TOP RIGHT, circa 1991. The band behind Toe’s Tavern in downtown Santa Barbara. From left are Grant Cox, David Lombera, Mike Honeyman, Brandon Seider, Chaska Slawson, Brett Keller, Eric Vallen, and Mike Organista. The band also played at The Graduate, the Anaconda, Red Dog Saloon, The Livingroom, and Savoy Theater in Santa Barbara. There were gigs at the Ventura Theater and in Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego, and Mammoth Mountain.
BOTTOM RIGHT, after 20 years, The Upbeat continues to pack the house. On stage at Soho in Santa Barbara are, from left, Mike Organista, Zak Pike, Grant Cox, Jon Wilcox, Brian LeBlanc, Brandon Seider, and Eric Vallen.
F
ormed by four Carpinteria teens in 1985, the group has played together for over twenty-five years. Lead singer Mike “Oreo” Organista remembers their early days, “When my friends were
13years old we’d listen to ska music after surfing at spots like Tar Pits and Jelly Bowl. We just figured why not form a band? We kind of introduced ska to Santa Barbara. It’s real popular now but back then there weren’t any bands playing it.” Bassist Brandon Seider agrees,
“Our music has a raw feel. Magic can happen because it isn’t a perfect, highly polished sound.” The band’s founding members, all
in their early 40s, live or work near Carpinteria. Seider has an insurance business. Rhythm guitarist Eric Vallen, saxophonist Grant Cox and vocalist Organista are landscape contractors. Valve trombonist Mike Honeyman is a buyer and planner for a local company. Seider thinks the band stayed
together because they didn’t become rock stars. “We always just aspired to play music.” Vallen believes the band’s cast of characters just
enjoys shaping Ska adding, “It’s no-pressure music.” The Upbeat are regulars at Carpinteria’s annual
California Avocado Festival. “It gives families and kids who can’t stay up late a chance to hear us play,” says Organista. The band’s local fans span the generations. The dance floor fills with twirling toddlers and whirling teens. Friends and neighbors exchange “high fives.” Hip couples and spry grandparents boogie back-to-back. Everyone grooves to The Upbeat’s positive pulse.
Local Soho Nightclub Owner, Gail Hansen agrees
that The Upbeat stays true to the ska genre. “Their vibe makes people dance. The music is infectious!” Over the years the band has played in concert with
Ziggy Marley, The Wailers and No Doubt. Their music has been featured in surf, skate and snowboarding videos. Last fall the band toured Hawaii for the second time. “Playing music in the Islands is a working vacation for us,” Organista smiles.
The Upbeat’s music reflects Carpinteria’s natural setting. Their songs radiate the sun’s warmth and
sUMMEr2011 13
“We kinD oF introDuceD SkA to SAntA
bArbArA. it’S reAl populAr noW but bAck then there Weren’t Any bAnDS plAyinG it.”
ArcHIvEs
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108