Upstanding Youth

Upstanding Youth is AWESOME (not only that but apparently they've got some hops, see below!) Bands like this are the reason why I write about music. Upstanding Youth hails from Hawaii and may be one of the best ska punk bands I have ever heard. I was trying to find a band in my itunes to help describe their sound and the closest I can come is Catch 22 (after the whole Streetlight Manifesto split.) They have self produced four albums: Trying to Stand (2002)and Kam Highway Catharsis (2004) are a little more upbeat very much like Streetlight Manifesto, STILL (2006) and A Sense of Urgency (2008) are much more relaxed. Every album was extremely well received, all winning various Hawaiian music awards, and their most recent album was nominated for a Na Hoku Hanohano award which is Hawaii's version of the Grammys. Listening to all of the albums as a whole is really interesting because you can clearly hear how they have progressed as individuals and come together as a band.

The lead singer has a really cool unique voice, in fact the only person I can think of that sounds like him is Jason Rutcofsky of High School Football Heroes but, that's even a bit of a stretch. His voice is soulful, and he actually has a pretty good range. Also the backup vocals are really good, bringing cool harmonies that add a lot of depth to the music. The lead guitar player is pretty good, I have yet to be overly impressed with his soloing capabilities, but he does a good job of keeping the ska beat going and adding in some really cool moving lines. The bass player actually has some really awesome lines, which seems to be rare these days so props to him! The brass instruments have simple but awesome horn lines that just really work well with the rest of what's going on. They do a good job of building chords as well as using different techniques (mutes, flutter tongue, etc.) to add layers to their music. I have not been over impressed by any of the solos the players have; however, they all seem to have a pretty solid range. The drummer actually reminds me somewhat of Chris Thatcher from Streetlight, he uses a lot of the same sounding drums and rhythms in his playing. But he also does an excellent job of really holding things down when the group does a more relaxed song. Each individual comes together to add an extra layer, creating something that is much more complex and awesome than one might realize on a first listen.

From what I've seen from their live performances, they have a good, clean sound. Everyone is together and they are obviously meticulous during sound check. From what I've seen from their live performances, the base player and the lead vocals/guitar do a good job of moving around and bringing the crowd into the performance. Sometimes the horn players will do the same but for the most part they are not. Now I know its hard to run around with brass hanging around your neck, and you have to stay pretty close to the mics , but I wish they would still give me a little more...maybe some nerdy coordinated dance moves? That being said I would DEFINITELY, without a doubt in fact, go see them live. They still have a lot of energy and have a great live sound and those are the makings of a great show.

So again we find ourselves at the end of a review. This band is awesome, hands down one of the best I have found. They have awesome vocals, beastly bass, disgusting drums, good guitar and a horn section that fits the group so very well. Their live shows could be a little better, but overall they do a good job and i guarantee i would have a ridiculous time at one. So now to hand out a grade, this band ranks high and I have to give them a 9 out of 10, leaving some room for improvement. SO CHECK THEM OUT!

Links:http://upstandingyouth.com/, http://www.facebook.com/pages/Upstanding-Youth/67375536012, http://www.myspace.com/upstandingyouth/, http://www.reverbnation.com/upstandingyouth. Links to their albums on amazon are located on the right of this page.

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