The UPTONES - Maximum Ska - MP3s

Fellow Uptones fans, thank you all for your thoughtful name suggestions. I’ve read all the emails, and I loved all the names you came up with. I know I’m a Ska dog. As it turns out, I feel like a Buster. Now that I have a name, I’m going to learn how to skank.

Friday July 11, 7:00pm-Midnight, Free of Charge

To celebrate the winners of the Best of the East Bay, the Express is throwing the biggest performing and visual arts party in the East Bay at the Oakland Museum of California on Friday, July 11.

This event, hosted by MC’s Bukue One and Buttercup (KALX), will feature an Amoeba Music Main Stage.

Headlining bands include Flipper, The Uptones, Dyloot (Deep Voices), Destroyer, Monarchs, The Whoreshoes, HOTTUB, Mike Glen Dinning, Amoeba Music artist Brandi Shearer, DJ Malachi, The Kev Choice Ensemble, B’nai Rebelfront, Agent Ribbons, Won Way, DJ bsg and many more…

Also featuring dance performances by Savage Jazz Dance, Circus entertainment provided by Splash Circus, live half-pipe and graffiti art demonstrations, plus an exhibition of our recently painted “Express Art Racks” by local artists. Film screenings from the Express 24 Hour Digital Film Festival will run throughout the evening. Younger party-goers can have fun too at the Chabot Space & Science Center Kids Zone with a planetarium, arts & crafts, live kid’s band performances from Bandworks, & more!.
The Outdoor Village features food & drink, local artistans, community groups, etc.

This is the premier party of the summer. Don’t miss out on this amazing evening! The Best of the East Bay party is free of charge, and open to all ages, with free admission to the Oakland Museum of California’s Cool Remixed Bay Area Urban Art + Culture Now and Fridays at 5 with Billy Dunn and the Ladies Choice Band.

Oakland Museum of California. 1000 Oak Street. Oakland. 510-238-2200. MuseumCA.org

BEST SKA BAND - The Uptones

American ska is far less celebrated than its Jamaican and English counterparts. Yet the up-tempo, dance-friendly genre has had considerable impact on pop culture, having influenced everyone from Sublime to No Doubt to Green Day. One of the first (and greatest) American ska outfits, however, was raised right here in the East Bay — the Uptones. Products of Berkeley High School and Cazadero music camp, the Uptones became a force to be reckoned with on the local live music scene in the early ’80s, skanking onto radio airwaves with their powerful anti-war jingle, “Out to Sea.” which led to a deal with now-defunct I.R.S. records (one of the tastemaking indie labels of that era). Despite massive amounts of critical acclaim — Crawdaddy called their Live at Gilman Street album the “best live ska record ever” while Rolling Stone exclaimed “this record rocks from beginning to end” — their I.R.S. debut K.U.S.A. failed to capture their live show. The band broke up more than two decades ago, although members continued on in Stiff Richards and Hobo. But the ska jones never left their bones. Earlier this year, the newly reunited Uptones released Skankin’ Foolz Unite on Fun Fun Fun Records and have been playing shows ever since, as if to make up for lost time. The Uptones’ philosophy is probably best summed up by the lyrics of “Skanking Fool,” which state: So don’t be surprised if you feel the beat/Don’t be ashamed if you move your feet/In an East Bay style that’s doctor approved/Nobody bounce back like a skanking fool.

Rude Boy Ska Club 2008
The UPTONES
Ska / Ska / Ska
Monkey
Ska / Reggae / Rockabilly
Coup De Ska
Ska / Reggae / Jazz
Agent Deadlies
Ska / Punk
@ Bottom Of The Hill
1233 17th Street (17th @ Missouri)
San Francisco, CA 94107
Info line: 415-621-4455

Friday July 4 2008
9:30 pm (doors at 8:30)

$10 in advance / $12 at the door

FISHBONE
The UPTONES
Sun House
DJ Kool Kyle
@ The Shattuck Down Low
2284 Shattuck Ave., Berkeley, CA (near Berkeley Bart)
Friday, June 6, 2008!
21+ $17 adv / $20 door

Buy tickets online:

The Skanking_Fool has wangled some promotional CDs from the record label, and he is giving them away free to all advance ticket purchasers at Uptones shows while they last.

THAT’S RIGHT BUY AN ADVANCE TICKET AND GET A FREE CD WHEN YOU ARRIVE.

Buy tickets online!

Here’s MC Michael delivering the big check to first place winner, Kyla! Thanks to all the skankin’ contestants, and to Justi*Fi, Coup De Ska and Ashkenaz for making our second Skanking Fool’s dance contest a rockin’ night of fun.

Tip o’ the hat to alien protocol for simple instructions on how to incite pandemonium! Click for more of Jake The Skank’s cool photos from the show.

And check out Jake’s rad video featuring frenzied fans at the dance contest:

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 skanking_fool at uptones.com with your names.

It’s time for the second Skanking Foolz Dance contest!
Come to Ashkenaz on Friday April 25 and skank your butt off, get your name on this:

Here’s our prize winner from the first contest!

If you want to be a contestant, get your number now, by sending an email to Peps:

pepsonex @ yahoo dot com

See you there, and may the best skanking win!

- The Skanking Fool

The Uptones want to thank Joel Selvin for the mondo cover story he wrote in the San Francisco Chronicle’s Datebook this past Sunday. Plus thanks to Pat Johnson and Katy Raddatz for the marvelous pictures.

Here are some more photos from Katy’s photo session that didn’t make the paper.