The Uptones

"Skankin' Foolz Unite!"

  • user picture

    members

    (L-R in pic) Bennie Wood, The Rev. Paul Jackson, Scott Bertrand, Tim Carter, Eric Din, Jeanne Geiger, Moose Lethridge, Adam Beach

    tags

    ska, uptones, skanking, california, rudies

    into

    Skanking

    state of mind

    Up

    vices

    Ska

    favorite artists

    The Specials, The Selecter, The English Beat, Madness, and all the English 2-Tone bands! The Skatalites, Toots and the Maytals, and all the original Jamaican ska bands! Many many punk and mod and rock and R&B and reggae bands. The Clash! Oh, and you asked for specifics... AC/DC, The Abyssinians, The Action, Adam Ant, Afrika Bambaataa, The Aggrolites, Albert King, Al Green, Allman Brothers, Alton Ellis, Angelic Upstarts, Antibalas, Aretha Franklin, Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers, Asian Dub Foundation, Aswad (New Chapter Of Dub LP utterly changed our lives), Augustus Pablo, The Avengers, B-52s, Baba Brooks, Bad Brains, Bad Religion, Badfinger, Bad Manners, The Bangles, Barrington Levy, Barry White, Bart Davenport, Beach Boys, Beastie Boys, The Beatles, Béla Bartók, Ben Sherman, Big Audio Dynamite, Big Brother & the Holding Company, Big Youth, Big Star, Black 47, Bill Frisell, Black Flag, Black Sabbath, Black Uhuru, Blind Faith, Blondie, Blood Sweat & Tears, Blue Cheer, Bob Dylan, Bob Marley, Bobby Womack, Bootsy Collins, Bow Wow Wow, The Box Tops, Brecker Brothers, Brian Eno, Buddy Holly, Buddy Miles, Burning Spear, Butthole Surfers, The Buzzcocks, The Byrds, Cab Calloway, Caberet Voltaire, Cameo, Camper Van Beethoven, Cannonball Adderley Quintet, Captain Beefheart, The Cars, Cheap Trick, Chicago (early years), Chico Hamilton, The Chords (mod!), Chuck Berry, Chuck Brown & The Soul Searchers, Circle Jerks, Citizen Fish, Clint Eastwood & General Saint, Cold Blood, Commodores (horns!), Common Rider, Conflict (punk!), The Congos, Count Basie, Count Ossie, The Coup, The Cramps, Cream, The Creation (mod psychedelia), Credence Clearwater Revival, Critical Mass (Bay Area ska legends!), The Crusaders, Culture, The Cure, Curtis Mayfield, D.O.A. (punk!!), The Damned, Dave Brubeck, David Bowie, David Byrne, The dB’s, Dead Boys, Dead Kennedys, Debonaires, Decendents, Deep Purple, Dennis Bovell, Dennis Brown, Derrick Morgan, Desmond Dekker, Devo, The Dickies, The Dictators, Dillinger, Dinosaur Jr., Dizzy Gillespie, Donny Hathaway, The Doors, Dr. Alimantado, Dr. Martens, Duke Ellington, Earth Wind & Fire, Earthquake, Eddie & the Hotrods, Eek-A-Mouse, The English Beat, The Ethiopians, Elvis Costello, Ernest Ranglin, The Fall, Fats Domino, Fela Kuti, Fishbone, Fleetwood Mac (early blues-rock period), The Fleshtones, Frank Zappa, The Freaky Executives, Fred Perry, Fugazi, Galaxie 500, Gang Of Four, Gary Numan, Generation X (Billy Idol), Gil Evans Orchestra, Gil Scott Heron, The Gladiators, Go Go’s, Gorillaz (dub!!), Graham Central Station, Grand Funk Railroad, Green Day, Gregory Isaacs, Hank Williams, Hawkwind, Heaven 17, Henry Mancini, Hepcat, The Heptones, Herbie Hancock, Hippy Boys (primal ska), Hobo, Horace Andy, Horace Silver, Hugh Masekela, Husker Du, Ian Hunter, Ike & Tina Turner, Ini Kamoze, Isaac Hayes, Isley Brothers, Jackie Mittoo, Jackie Wilson, Jaco Pastorius, Jacob Miller, The Jam, James Brown, James White & The Blacks, Jane’s Addiction, Japan (post-punk new wave), Jefferson Airplane, Jerry Lee Lewis, Jethro Tull, Jim Carroll, Jimmy Cliff, Jimi Hendrix, Joan Jett & The Blackhearts, Joe Jackson, Joe Satriani, Joe Strummer & The Mescaleros, Joe Walsh, Jonathan Richman & The Modern Lovers, Johnny Cash, Johnny Guitar Watson, Johnny