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The members of local band The Upstarts are discussing their uncertain future in the first moments of "The Up Beat" and one band member says it's plain what the problem is: "The one thing I think we've been doing all wrong is marketing ourselves as a ska band."
The Upstarts are, in fact, a ska band, and the irony is that there was a brief time in the not-too-distant past when to be ska in Utah, especially in Utah Valley and particularly in Provo, was to be on the leading edge of indie culture. Even 10 years after the ska boom was at its most frenzied pitch, names like Swim Herschel Swim, Stretch Armstrong, My Man Friday or Model Citizen have a (slightly rusty) ring of familiarity to them. "The Up Beat," directed by local film editor Brandon Smith, is a fond valentine to the vanished, or at least critically endangered, sonic habitat across Utah where ska, the fusion of Caribbean sound with American jazz and R&B that originated in Eisenhower-era Jamaica, formerly flourished. The locals interviewed for the film suggest that, taking into account differences in market size, ska had a more vibrant, diverse presence in Utah than anywhere else in America. That may not mean much to the world at large. Despite having interviewed such first- and second-generation ska statesmen as "Toots" Hibbert (of Toots and the Maytals), Buster Bloodvessel (Bad Manners) and "Bucket" Hingley (The Toasters), the filmmakers either didn't ask the originals what they think of the Utah ska landscape, or didn't like the answers (blank looks?) they got. Even if ska doesn't mean anything to you personally, however, "The Up Beat" is an involving rehash of Utah ska and provides a fun education about the history of ska itself. It's a great-looking film, mixing crisp interview footage with energetic (if visually murky) archival reels, all of it seamlessly stitched together by fun graphics and titles. The interviewees, both from the wider world of ska (and it's pretty impressive who Smith has on the record) and the local scene, are colorful and well-versed in the film's topic. Clocking in at just under an hour, "The Up Beat" feels slightly underfed, especially in the amount of time taken to assess the potential future, if any, of ska in the land of the Wasatch. Smith provides a nice dual structure, however, moving through the history of ska (and gradually shifting from Jamaica to England to Happy Valley) along one track, while using the other to follow, circa 2007, the struggling, identity-stricken Upstarts. The hopeful message, contrasted by an Upstarts song that repeats the question "Is it too late now?" several times in its chorus, is that ska will always be there, if only for the people who wanted it around to begin with. "If you want people that follow fads, forget about that," says Vic Ruggiero of The Slackers. "They're wearing checkerboards this week, they're death metal the next week." "The Up Beat" will sound just right to ska's true believers. Review The Up Beat Grade: A- Director: Brandon Smith Running time: 56 min. Rating: No MPAA rating When: Saturday, 9:30 p.m. Where: Festival Cinemas (behind University Mall), 959 S. 700 East, Orem Cost: $6 Info: www.theupbeatmovie.com |
