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The UPTONES

Skankin’ Foolz Unite!

About Me

Formed in 1981 in Berkeley, while they were still in high school. The Uptones were the first band devoted to playing Ska on the West Coast. The Uptones played to skanking crowds all over the West. Several of their recordings were regional hits, and for a time they were the most popular band in the Bay Area.
Major publications of the time raved about them:
"It is a sight to behold, The Uptones tearing up the stage and the audience tearing up the dance floor." - San Francisco Chronicle
"The Uptones... without a doubt the best show in Berkeley." - Berkeley Free Press
"Sitting down at an uptones show is like keeping your eyes shut at a movie." - Rolling Stone
The Uptones "Live at Gilman Street" (SOB CD 0058) is a living proof of the raw power the band delivered every show.
"Best live Ska record ever" - Crawdaddy Magazine
"***** Five Stars "This record rocks from beginning to end." - Rolling Stone
Several tracks from this legendary recording are offered for free in the mp3 format at www.uptones.com .
Members of the original band, Eric Din, Paul Jackson, and Ben Eastwood have been playing music together since then.
First as Hobo , and then as Stiff Richards .
The ska bug never left these lads. And now Eric, Paul, and Ben are joined by Moose Lethridge, Adam Beach, Tim Carter, Jeanne Geiger, and Scott Bertrand to form the current lineup of The Uptones.
The Uptones have completed their first CD “Skankin' Foolz Unite” for Fun Fun Fun Recordings containing new original material with producers Matthew King Kaufman and Michael Rosen.
Check out Joel Selvin's cover story on the Uptones in the SF Chronicle Sunday pink section:

My Interests

Music:

Member Since: 11/27/2005
Band Website: uptones.com
Band Members: PaulMooseEricBenTimJeanneScottAdam
Influences: The Specials, The Selecter, The English Beat, 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... 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, 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, Madness, 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!Oooh look, we are a:


Thanks, SkaIsYourFriend !
Sounds Like:
West Coast Two Tone Ska.
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Type of Label: Indie

My Blog

The Uptones need help! Help Us Name Our Doggie.

The Uptones need help. Our Doggie needs a name. Got a name? We want your suggestions. If you send us a suggested name, you can get a free CD at our next show at the Ashkenaz. So please help us.Email s...
Posted by The UPTONES on Fri, 18 Apr 2008 07:32:00 PST

Booking info!

For booking inquiries, please email: skanking_fool at uptones.com.Thanks! - The Skanking Fool
Posted by The UPTONES on Wed, 26 Mar 2008 09:30:00 PST

Skankin Foolz Unite!

Fun Fun Fun Recordings has posted our new CD for all you foolz to enjoy.Just click the doggie to visit the funfunfunrecordings site, and skank it up....
Posted by The UPTONES on Tue, 08 Apr 2008 09:02:00 PST

Join us at Virb!

Click here to visit The UPTONES @ Virb!A really great social networking site. Come over and check it out ;)
Posted by The UPTONES on Fri, 20 Jul 2007 10:32:00 PST

More UPTONES MP3s at muzic!

Skank on over to our muzic page for more tunez!And to all our myspace BAND friends, a tip: Cheers,The UPTONES...
Posted by The UPTONES on Wed, 10 Jan 2007 09:34:00 PST