The Uptones ~ Ska at Slim's in SF

“It don’t mean a thing if it ain’t got that swing".......one of my most famous quotes. I saw a band swing the other night, and this band is called The Uptones. Their show was much more than you're average concert, it was a celebration of a music style they love and hold strong allegiance to.

I've always enjoyed ska music. In fact I was around to watch the birth of ska in the 1940's, and even saw my style of jazz influence it's development. The Uptones hold true to the deepest roots of ska. You can tell they want to do justice to the music, and their performance the other night did honor to the ghosts of ska while exposing a much younger generation to it's delights.

And by the way, they put on a very tight, professional show. I found myself riveted to the spot until the last encore. The horn section was one of the shining parts to the group, but the guitars, drums and singing were all top notch. I thoroughly enjoyed the lyrics and harmonies too. In particular, I was greatly impressed with the new material written by one of the singers, Moose Lethridge. He's a great dancer too, and never missed a stroke on his guitar while throwing himself around the stage in a stomping frenzy. The other front man, Eric Din confidently delivered his well written tunes in a booming voice while joining in the fray of dancing feet onstage. I was standing right next to the bass amp too, and really enjoyed how solidly Ben Eastwood was holding down the wildness happening all around him.

Another quote of mine: "There's only two kinds of music. There's the good kind, and there's the other kind". This my readers was the GOOD kind. If you want to see a tight knit band take command of a stage with irresistibly catchy songs, then make sure you go to their next show!

You can find The Uptones here