Skariginals are skyrocketing after Warped Tour and EP

Things have happened quickly for The Skariginals.

The seven-member ska group got its start in May 2013, when singer Brayden Wiggins and drummer Ryan Mowrey began writing songs in Wiggins’ Cal Poly Pomona dorm room.

Then the two men joined up with five other instrumentalists, including two Fountain Valley High School graduates, to continue the writing process.

Only a year into their existence, they were playing on the 2014 Southern California Warped Tour.

“That was really cool because how many bands can say that in their first year of existence they did something like that?” said Wiggins, 20.

In September 2013, they released their first EP, “Part of Your Balanced Breakfast.”

The song “Magic of the Moment” garnered attention on Orange County ska radio show Ska Parade, earning No. 4 on the top 50 songs of 2013.

The Skariginals expect to release their second EP, “Another Summer Day,” which will consist of five tracks, in June.

Trumpet player David Ross, 24, said band members have learned from each other over the years, making the sound more concise on the new album.

“There were a lot of different forces coming together on the first record,” he said. “We all came from different backgrounds and were trying to create a sound. But now, it’s fairly easy to come up with a song and go in the studio with it.”

For their live shows, the band members try to show the crowd that they’re having fun.

While Wiggins will sing about adolescence, love and funny topics — like a town of monkeys — members Kurt Svedburg, John Alser, Kevin Geier and brothers David Ross and Brian Ross will dance.

Brian Ross, 21, who graduated from Fountain Valley High School in 2012, honed much of his style in the school music program.

“Namely, we learned that to have impact as performers, horn players ought to be not only musically precise, but constantly moving,” he said. “Having spent years doing both in a disciplined marching application has made it so that synchronous movement comes naturally whenever we play. This also explains why we dance so much, having so little actual dancing skill.”

The ska genre not only made sense for the type of horn style and stage presence the band members have, but it also fits their personalities.

The music is high-energy and fun, Wiggins said.

“Ska music is the most goofy, and if you hang out with us for five minutes, you’ll see we’re pretty goofy people,” he said. “The music suits us well. To be honest, ska isn’t the first genre of music I’ll go listen to, but it’s definitely the most fun I’ve ever had performing.”

Mowrey, 21, added that ska — a forerunner of reggae that is accented on the second and fourth beats of a four-beat bar— offers a lot of flexibility.

“It’s just so much fun,” he said. “There’s a lot of crazy stuff and a lot of freedom in the genre. A lot of it has really strong songwriting backbone, and that’s what Brayden and I have been all about. We have fun writing them and have fun with the arrangement, making it bouncy, danceable and fun.”

The Skariginals, who each juggle time for the band, work and school, said playing shows is a stress reliever.

Now that summer break is approaching, the guys said they are looking forward to booking shows and promoting “Another Summer Day.”

“In the end, this is the time of our lives to be doing this kind of stuff,” Wiggins said. “While we may have other responsibilities, it’s good to take that time out for yourself to find out who you are.”

For the Record: The original version of this story incorrectly reported the name of the song “Magic of the Moment” as “Magic in the Moment.”