Coming out of the San Diego ska scene Unsteady managed to blend traditional ska sounds with just about anything else you could think of. Be it rock, blues, jazz, motown, or punk Unsteady made it all swing-able, skank-able, and just plain dance-able. Unlike other ska bands they didn't settle for the standard instrumentation but added an old Hammond organ to the mix. Stories abound of the band and friends/fans helping to move the behemoth onto the stage. They also added a whole slew of other instruments on this record including accordions, mandolins and an upright acoustic bass to name a few. Stand out tracks for me are Without You with it's fun catchy lyrics and faster tempo and What Kind of Fool? featuring Kym Klift with her sultry vocals and a cool smooth sound. Though I normally limit my stand outs to just two I have to add a third on this album. Ode to Mr. Davis has one of the jazziest ska sounds I've ever heard and is an absolute joy.
Unsteady is:
Bryan Lancaster on Guitar
John Roy on Tenor and Alto Sax and Vocals
Jon Fisher on Trumpet
Kent Graves on Drums
Kevin Scott Hewitt on Hammond and Farfisa Organ and Guitar
Nick Endres on Trombone
Paul Howland on Bass
Extra credits for this album:
Bill Riddell on Tube (17.)
Brian Vandewettering on Mandolin (17.)
Jeff Forrest on Lead Tambourine (7.)
Kym Klift on Vocals (9. and 12.)
Mert Cushman on Accordion (17.) and Vibraphone (6.)
Mike Hahn on Drums (1., 2., 4., 10., 11., 12., 13., 15., 16.)
Tom Bishop on Upright Acoustic Bass (6., 16.)
Tyler Grant on Banjo (17.)
Sabrina Ingalls on Clarinet (17.)
Track listing:
1. Martha
2. Bald Fury
3. Bad Attitude
4. The Cost
5. Kalinda
6. Gotta Dance
7. Without You
8. Rockabilly Lover
9. Sally
10. Joanna
11. Insecurity
12. What Kid of Fool?
13. Darkie Love Affair
14. Race and Reason
15. Heavy Rotation
16. Ode to Mr. Davis
17. Pimiento Loaf Gumbo
Yar!
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