Noel Rochford Band

Whether or not Noel Rochford considers himself an influential part of the ska scene, the 22-year-old artist and his ska-fusion band UNRB are representative of the genre’s expanding sonic boundaries.

Rochford picked up ukulele several years ago on a week-long trip to Hawaii, after his hosts gave him a starter ukulele as a birthday present. “I think I got it on the third day of vacation, and I didn’t do anything else.”

He’d picked up euphonium in high school band and at the time ...