In the long strange trip of Berkeley, California ska pioneers The Uptones, three founding members spent some time playing clubs on the west coast as Stiff Richards, while the Uptones were on hiatus. During that time, they wrote some of the gr8 songs they now play with the re-formed Uptones. One of the standouts was “Not From Here” which I was thrilled to find is on the set list for their Warped Tour appearances this month. Here is the Stiff Richards original version, off the “E-Mail EP” recently re-released by Fun Fun Fun Recordings. A scorching ska punk number about post modern alienation, sung by The Rev. Paul Jackson himself. Rock it.

Stiff Richards
“Not From Here” (mp3)
from “E-Mail – EP”
(Fun Fun Fun Recordings)

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Found this shweet power poppin’ ska rocker by the Cherry Poppin’ Daddies, while taking in the tunez @ ska4u this morning. This is a gr8 little 3rd wave masher with a wicked tight horn section, lovely lyrics and vocals, and the Daddies’ famous northwest rude boy riddim section. Like any band, they’ve gone thru their “Hi and Lo” periods, and this ditty chronicles that ol’ roller coaster with charm and grace. This is how they skank it up in Eugene, Oregon, my kittins and pups! Click it and go nutz.

Cherry Poppin’ Daddies
“Hi and Lo” (mp3)
from “Skaboy JFk”
(Space Age Bachelor Pad)

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I do love me some trombones. And I do adore a good rocksteady beat. And we know how a sweet ska tune can put the cherry on top of a nice spring morning. So here you have it, the UK’s Voodoo Trombone Quartet with “(Hey You) The Rocksteady Crew” – a joyous outburst of dubtastic skanking glee. And that’s a good thing.

The Voodoo Trombone Quartet
“(Hey You) The Rocksteady Crew” (mp3)
from “The Voodoo Trombone Quartet …Again”
(Freshly Squeezed Music)

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This mp3 by The Kingpins has been burning up the bandwidth for ska fans young and old around the world. With a base coat of late 70′s two-tone, and a Pollockian splatter of new wave angst, this picture is completed by the bold and colorful strokes of a female French Canadian vocalist named Lo. The Kingpins don’t tour under that name anymore, but they left their mark with an incendiary live show and some excellent recordings, which helped kick off what would become known as 3rd wave ska. You can catch them in their new incarnation as Lo And The Magnetics, and follow the “Need more!” link below to find this album and other juicy merch and tunes from this fun and influential act.

L’Aventurier

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