The Skeletones
The Skeletones have been at it since summer 1986, making them one of the longest-running bands to emerge from Riverside. Paul “Prince Skeletone” Hampton started the band with Rob Bradfield and Carlos Duncan, but that original trio split by the end of the year. Hampton kept it going and rebuilt the lineup with new members from Arlington High School, including Rick Bonnin on keyboards and, soon after, Jonas “Monkeyman” Cabrera on trumpet and vocals. By the time they released their first record in 1988, Cabrera had become the frontman and primary lyricist while Hampton focused on writing music and playing keyboards. The band kept expanding through the ’90s, eventually reaching a seven-to-ten piece ensemble. Mark Cummings joined on bass, Kip Wirtzfeld on sax, Woody Diaz on drums, plus a rotating horn section. They called it “reggae-fied ska”—a sound pulling from Caribbean riddims, soul, jazz, and funk. While other bands went fast and loud, the Skeletones chose to groove.
They’ve had six albums across multiple labels, tours with No Doubt back when The Skeletones headlined over them, plus Sublime, Fishbone, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and most bands that mattered in the California ska and punk scene. They were regulars at the UCR Barn and Spanky’s, where trombonist Garth Schultz bartended between sets. Hampton eventually joined Fishbone in 2013 for five years and founded a publishing company that landed Skeletones songs on MTV shows like Viva La Bam and Rob Dyrdek’s Fantasy Factory. Nearly 40 years later, they’re still playing, still representing that Inland Empire ska sound that never needed to be anything other than itself. Hampton is the only member who’s been there since day one, the thread connecting the 1986 founding to the present.
