So all I can do is move on.

"I think we've been gone a long time, but I can't be sure,
If loneliness is a disease, well then I've found a cure,
Every place looks like home, every face looks familiar,
So close but yet so far,
The days blend together…"

Bonus! Song o' the Day: From the SKArchives

Easter Sunday, 20 April 2014
Five Iron Frenzy, "Farsighted" from Five Iron Frenzy 2: Electric Boogaloo (Rude Boy Mike Papa Whiskey)

Skammentary: Wayback Machine.
"The farsighted see better things…"

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' Easter Sunday

Easter Sunday of the Resurrection of the Lord
Matt Maher, "Because He Lives (Amen)" from Saints and Sinners (Saint Mike Papa Whiskey)

Commentary:
"I was dead in the grave,
I was covered in sin and shame,
I head Mercy call my name,
He rolled the stone away…"

Saturday, April 19, 2025

The Explorers' Club, № MLXXXIV

Operation AXIOM: The Space Age—The 40th Anniversary of S.T.S.-51-D, Part II
14-19 April 1985: Griggs & Hoffman conducted a contingency E.V.A. to attach two improvised tools, the "Flyswatter" & the "Lacross stick," to the Canadarm, but satellite Syncom IV-3 remained inactive; after 110 orbits, the Discovery landed back at K.S.C.'s Shuttle Landing Facility; CDR Bobko applied differential braking to compensate for heavy crosswinds & the Discovery's inboard right-side tire blew.
Commentary: After S.T.S.-51-D, the single runway of the Shuttle Landing Facility was closed until nose-wheel steering could be added to the Orbiters. Until then, Orbiters would land on the wide-open dry lake bed of Edwards A.F.B.

Bonus! Space Age Song o' the Day: S.T.S.-51-D
They Might Be Giants, "Severe Tire Damage Theme" from Severe Tire Damage (Space Cadet Mike Papa Whiskey)
Semper exploro.

Bonus! Song o' the Day: From the SKArchives

Tuesday, 19 April 2016
Rude City Riot, "25 Years" from the Rude City Riot E.P. (Rude Boy Mike Papa Whiskey)

Skammentary: Wayback Machine. Don't do the crime if you can't do the time. I mean, don't do the crime, period; but for those who need an extra incentive, consider the consequences, temporal &, more importantly, though probably not in the average criminal's estimation, eternal.

Saints + Scripture: Paschal Triduum | Holy Saturday

Simplex Edition | Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea máxima culpa!
The Popish Plot
"Triduum: Holy Saturday"

'Tis Holy Saturday, act three of the Paschal Triduum, the Saturday of Holy Week: Holy Saturday-link & Wikipedia-link Holy Saturday, & Wikipedia-link Sacred Triduum; Holy Week-link & Wikipedia-link Holy Week.
Scripture of This Night
Mass Readings—The Resurrection of the Lord at the Easter Vigil in the Holy Night of Easter
I. The Book of Genesis, chapter one, verse one thru chapter two, verse two
(or, the Book of Genesis, chapter one, verses one & twenty-six thru thirty-one[a]);
Psalm One Hundred Four, verses one & two; five & six; ten; twelve, thirteen, & fourteen; twenty-four; & thirty-five;
or, Psalm Thirty-three, verses four thru seven, twelve & thirteen, & twenty & twenty-two;
II. The Book of Genesis, chapter twenty-two, verses one thru eighteen
(or, the Book of Genesis, chapter twenty-two, verses one, two, nine[a] thru thirteen, & fifteen thru eighteen);
Psalm Sixteen, verses five, eight, nine& ten, & eleven;
III. The Book of Exodus, chapter fourteen, verse fifteen thru chapter fifteen, verse one;
The Book of Exodus, chapter fifteen, verses one & two, three & four, five & six, & seventeen & eighteen;
IV. The Book of Isaiah, chapter fifty-four, verses five thru fourteen;
Psalm Thirty, verses two, four, five & six, eleven & twelve, & thirteen;
V. The Book of Isaiah, chapter fifty-five, verses one thru eleven;
The Book of Isaiah, chapter twelve, verses two & three, four, & five & six;
VI. The Book of Baruch, chapter three, verses nine thru fifteen & thirty-two thru chapter four, verse four;
Psalm Nineteen, verses eight, nine, ten, & eleven;
VII. The Book of Ezekiel, chapter thirty-six, verses sixteen, seventeen(a), & eighteen thru twenty-eight;
Psalm Forty-two, verses three & five & Psalm Forty-three, verses three & four;
or, the Book of Isaiah, chapter twelve, verses two & three, four(b/c/d), & five & six;
or, Psalm Fifty-one, verses twelve & thirteen, fourteen & fifteen, & eighteen & nineteen;
VIII. The Letter to the Romans, chapter six, verses three thru eleven;
Psalm One Hundred Eighteen, verses one & two, sixteen & seventeen, & twenty-two & twenty-three;
IX. The Gospel according to Mark, chapter sixteen, verses one thru seven.

