Nuckle Brothers

The Nuckle Brothers were a third wave ska band from Huntington Beach that was part of the early 1990s music scene in Orange County, California, United States, inspiring such bands as Reel Big Fish, Save Ferris and The Aquabats.

Playing their first show in March 1992 at the Ocean View High School Battle of the Bands, the Nuckle Brothers quickly built up a local following. They were known for their high energy, sloppy and unpredictable stage shows. Their sound was a combination of high speed ska with full horn sections and punk rock energy. The original band went through about 20 members, playing shows with such ska heavyweights as Bad Manners, The Busters, No Doubt, Dance Hall Crashers, Sublime, Skelatones, Skankin' Pickle, Reel Big Fish, Suburban Rhythm and many more before breaking up in 1995. Since then they have done a string of reunion shows throughout the country. The Nuckle Brothers released a few cassette tapes on their own that were distributed well around the Orange County area, primarily around Huntington Beach and Costa Mesa. Some local record shops that helped promote the band with their tape distribution were Bionic Records, Vinyl Solution and Noise, Noise, Noise. The band released their first compact disc on Surreal Records during the early to mid 1990s, titled Kickin Ass, Gettin Loco, Drinkin Lotsa Nuckle Cocoa. Surreal Records was run by friend and Bionic Records employee Jason Shad. The label only had one release, their debut CD; it was later reissued by another label in the early 2000s that was run and operated by another friend, James Scoggins.