The Upbeat was formed in 1985, in the small beach-side community of Carpinteria, CA. Heavily influenced by the 2 Tone Ska of the late 70s and early 80s, the group was formed by rhythm guitar player, Eric "Scaric" Vallen, bass guitar player Brandon "Hossinn" Seider, lead singer Mike "Oreo" Organista, and saxaphone player Grant "Saxpa" Cox. Shortly thereafter Mike "Pussard" Honeyman and Chaska "The Weasel" Slawson joined the band as trumpet player and drummer.
Immediately after the band started, they began to play local parties in the nearby college town of Isla Vista, CA (University of California at Santa Barbara), as well as accepting opportunities to play gigs at more famous clubs such as The Country Club and Fenders Ballroom in Los Angeles and The Stone and Slims in San Francisco. After being exposed to the many iterations of the ska genre, the band began to be known for playing a unique blend of ska, roots reggae, and rock steady, with politically and environmentally conscious lyrics. In 1993, driven by their desire to promote the music they loved, The Upbeat released their debut 5 track demo under the moniker “Upbeat Recordings”. This stark freshman effort garnered them airplay across the country and a series of compilation offers from the likes of Epitaph/Hellcat Records, Moon Records, and SRH Presents: Supporting Radical Habits.
In 1995, the band released their first full length album which sold 5,000+ units with virtually no promotional support or distribution. By this time their live reputation preceded them, sending them into a series of surf, skate and snowboard videos including Transworld Video Magazine and Fox Sports Net, which brought the band even further praise, securing them a world-wide fan base and setting the stage for the band’s subsequent, prolific west coast touring. During this time, The Upbeat shared the stage with the likes of such varied artists as The Skatalites, Burning Spear, Sublime, Sugar Ray, No Doubt, Bad Manners, The Specials, The Wailers, Fishbone, Steel Pulse, and The Twinkle Brothers, just to name a few.
"Backyard Knowledge," The Upbeat's second album, was released in 2000, and ten years later (2010), a host of new songs were released on their new album, "Shuku".
Previous Members of The Upbeat (in order of past appearance): Jon Wilcox - Trumpet, Chaska Slawson - Drums, Eric Lundy - Lead Guitar, Nathan Dowdall - Organ/Keys, Alfredo Peralta - Vocs, Rodney Teague - Trombone, David Lombera - Organ/Keys, Gabe Cheshire - Baritone Sax, Brett Keller - Trombone, Paul Torres - Vocals, JJ - Drums, David Granada - Drums, Eric Herzogg - Drums, Collin - Drums, George Manuras - Drums