Commentary: Triduum Readings.
Gospel reflection by Bishop Robert Barron (Word on Fire):
Friends, how wonderful are the readings for the Easter season! So full of theological depth, so spiritually rich, so marked by joy.

In light of the Resurrection, we know that God’s deepest intention for us is life, and life to the full. He wants death not to have the final word; he wants a renewal of the heavens and the earth.

Therefore, we have to stop living in the intellectual and spiritual space of death. We have to stop living intellectually in a world dominated by death and the fear of death. We have to adjust our attitudes in order to respond properly to what God really intends for us and the world.

Though we rarely admit it, we live in a death-haunted space. The fear of death broods over us like a cloud and conditions all of our thoughts and actions. What if we really believed, deep down, that death did not have the final word? Would we live in such fear, in such a cramped spiritual space? Or would we see that the protection of our egos is not the number one concern of our existence?
Video reflection by Monsignor Robert Cannon (U.S.C.C.B.): Triduum Reflection.

Video reflection by Doctor Tim Gray (Augustine Institute/Formed.org): Triduum Reflection.


Papal Quote o' the Day
"The readings in the Paschal Vigil carry us into the mysterious arena where human sin meets God's justice & mercy. There life & death 'have contended,' & there the victory of the risen Christ over death stands out as the source of our salvation & the model of Christian living."
—Pope Saint Paul VI (1897-1978, r. 1963-1978; feast: 29 May)
Saint Quote o' the Day
"The One Who is our very life descended into our world, & bore our death, & slew it with the abundance of His own life. Thundering, He called us to return to Him in heaven."
—Saint Augustine of Hippo, Doctor of the Church (354-430, feast: 28 August)
Mother Teresa Quote o' the Day
"The most important part is that we keep the work as His work & that we do not spoil it with any claims."
—Saint Teresa of Calcutta, M.C. (1910-1997, feast: 5 September)
Archbishop Sheen Quote o' the Day
"Solitude can be very rewarding & full of blessing because in the silence of the inner being, one finds God."
—Venerable Fulton Sheen (1895-1979)

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' Holy Saturday

Holy Saturday
Matt Maher, "The Waiting" from Saints and Sinners (Penitent Mike Papa Whiskey)

Bonus! Song o' the Day: SKApril XV

Mustard Plug, "Now or Never" from Where Did All My Friends Go? (Rude Boy Mike Papa Whiskey)

Skammentary: We stay in sacred Michigan with SKAll-Stars Mustard Plug.

Friday, April 18, 2025

Bonus! Song o' the Day: From the SKArchives

Saturday, 18 April 2015
The Hippos, "Asleep at the Wheel" from Forget the World (Rude Boy Mike Papa Whiskey)

Skammentary: Wayback Machine. I'm going to play out this sequential series, but it is already proven itself unworkable; we're skipping 2014, because that SKApril's song for 18 April was selected for last year's SKArchives.

Saints + Scripture: Paschal Triduum | Good Friday

Simplex Edition | Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea máxima culpa!
The Popish Plot
"Triduum: Good Friday"

'Tis Good Friday, act two of the Paschal Triduum, the Friday of Holy Week: Good Friday-link & Wikipedia-link Good Friday, & Wikipedia-link Sacred Triduum; Holy Week-link & Wikipedia-link Holy Week.
Scripture of the Day
Liturgical Readings—Good Friday of the Passion of the Lord
The Book of Isaiah, chapter fifty-two, verse thirteen thru chapter fifty-three, verse twelve;
Psalm Thirty-one, verses two & six, twelve & thirteen, fifteen & sixteen, & seventeen & twenty-five
(R/. the Gospel according to Luke, chapter twenty-three, verse forty-six);
The Letter to the Hebrews, chapter four, verses fourteen, fifteen, & sixteen & chapter fifteen, verses seven, eight, & nine;
The Gospel according to John, chapter eighteen, verse one thru chapter nineteen, verse forty-two.