Osbourne, Johnny Winter, Joy Division, Jr. Walker & The Allstars, Judge Dread, Justin Hinds & Dominoes, Ken Booth, King Crimson, King Curtis, King Sunny Ade, King Tubby, The Kinks, Kool & The Gang, Kraftwerk, KRS-One, La Peste, La Plebe, The Lambrettas, The Last Poets, Laurel Aitken, Led Zeppelin, Lee Scratch Perry, Leroy Smart, Let's Go Bowling, Linton Kwesi Johnson, Little Feet, Little Richard, Linval Thompson, Long Tall Shorty, Louis Armstrong, Love (psychedelic soul), Lowell Fulsom, Mad Professor, Mahavishnu Orchestra, Macka B, Marvin Gaye, Max Romeo, MC5, M.D.C., Meat Puppets, Meet Me At The Pub, The Mekons, The Melodians, The Members, The Merton Parkas, The Meters, Michelle Shocked, Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Mikey Dread, Miles Davis, Minor Threat, Minutemen, Minus Vince (raging metal-ska!) The Misfits, Missing Persons, The Moment (mod!), Monkey, Morphine, Mother’s Finest (funk/rock band ala Sly Stone), Mott the Hoople, The Move, Muddy Waters, Mutabaruka, Maynard Ferguson, Neville Staple, New Model Army (upbeat goth rock!), New Order, New York Dolls, Newtown Neurotics, Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds, 999, Ohio Players, Oingo Boingo, Old 97's, Operation Ivy, Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark, Otis Redding, Pablo Moses, Paco De Lucia, Pama International, Parliament-Funkadelic (well, duh!), Pat Metheny, Pato Banton, Patti Smith, Paul Weller, Pere Ubu, Pete Shelley, Peter Gabriel, Phil Ochs, PiL, Pink Floyd with Syd Barret, The Pixies, Planet Smashers, The Plimsouls, The Police, Polysics (great Devo inspired new wave from Japan), Prince, Prince Buster, Procol Harum, Public Enemy, Purple Hearts, R.E.M., Radiohead, Rain Parade, The Ramones, Rancid, Rasaan Roland Kirk, Ray Charles, The Records, The Replacements, The Residents, Return To Forever, The Rezillos, Richard Hell, Rick James, Robert Fripp, Rockpile, The Rolling Stones, Romeo Void, The Roots Radics, Roxy Music, The Runaways, The Ruts, The Saints, Santana, Secret Affair, The Selecter, Sergio Mendez, Sex Pistols, Siouxsie & The Banshees, Sister Carol, Skankin' Pickle, The Skatalites (still the best in the world), The Slackers, Slade (glam rockers), Slave (funk with horns!), Sleepy LaBeef, The Slits, Sly & The Family Stone, Sly & Robbie, Small Faces, The Smithereens, The Smiths, Social Distortion, Sonic Youth, The Sons Of Champlin, Soul Captives, The Soul Survivors, The Spinners, Spirit, Spooky Tooth, Stan Kenton Orchestra, The Staple Singers, Steel Pulse, Steve Miller Band, Steve Smith’s Vital Information (Bay Area jazz-fusion), Stevie Ray Vaughn, Stevie Wonder, Stiff Little Fingers, Stiff Richards, The Stone Roses, The Stooges, Stranger Cole, The Stranglers, Sublime, Suburban Lawns, Sugar Minot, Sun Ra, The Sundays, Sweet (“Ballroom Blitz!”), Symarip, T. Rex, Talking Heads, T-Bone Walker, The Teardrop Explodes, Television, The Templars, The Temptations, Terry Hall, Thelonious Monk, Thin Lizzy, 13th Floor Elevators, Tim Armstrong, Tim Curry, The Time, The Toasters, Todd Rundgren, Tokadiscos, Tom Robinson Band, Tom Waits, Tower of Power, Traffic, Trouble Funk, U2 (early years mainly), UB40, UK Subs, Ultravox, The Undertones, The Untouchables, The Uptones! (yeah, we are influenced by us), U-Roy, Van Halen, Velvet Underground, The Vibrators, Victor Rice, Violent Femmes, Visage (80s “New Romantic” with horns), The Wailers (and Peter Tosh, Bob Marley and Bunny Wailer solo), The Waitresses (punky power-pop!), War, Warsaw Poland Bros, Weather Report, The Who, Wire, Woody Guthrie, Woody Herman, Wynonie Harris, X, X-Ray Specs, XTC, The Yardbirds, Yellowman, The Zombies… to name but a few!

