Are These Ska Bands or Improv Troupes?

Have you ever been dragged to a friend’s improv night? Oh god, it’s hell. Like, actual hell. You sit on a folding chair in a tiny room where it’s too obvious to get up and bolt. So you have to sit there while troupe after troupe makes an attempt at doing painfully unfunny comedy. And they always have equally unfunny pun-names like Mission Improvable or something.

Similarly, have you ever been to a ska show? Also literal hell. There are like, three listenable ska bands in the entire world and chances are they’re not playing the show you’re at. Instead, you’re listening to band after band of marching band students with some equally bad pun-based name like Hüska Dü. One Tumblr has compiled photos of these two groups into one place and would like to challenge you to tell the difference. Started by the folks at the Holding Court podcast, Ska or Improv gives you the photo and it’s up to you to make an educated guess. It’s actually a lot harder than it looks, given that they all look like the type to bombard you with invitations to like their Facebook page.

Like these guys. The Flogging Molly shirts (shirts, plural) say ska band but the Batman eyes say comedy troupe…

Or these folks. Lots of hands in pockets. But that could go either way on the socially akward scale of ska musician/sketch comedian…

Or these dudes. That guy in the middle is wearing an argyle sweater with framed glasses. What's his end game?

These and more at Ska or Improv.