Commentary: Triduum Readings.
Gospel reflection by Bishop Robert Barron (Word on Fire):
Friends, today’s Gospel is John’s wonderful narrative of Christ’s Passion.

On the cross, Jesus entered into close quarters with sin (because that’s where we sinners are found) and allowed the heat and fury of sin to destroy him, even as he protected us.

We can see, with special clarity, why the first Christians associated the crucified Jesus with the suffering servant of Isaiah. By enduring the pain of the cross, Jesus did indeed bear our sins; by his stripes we were indeed healed.

And this is why the sacrificial death of Jesus is pleasing to the Father. The Father sent his Son into godforsakenness, into the morass of sin and death—not because he delighted in seeing his Son suffer, but rather because he wanted his Son to bring the divine light to the darkest place.

It is not the agony of the Son in itself that pleases his Father, but rather the Son’s willing obedience in offering his body in sacrifice in order to take away the sin of the world. St. Anselm said that the death of the Son reestablished the right relationship between divinity and humanity.
Video reflection by Paul Jarzembowski (U.S.C.C.B.): Triduum Reflection.

Video reflection by Doctor Tim Gray (Augustine Institute/Formed.org): Triduum Reflection.


Papal Quote o' the Day
"The journey also brings sacrifices, but these must not stop us. Jesus is on the Cross: you want to kiss Him? You cannot help bending over the Cross & letting yourself be pricked by some thorns of the crown that is on the Lord's head."
—Pope Blessed John Paul I (1912-1978, r. 1978; feast: 26 August)
Mother Teresa Quote o' the Day
"You need a deep freedom to be like Jesus. See, He could have been born in a palace, yet He chose to be poor… Are we so free that we can be completely naked with Jesus there on the cross?"
—Saint Teresa of Calcutta, M.C. (1910-1997, feast: 5 September)
Saint Quote o' the Day
"Jesus took upon Himself the scourging that would have been our due in order to save the creatures He formed & loved."
—Saint Odo of Cluny (880-942, feast: 18 November)
Bonus! Saint Quote o' the Day
"The fruit of this tree is not death but life, not darkness but light. This tree does not cast us out of paradise, but opens the way for our return."
—Saint Theodore the Studite (759-826, feast: 12 November)
Archbishop Sheen Quote o' the Day
"Keep your eyes on the crucifix; for Jesus without the cross is a man without a mission, & the cross without Jesus is a burden without a reliever."
—Venerable Fulton Sheen (1895-1979)

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' Good Friday

Friday of the Passion of the Lord (Good Friday)
Joslin Grove Choral Society, "Were You There?" from the 100 Best Loved Hymns compilation (Penitent Mike Papa Whiskey)

Bonus! Song o' the Day: SKApril XV

Ich Bin Ein Berliner, "A Small Band" from In Ska We Trust (Rude Boy Mike Papa Whiskey)

Skammentary: Ich Bin Ein Berliner, a truly small band, return to SKApril proper for the first time since 2016. "A Small Band" is a musical autobiography of the band. I wonder what ever happened to them.

Thursday, April 17, 2025

Bonus! Song o' the Day: From the SKArchives

Wednesday, 17 April 2013
The Specials, "(Dawning of a) New Era" from The Specials (Rude Boy Mike Papa Whiskey)

Skammentary: Wayback Machine. Last year was the dawning of a new era: SKArchives. I'm still puzzling out how best to highlight the stars of SKAprils past. In the first fourteen days of SKApril XV, we selected one song from each of the first fourteen SKAprils. Now, we're walking through those years in sequence, 2011-2024. I erred on 11 April, selecting the same SKArchive song in 2025 as I had in 2024 (Don Drummond & the Skatalites, "Man in the Street"). I deeply regret the error. "Man in the Street" is a good & worthy SKApril song, but the SKApril protocols exist so that I don't just pick the same songs & the same bands over & over again; I need to apply the same rigor to the SKArchives.

