The Uptones was the first band devoted to playing ska on the West Coast of the United States.

THE UPTONES TICKETS BTS Tickets Rush Tickets Journey Tickets Shakira Tickets Bryson Tiller Tickets Earth, Wind and Fire Tickets

History

The Uptones formed in Berkeley, California while band members Eric Dinwiddie (aka, "Din"), Paul Jackson, Ben Eastwood and Charles Stella were attending Berkeley High School and Cazadero Performing Arts Camp. They were originally inspired to start a ska band in 1981 after attending an English Beat show in San Francisco. ^[1] The Uptones were heavily influenced by the English 2 Tone sound, as well as the British mod scene, punk rock, and the original Jamaican ska sound from the late 1950s." ^[2]

Live Shows

Their first gig of 1981 was at Barrington Hall in Berkeley with MDC headlining. The Uptones, consisting entirely of 15- and 16-year-olds, would continue to play sold-out shows throughout the San Francisco Bay Area for the next seven years.

East Bay venues included The Keystone Berkeley, Berkeley Square, and Ruthie's Inn. San Francisco gigs took place at the On Broadway, The Farm, the Old Waldorf, The Stone, the Kabuki, and Wolfgang's, which sold out to large audiences consisting mainly of high school students. With this success, Bill Graham Presents started booking the band as support for major acts such as the Go-Go's and UB40 at the Greek Theater in Berkeley; X, Madness and the English Beat at the Kabuki; Oingo Boingo at the Warfield; General Public at the Henry J. Kaiser Center; and Billy Idol at the Oakland Coliseum. ^[3]

Influence

Jesse Michaels of Operation Ivy, has cited the Uptones as a key influence. His bandmates Tim Armstrong and Matt Freeman were also influenced by the Uptones, having opened for them in their earlier band, Basic Radio. ^[4] Michaels describes the Uptones place in the underground Berkeley ska scene in an interview:

There was a ska scene in Berkeley that most people don't know about, in the mid-80s, and it was like high school, really young scene. The bands were intense...like punk bands. There was this great band called the Uptones that would get on stage [and do] the whole 2-Tone thing...and they looked and played like a punk band, really dynamic and exciting. People would be stage diving and going crazy at their shows. ^[5]

By the time the Uptones broke up in 1989, they had become an influence on other popular California bands such as Rancid, ^[6] Sublime, and Green Day. ^[7]--all of whom would go on to blend ska, power-pop, punk and reggae.

Reformation

Despite critical acclaim and a devoted following, the band went their separate ways after seven years together. Original band members Din, Jackson and Eastwood formed new rock bands, first Hobo and then Stiff Richards, playing a combination of alt-rock, ska and reggae. They would eventually reunite the Uptones in 2002, noting that the other bands, according to Din, "were just keeping the heart of the Uptones alive."

In 2008, the Uptones recorded a new CD, Skankin' Foolz Unite! with producers Matthew King Kaufman and Michael Rosen for the Fun Fun Fun Recordings label.

The new line-up includes original members singer/guitarist Din, singer/keyboardist Jackson, bass-player Eastwood and saxophonist Adam Beach, along with new members Musashi (Moose) Lethridge on guitar, Tim Carter on drums, and a horn section featuring Jeanne Geiger on trombone and Scott Bertrand on trumpet. The band plays live shows throughout the Bay Area and was featured in a cover story in the San Francisco Chronicle Datebook in March, 2008.

Critical Acclaim

The Allmusic Guide praises the Uptones for being ahead of the mid-1980s Third wave ska ska movement:

Their impact upon the evolving ska scene was enormous ... With a musical maturity far beyond their years and a groundbreaking third wave sound ... the Uptones knocked out high-energy songs quite removed from anything or anyone else ... Light years ahead of their time, the Uptones were a pivotal band and a seminal one." ^[8]

The review notes the Uptones' rabid hometown following and strong influence on later ska practitioners.

San Francisco Chronicle music critic Joel Selvin includes the Uptones in his list of top 100 Bay Area bands:

Along with Operation Ivy, the Uptones formed the core of the Berkeley ska-punk scene that paved the way for the likes of Rancid. A hard-edged, upbeat band that would have been huge if it hadn't been years ahead of its time."

Crawdaddy! called the ''The Uptones Live | 924 Gilman'' album, issued in 1995 after the discovery of a DAT tape of a 924 Gilman Street show, "the best live ska record ever." ^[9]

Trivia

Rancid covered The Uptones song, "Get Out of My Way" on their 1993 self-titled album.

In 2009, Moose Lethridge and Eric Din, at the behest of Matthew King Kaufman, constructed a Ska Shrine devoted to skanking, hosted at the

Discography

• Skankin' Foolz Unite!, Fun Fun Fun Recordings, 2008
• ''The Uptones Live

| 924 Gilman'', Son of Beserkely, 1995

• Uptones , 415 Records, 1984

References

1. San Francisco Chronicle | Uptones Get Down | Joel Selvin | Sunday, March 23, 2008
2. Interview with Eric Din, May, 2009
3. Din interview and archive of Paul Jackson
4. NME | Operation Ivy Biography
5. Ink19 | Common Rider - An Interview with Jesse Michaels | Tom Minarchick
6. East Bay Express | The Return of Rancid | Nate Seltenrich | June 3, 2009
7. David Beach's Blog | Return of the Uptones | March 22, 2008
8. Allmusic guide | ''The Uptones Live!! 924 Gilman'' | Jo-Ann Greene
9. The East Bay Express Best of issue | Best Ska Band - The Uptones | 2008