Courtesy

THE BAND: Uptown Creepers

THE MEMBERS: Clayton Billadeau, bass; Mike Chia, trombone; David Cruz, vocals/guitar; Benny Pizana, drums; Manny Sauceda, saxophone

THE SOUND: Chia says Uptown Creepers' sound is “primarily horn-driven punk with ska overtones,” though he says the band is attempting to get more progressive in its overall sound. The band cites a variety of influences, from mainstream groups such as the Police and Mighty Mighty Bosstones to more obscure punk/ska acts such as RX Bandits and Assorted Jelly Beans.
THE WEB SITE: myspace.com/uptowncreepers

THE ALBUM: In Transition (2007 EP)

THE BACKGROUND: Cruz actually started the band in 2003 as more of a straight-line rock entity, but after a year, recruited Sauceda to add his saxophone sound. From there, Sauceda asked his good friend Chia to join the band as a trombone player, even though Chia had given up the instrument a year before to focus on drums. Once a demo got into the hands of a student at San Antonio College, she submitted it for SAC's Music Business Program record label, Courtland Records. Uptown Creepers beat out several other bands to get on the Courtland label and released In Transition in late 2007.

WHERE TO SEE THEM: The band is actually taking a break from live shows for the time being to record a full-length debut album. Should Uptown Creepers book a show, however, it is sure to be posted on the band's MySpace page. “It's going to be more a variety of things,” Chia said of the band's full-length debut. “We have about six or seven songs with more in the making, and it's pretty diverse.”

THE 210 TAKE: Just because the ska movement came and went in the mainstream more than a decade ago — thanks to bands such as Sublime, No Doubt and Reel Big Fish — doesn't mean the genre itself is dead. Instead, quality local bands such as Uptown Creepers are proof that the genre has simply gone back underground, where plenty of top-flight music can be found.

CLINT HALE | 210SA