Teh Interwebs is full of Best Thing Evars. But really and truly, the Best Thing Evar is that THE SPECIALS (Best BAND Evar) are playing Letterman (Best Late Nite TV Show Evar) Thursday night, August 26. So you see, Best Thing Evar.
Since The Specials have toured only a wee bit in the US since their reformation this year, this is for many of us American ska doggies and kittehs the best opportunity to see them play on our fair soil. The Specials “30th Anniversary Tour” DVD is also out now, so we can all see what they looked and sounded like on their European tour. Now if they would only play the San Francisco Bay Area, where this ska doggeh lives, then the universe would be perfect. Til then, you heard it here. Thursday nite you know what I’ll be doing. W00f!
The songs stuck in my head is a super shweet skinhead reggae and ska podcast from Cloverdale Dave outta (u guessed it) Cloverdale, CA, the 2nd coolest small town in America. Have a listen, you’ll be glad you did. This is all str8 from Dave’s gr8 collection of original vinyl sides, and we’re talking some of the best music evar. Two paws up. Learned of this gem from Milesgehm on BayAreaSka after I posted the Uptones Cloverdale date there. Ah, and if I didn’t mention it here, The Uptones play Friday Night Live in Cloverdale, August 27. W00f.
Listen to the original roots of The Uptones performance for the upcoming Ska Parade‘s “Six Hours Of Ska” on the Kevin Says Stage on the 2010 Warped Tour. Here’s The Uptones’ set list for the shows. It includes some Ska classics as well as some Uptones’ originals. Check out this 8 song set:
Guns Of Navarone
The Skatalites adaptation of the theme to the film The Guns of Navarone was a Ska song that entered the UK Top 10 in 1967. This is old school, when instrumentals were the big thing. The Skatalites are the real deal. Ska started here:
Radiation Boy
This song is wonderful scary. It makes the same sense now then when Eric Din wrote it in 1983. Here’s a live version from Santa Cruz, just after the band reformed in 2002. Like The Specials, the music is topical and has remained in The Uptones set to this day.
Ghost Town
The Specials were the next generation after The Skatalites in the Ska calendar. Their song, Ghost Town was a #1 hit in the U.K. in 1981. These guys were styling and political, and they set the tone for the 2Tone movement. They also created the trombone standard that’s been a part of Ska ever since. The Uptones were being dreamed up around 1981-’82, and The Specials were a very big influence. When The Uptones recently reformed, trombonist Jeanne Geiger was their first recruit. You’ll see why at the show.
Skanking Fool
When The Uptones reformed in 2002, everyone told them “Ska was Dead.” The Uptones were needed to help resuscitate this wonderful musical style. Moose wrote this killer song, and Emily Jayne will sing it at the show. Here’s the version that Moose sings.
Bad Reputation
The Uptones welcome their newest member, Emily Jayne. There’s always been some punk in Ska’s recent History. This song has been waiting for Emily and The Uptones Horns. Check out Joan Jett‘s original version.
Not From Here
Everybody has experienced that feeling of not belonging. Paul Jackson’s song “Not From Here” is all about that. Here’s the version Paul, Eric, and Ben recorded when they were a 4 piece band waiting to reform The Uptones.
Get Out Of My Way
Punk, Ska, and Political, this song reflects The Uptones take on the crazy early 1980s. The first Ska band in West Coast at the time, they influenced a lot of the music to follow from Berkeley, California. “Get Out Of My Way” has also been recorded by Rancid. Listen closely and you can hear Tim Armstrong introducing the band at Gilman St.
Here’s another one of the 2 Tone bands the world should know about, The Selecter. They were popular when The Uptones were forming. Their song “Too Much Pressure” rages with Ska angst. This live version is from “Dance Craze” ~ the definitive documentary on the British Two-Tone ska wave, another key influence on The Uptones.
..to Ska 4U, our outpost on the Interweb for love of all things ska. Thanks for the emails with ska band links, keep ‘em comin’ to buster at ska4u dot com. More soon.
COME OUT COME OUT! to Unkle Fun’s Rude Boy Rude Girl Social. This is an exploration into Jamaican music From Ska, Rocksteady & Early Reggae and 2-Tone.
EVERY SUNDAY @
HOTSY TOTSY CLUB
601 San Pablo Avenue
Albany, CA
21 & up / No Cover!!!!!!
Before Sublime (and all the bands after that seem to squeeze juicy ska reggae dub vibes from the California surf and sun!) The Cherry Poppin’ Daddies were cookin’ up some sunshine of their own in the rainy northwest town of Eugene, Oregon. Their name was a sort of deliberate confrontation with the hyper-PC reality of their surroundings, and it worked, garnering them plenty of controversy, critique, and, well, packed houses full of sweaty happy dancers! Here’s a taste of their musically sophisticated work – a charming song with epic reggae horns and panoramic vocal harmonies. Continue reading ‘Sweet Summer Sounds of The Cherry Poppin’ Daddies’
Here’s a nice article about Sister Mary Ignatius Davies, the nun who fostered ska, rocksteady and reggae. One of the unsung heroes of Jamaican music, she ran the music program at the Alpha School for wayward boys in Kingston, famous for the seemingly endless list of brilliant musical stars it produced. Found this on the SF Vintage Reggae Society blog (which has a GR8 music stream!) from a post at BayAreaSka. Buster loves teh Internets.
