We all could use some positivity these days, and there’s really no more positive sounding style of music than ska. Recently on the internet, I saw a meme that described the feeling the genre brings as “when you’re in your early teens and you get to order mozzarella sticks as an appetizer.”

For anyone who has had that delicious experience, they’ll probably agree that it’s a good analogy. The premier ska act in Rhode Island is The Copacetics, based out of Providence, and they’ve been bringing this distinct vibe to numerous stages for over a decade.

On May 15, they’ll be performing on the block adjacent to Askew at 150 Chestnut St. in their home city, with the show kicking off at 6 p.m.

I recently has a talk with lead vocalist and trombonist Matt Di Chiara, who is also a Cranston native, about how he’s passed the time during the COVID-19 pandemic, a documentary the band got to be a part of, Askew providing a safe environment for live music, and plans for the rest of the year.

ROB DUGUAY:  I’ve asked a lot of musicians this over the past few months, but when COVID-19 shut everything down, what have you been doing to pass the time without the opportunity to play shows?

MATT DI CHIARA: Well, it’s been a vast variety of stuff. As a band, we weren’t able to get together to perform because of the lockdowns and stuff. We’re a seven-piece band and we didn’t get back together until this past February as people began to get vaccinated and tested on a regular basis. Even then, we were still not pushing it. One or two of us would get together to work on vocals, horns or whatnot, but for the most part for myself I really took the opportunity to get a lot of yard work done at the house I’ve built.

I also had a bunch of stuff around the house that I needed to organize, so for the first time in probably about 10 years I found myself with no music to do. Instead, I focused on my other hobbies, whether it’s painting, drawing, creating writing and stuff like that. It was nice to not have the constant feeling of a gig coming up and be able to work on new things. I took the opportunity to touch on some stuff that I really hadn’t touched on in almost a decade.

RD:  That’s fantastic. Recently The Copacetics got to be part of a documentary called the “New England Ska Summit” that was mostly shot at ONCE, a music venue that used to be in Somerville, Massachusetts. How would you describe the experience of being a part of the film? There’s a big roster of ska bands, such as Bim Skala Bim, The Skatalites, Big D & The Kids Table and many others included in the film.

MD: It was very, very exciting. When we got booked for that gig, we knew the gig itself was going to be a whole lot of fun because of that roster. At first, we just thought it was going to be kind of a film about the shows and the current state of ska in the region, but since that day when they filmed it, it really grew in the storytelling aspect. They had people who’d been part of the ska scene for years contribute rare videos and other interviews. Leading up to that performance, we were just thrilled to be a part of it.

That night was crazy because we’re crazy and we booked a four-hour gig during the day for a private party at the Galilee Beach Club in Narragansett. We finished up at 5 p.m., drove up to Boston, changed into full suits. It was in late July back in 2019 and it was so hot. We did interviews in the sweltering attic of ONCE and then we played a gig. The next day I woke up asking myself, “What did I do yesterday?” And it wasn’t from any kind of alcohol or substance, it was from taking a flamethrower to the candle all day long. It was a crazy day and I didn’t even get sunstroke.

RD: I can imagine, that’s quite the story. Especially since it’s July in New England, you’re wearing suits, you’re in the attic of the venue and before that you’re performing in South County for four hours.

MD: It makes it epic though.

RD:  Yes it does. ONCE has been one of the many casualties of COVID-19 when it comes to music venues being forced to shut down. With this happening, do you think live music can fully recover from this in the coming years, or will there always be a void left behind because of it?

MD: There’s most certainly going to be a void, and I think we’ll definitely feel it at first because people are going to be eager to socialize, go out and experience live music again. There’s really nothing quite like being at a nightclub and both hearing and feeling the music while being in a crowd of people you might not know, but they’re there to see the same bands you’re there to see. Everyone has something in common with this live music camaraderie, and I think there’s going to be a lot of people coming out and really trying to experience it again once it’s safe to do so. The loss of places like ONCE and other venues all over the world is definitely going to be felt, especially with a lot of the mid-level nightclubs closing. I’m so glad that places like Askew, The Parlour and Dusk in Providence have managed to stay open and it looks like they’re going to fully reopen soon.

They each have a certain capacity and while that capacity suits us in The Copacetics, when the bigger acts come through, people are going to travel further to Boston to see bands that would have been booked at a mid-level nightclub around their area. I never go to stadiums or really any of the bigger shows and I haven’t been to one of those in some time, but I think it’s going to be quite the shock when music starts happening. It’s going to stink when national touring bands won’t be able to come here because a venue of their size is closed down. They might have to end up at a smaller club if they want to play the cities in New England, which will be some crazy packed shows, but I’m not sure that would even happen.

RD:  Hopefully something happens so it doesn’t have to be that way. Speaking of Askew, what are your thoughts going into the outdoor show there on May 15?

MD: We are very excited because we like to play and perform for people, so that’s definitely been something that’s been lacking in all our lives. We actually played there back in September, which was our last and pretty much only public gig of 2020. It was pretty much the same situation where they closed off that block of Chestnut Street and we played outside. We’re really comfortable with it because we saw first hand how Askew took all of the necessary precautions with there being tables, reservations and social distancing. We feel that it’s safe and I know that there are some clubs that are starting to do inside shows, and we’ve avoided those gigs when asked, at least for our own safety.

The band is a mix of younger, carefree bachelor types and members who are married and they have kids. We always are cognizant of ourselves first as well as the fans, we don’t want to feel that we’re doing anything dangerous. With Askew and it being outside, there are a lot more people who are vaccinated and we’re way more at ease.

RD: I totally get why you guys would feel that way. After the show at Askew, what are The Copacetics’ plans for the next few months?

MD: We were working on our third album when COVID-19 hit, and it’s kind of been a little bit on pause because in this case we weren’t able to get the full horn section together to record the next steps, which would be the trombone and the saxophones. Now after this gig, it’s no longer an issue, so we’ll probably be working on that, but our more immediate concern is that we do have a couple of private gigs that we have to pull together a four hour set for each of them. We’re going to be doing two-hour-long sets at Askew, but our next set in July, we’ve got to play for four hours, so we’ve got to dust off the extended set to get back into it. For the album, we can expect it to come out in the fall, but I’m not too sure and that’s hoping on my part, but you’ll never know.