Unsteady

Unsteady channel nearly all their artistic energy into forging fresh paths inside the realm of ska, crafting invigorating new expressions that fuse the genre with ravenous selections of jazz, funk, and pure rock & roll. They came together in the early 1990s in San Diego, California, through the shared initiative of John Roy on saxophone and vocals, Creedy Bates on guitar, Kevin Hewitt on keyboards, Paul Howland on bass, and Kent Graves on drums. Each founding member arrived with extensive prior experience, most of it gained through more than five years of performing in other ensembles. The group reached its complete configuration in the years that followed, as drummer Jimmy Boom replaced Graves and the additions of Clay Elliot on saxophone and Jon Fisher on trumpet locked in the expanded lineup. Their debut album, Tightrope, surfaced on the Immune Records label in 1996 and underscored the band’s singular sonic choices. In the ensuing period Unsteady cultivated a devoted and enthusiastic audience while asserting their own authority across the ska scene. The following year brought their second major studio album, Double or Nothing, which carried forward the ensemble’s daring sounds despite continued fluctuations in personnel. In 2001 the group delivered its third full-length release, Live in the Studio.