The large crowd is undoubtedly excited, as the four tattoo-riddled members of SKANK take the stage. For the next hour, the audience is assaulted by the bands apocalyptic noise; a raw, evil, and sometimes melodic sound, trapped somewhere in between hardcore punk and old-school metal. The crowd of over 100 dances and thrashes, as Skunk (Vocals), Kyle (Bass), Nuzzo (Guitar), and G. (Drums) take them on a trip that can only be compared to being trapped in a multi-car pile up on a ruthless highway of sound. The members of SKANK have gained a lot of ground this year. Their single, Circle of Pain, is in heavy rotation on the radio locally, and even as far as Jacksonville, Florida. Their 3-song EP, White Collar Crime, has been steadily gaining critical acclaim, and their song, Maggots, was recently the top downloaded song on nextcelebs.com. The four members of SKANK have made huge sacrifices to transform the band from four kids jamming in the garage, to four men taking large audiences by storm in some of the Midwests most popular clubs.
The reactions weve seen recently (playing live) proved our old theory, said Kyle, Be real, be honest, and be yourselves. If they get it, cool&if they dont&fuckem&they werent supposed to! I think people get it now.
SKANK, as known in its current manifestation, is the cathartic reconciliation between founding brothers, Skunk and Kyle, whose mutual passion for music stems from childhood bonds, mutual loss, and alienation. The band, while captivating their audience, transcends all things commercial and conventional.
SKANKS ideals of playing to, and not for a crowd, stem from their hot and humid days rocking out in a beer-soaked garage slightly north of Chicago, but way south of high school. The original line-up, performing under the guise of, Freaks of Nature, began with promise, receiving a crescendo of local praise. The band-mates even purchased fake I.D.s in order to play at local bars. F.O.N. eventually met its demise through booze and girls. In early 93, F.O.N.s guitar player mangled his arm and his band-mates dreams in a drunken car accident after a show. He spent the next few years in and out of rehab, and would never play guitar again.
Skunk had been a passenger in the ill-fated Chevy Blazer accident. Due to the incident, and the subsequent collapse of the band, he sank into a deep depression. Skunk walked away from music, and started his own business building custom motorcycles. Everyone thought Skunks music days were over, but during the winter of 1999, he had a chance meeting and long conversation with country rocker, David Allan Coe. They met outside his tour bus after a show at the House of Blues. Skunk never revealed what was said to anybody, and even today, it remains a secret even to the other members of SKANK. All we know is that Kyle received a 2 AM phone call that night, and he and Skunk were back together making music the very next day.
Skunk and Kyle met their guitar player, Johnny Nuzzo, and instantly felt a chemistry the two had not known since the early 90s.
John was like a long lost brother, said Kyle, From musical influences, to the love of movies, and all the dirty things in between.
It was Fuckin nuts when we first heard Nuzzo play, said Skunk, Words could never describe the talent that fucker possesses. The feelings I struggle to capture with paper and pen&he articulates with a guitar.
In late 2002, the search for a drummer was going nowhere fast. The blueprints for great music were there, but without the talents of a serious drummer in the mix, the material might as well have faded into darkness.
One day when Skunk accidentally wandered into a local grocery store, he met Mike G., a hard-hitting drummer, who now tears shit up on the kit. Just as with Nuzzo, Mike had the exact same strange tastes as the rest of the band. He was everything the band was looking for, and was eager to put his talents to use.
Skunk sold all but two of his custom bikes and converted his basement into Skank Studios, a completely sound-proof room and recording studio. The band recorded a few rough demos, but it wasnt until the summer of 2004 that they decided to head into Alien Studios to record some of their perfected tracks. The end result was, WHITE COLLAR CRIME, a 3-song demo that featured, Maggots, Circle of Pain, and Spider Mouth.
The members of SKANK will continue to expand their insatiable fan-base, and will record their debut full-length album later this year.
Theres no turning back now, said Skunk, SKANKs in our blood; its who we are. SKANK OR DIE!