    favorite movies

    Dance Craze

    favorite books

    Skanking Made Simple by T.S. Fool
    GENRES: pop, rock, reggae/ska, dub, ska, punky ska, pop, rock
    LOCATION: Berkeley CA, US
    WEBSITE: http://www.uptones.com
    PERMALINK:
    Posted 16 Songs     
    Ridiculous
    pop, rock, reggae/ska
    Whether we have the time to look at this world in a serene state of meditation or not...the most popular response I have heard, so...
    East Of A Western Bay
    rock, jazz, reggae/ska, ska, punky ska
    Outstrumental rockerz inna jazzbo ska stylee.
    Rude Boy
    reggae/ska, ska, punky ska
    Fifteen years old, me Paul and various other Uptones and friends, drunk. King Jr. High School pool, snuck in at night, swam with clothes...
    Oh No!
    pop, rock, reggae/ska, punky ska
    SOMEONE GET THE GREASE!!
    East of the Pond (dub)
    reggae/ska, pop, dub, ska, mod
    ...fell in love ... followed her to London...had to leave 6 months later...not happy about it...wrote a song about it...The Uptones liked it and now...
    Big Time
    pop, rock, reggae/ska, punky ska
    Snobbery made simple. This was an early Uptones original, and it went through a lot of strange morphs as the band moved along. I recall...
    Out To Sea
    pop, rock, reggae/ska, punky ska, ska
    Our original tape of Out To Sea, which was played a lot on KALX and KUSF and then KQAK (The Quake) back in 1984. Buncha...
    Idiot Box
    rock, reggae/ska, punky ska, ska
    Same as it ever was. I remember walking in downtown Berkeley as a teenager one year when the 49ers were on their big roll with...
    Your Hit Parade
    reggae/ska, punky ska, dub, reggae
    Hey kid!
    No Provision For Appeals
    reggae/ska, ska, punky ska
    We wrote this rant after being denied a permit to host a block party for what was to be our very first show. Year was...
     
    ADVERTISEMENT

    Bonnie Dub
    reggae/ska, dub
    Charles Stella's amazing dub mix of the ever so skankable Bonnie and Clyde. The bit with the horns near the end just melts me down....
    No Lies
    pop, rock, reggae/ska
    I love Charles Stella's vocal on this song. This is from the same session as Burning Sky, Outback, Bonnie and Clyde, and Radiation Boy. What...
    Outback
    rock, reggae/ska, hard rock, dub
    This song started as a bass line. When I rocked that and Eric and Paul came in on the skank, with that colossal dub attack,...
    Physical High
    reggae/ska, pop, dub, lovers rock
    Wow, this song really takes me back. I was 19 years old when I wrote this. I was sussing out how great pussy is, smoking...
    Radiation Boy
    reggae/ska, rock, ska
    In the wrong place at the wrong time, young Radiation boy, as he has come to be known, woke up purple one fine morning saw...
    Get Out Of My Way (Live!)
    reggae/ska, ska, punky ska, two-tone ska
    A week before our first gig at the Berkeley Square, I'm walking to a party with some fellow Uptones and I realize we need an...