Saints + Scripture: Paschal Triduum | Holy Thursday

Simplex Edition | Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea máxima culpa!
The Popish Plot
"Triduum: Holy Thursday"

'Tis Holy Thursday (A.K.A. Maundy Thursday), act one of the Paschal Triduum, the Thursday of Holy Week: Holy Thursday-link & Wikipedia-link Holy Thursday, & Wikipedia-link Sacred Triduum; Holy Week-link & Wikipedia-link Holy Week.


Scripture of the Day
Mass Readings—Chrism Mass
The Book of Isaiah, chapter sixty-one, verses one, two, three(a), six(a), eight(b), & nine;
Psalm Eighty-nine (R/. two), verses twenty-one & twenty-two, twenty-five & twenty-seven;
The Book of Revelation, chapter one, verses five thru eight;
The Gospel according to Luke, chapter four, verses sixteen thru twenty-one.

Commentary: Chrism Mass Readings.
Mass Readings—Evening Mass of the Lord's Supper
The Book of Exodus, chapter twelve, verses one thru eight & eleven thru fourteen;
Psalm One Hundred Sixteen, verses twelve & thirteen, fifteen & sixteen(b/c), & seventeen & eighteen
(R/. the First Letter to the Corinthians, chapter ten, verse sixteen);
The First Letter to the Corinthians, chapter eleven, verses twenty-three thru twenty-six;
The Gospel according to John, chapter thirteen, verses one thru fifteen.

Commentary: Triduum Readings.
Commentary: Gospel reflection by Bishop Robert Barron (Word on Fire):
Friends, in today’s Gospel, Jesus gathers with his chosen Twelve at the climax of his life and does something so strange that we still wonder at it two thousand years later: he takes off his outer garment, puts a towel around his waist, and begins to wash his disciples’ feet.

The nineteenth-century philosopher Hegel said that all human society, to varying degrees, is characterized by the master-slave dynamic. Long before Hegel, the great St. Augustine noticed what he called the libido dominandi, the “lust to dominate,” as the mark of a dysfunctional society. Long before Augustine, the authors of the Old Testament were also interested in this problem, because the central story of the Scriptures is that of slavery and liberation from slavery—the Passover event.

But we see now in John’s Gospel how the distinctive mark of Jesus’ kingdom is precisely the overturning of the master-slave dynamic. Jesus bends down to do the work that was so lowly and frankly gross that only the lowest of the slaves were expected to do it, and he says, “As I have done for you, you should also do.” And what does he do later at the same supper? He gives himself away entirely in the Eucharist: “This is my body, which will be given for you.”

It is into this new dynamic that we are invited by Jesus: the washing of the feet, the giving away of body and blood.
Video reflection by Deacon Harold Burke-Sivers (U.S.C.C.B.): Triduum Reflection.

Video reflection by Doctor Tim Gray (Augustine Institute/Formed.org): Triduum Reflection.


Papal Quote o' the Day
"With the institution of the Eucharist, we enter into the very heart of humanity's drama. Will it be life directed toward death, or life open to eternity!"
—Pope Saint John Paul II the Great (1920-2005, r. 1978-2005; feast: 22 October)
Saint Quote o' the Day
"I tell you that you have less to suffer in following the cross than in serving the world & its pleasures."
—Saint Jean-Baptiste-Marie Vianney (1786-1859, feast: 4 August)
Mother Teresa Quote o' the Day
"On the Cross, Jesus said, 'I thirst.' He was not asking for something to drink. When they offered Him vinegar He didn't drink it… Very often we offer Jesus a bitter drink too. This bitterness comes from the depths of hearts & wells up in our words. When we give this bitterness to each other, we give it to Jesus."
—Saint Teresa of Calcutta, M.C. (1910-1997, feast: 5 September)
Archbishop Sheen Quote o' the Day
"Let no one think he can be totally indifferent to God in this life & suddenly develop a capacity for Him at the moment of death."
—Venerable Fulton Sheen (1895-1979)

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' Holy Thursday

Thursday of Holy Week (Holy Thursday)
The Daughters of Mary, "Tantum Ergo" from De Profundis (Penitent Mike Papa Whiskey)

Bonus! Song o' the Day: SKApril XV

Big D and the Kids Table, "Steady Riot" from Strictly Rude (Rude Boy Mike Papa Whiskey)

Skammentary: We welcome back Big D and the Kids Table to the SKApril limelight for the first time since 2018. SKAffirmative Action in action, because thirty songs by thirty bands in thirty days just isn't enough to highlight all the great ska out there.
"Music, a steady riot in my soul…"