Skeleton Key
Seemingly powered by pistons, gears, and rusty watch springs, Skeleton Key … Read Full Bio ↴Seemingly powered by pistons, gears, and rusty watch springs, Skeleton Key is a clanky but productive machine. Using ancient microphones, primitive guitars, and found objects, the band heaves with a unique rhythmic undertow yet has a knack for winsome, haunting melody. Their music "strips down, toughens up, picks up some debris, and gets an extra dose of rhythm" according to Jon Pareles of the The New York Times. Skeleton Key creates music both exotic and familiar, elegant yet crass, cerebral yet visceral. "It's luxurious, yet affordable" says bassist/singer Erik Sanko (ex of The Lounge Lizards, and collaborator with Yoko Ono, John Cale, and Gavin Friday, among others.)
Forming in 1995 after a chance meeting in New York City club The Knitting Factory, the band's first release was the 1995 Human Pin Cushion EP on Dedicated Records. After some personnel changes the band released an eponymous EP on Motel Records in 1996 that Rolling Stone said "shows how pop culture and high culture can bring everyone to the same place." Original members Steve Calhoon and Rick Lee left the band soon after making this recording, going on to form the band Enon. Soon after their departures, Skeleton Key inked a deal with Capitol Records and put out the critically acclaimed (and Grammy nominated [for artwork]) Fantastic Spikes Through Balloon in 1997. The band then toured the US and Europe with a diverse assortment of acts (Melvins, Girls vs. Boys, Cibo Matto, The Jesus Lizard, They Might Be Giants, Morphine, Brainiac, Primus) before headlining their own US tour. After two gruelling years on the road and a half-finished album recorded, Chris Maxwell departed, leaving the future of Skeleton Key in jeopardy. (From Ipecac Records)
Eventually the band, which had by now been reduced to a lone Erik Sanko, signed with Mike Patton's Ipecac Recordings to release Obtainium in 2002. With a revamped lineup the band hit the road again, playing several successful tours with bands such as Tomahawk, Melvins, Alien Ant Farm and Sleepytime Gorilla Museum. That lineup of Sanko, Craig LeBlang, Ben Clapp and Sean Sankey recorded and released the five song EP The Lyons Quintette on Do Tell Records and a live album (Skeleton Key Live at Metro) which is available exclusively through eMusic.
Sankey amicably left the band at the end of 2006 and new drummer Bob Vacarelli was recruited just days before the band headed out on tour with Chemlab and USSA in late 2007.
Official Website: http://www.skeletonkey.org
Forming in 1995 after a chance meeting in New York City club The Knitting Factory, the band's first release was the 1995 Human Pin Cushion EP on Dedicated Records. After some personnel changes the band released an eponymous EP on Motel Records in 1996 that Rolling Stone said "shows how pop culture and high culture can bring everyone to the same place." Original members Steve Calhoon and Rick Lee left the band soon after making this recording, going on to form the band Enon. Soon after their departures, Skeleton Key inked a deal with Capitol Records and put out the critically acclaimed (and Grammy nominated [for artwork]) Fantastic Spikes Through Balloon in 1997. The band then toured the US and Europe with a diverse assortment of acts (Melvins, Girls vs. Boys, Cibo Matto, The Jesus Lizard, They Might Be Giants, Morphine, Brainiac, Primus) before headlining their own US tour. After two gruelling years on the road and a half-finished album recorded, Chris Maxwell departed, leaving the future of Skeleton Key in jeopardy. (From Ipecac Records)
Eventually the band, which had by now been reduced to a lone Erik Sanko, signed with Mike Patton's Ipecac Recordings to release Obtainium in 2002. With a revamped lineup the band hit the road again, playing several successful tours with bands such as Tomahawk, Melvins, Alien Ant Farm and Sleepytime Gorilla Museum. That lineup of Sanko, Craig LeBlang, Ben Clapp and Sean Sankey recorded and released the five song EP The Lyons Quintette on Do Tell Records and a live album (Skeleton Key Live at Metro) which is available exclusively through eMusic.
Sankey amicably left the band at the end of 2006 and new drummer Bob Vacarelli was recruited just days before the band headed out on tour with Chemlab and USSA in late 2007.
Official Website: http://www.skeletonkey.org
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Skeleton Key Lyrics
All The Things I've Lost Last week in high wind, I lost my favorite hat I…
Big Teeth These pearly greys, are locked up tight Behind bars of pink…
Candy Twist ties And cellophane wrapping Twist ties All coming …
Dear Reader Dear Reader To anyone it might concern I found the bleeder…
Every Hero Two men shaking hands Umbrellas open and close The clappin…
Fear of Stalling In a hundred years they'll find your head stuck in…
Gravity Is The Enemy The spider on the sand dune Strugles with the grip And the…
Human Pin Cushion She locked me in a basket And swallowed down the key I…
Kerosene She sips from the lip of her cup And I am…
King Know It All When the truth comes out No man can spit The way he…
Little Monster We'll I wasn't born in this diving bell It wasn't there…
Machine Screw Teeth grind, the oil shines the trembling frame of my…
Museum Glass Five nails wide in tricky finger stretch anatomy Ten hands …
One Way My Way Once there was a man whose head Produced a voice like…
Panic Bullets I'd plead My campaign But the bullets Stole my name They…
Roost in Peace Well I jumped out of the nest and I settled…
Roses Hell's one hundred acres are on fire And the sky is…
Sawdust My head is filled with sawdust Glass eyes of vacant black…
Say Goodnight Say goodnight, the pinhold flag unfurls Against the sky, a …
Scratch This is my volcano. And this is how the top…
Solitaire She deceived everyone around In her magic show I played the…
Spineless I'm made of clay Anything you say Will determine the shape I…
That Tongue There were looms inside her mouth Spinning yarns like angry…
The Barker of the Dupes The greased palms and the blood red vans Twelve pound sledg…
The Denialist You think you've got it rought Oh how you suffer You're ju…
The Mowing Devil Heave ho, the devil will mow Your crops to the…
The Needle Never Ends Watch, the taxedermy man conspire To pull, pull the poker f…
The Only Useful Word Speak, and the words cascade. Down, in a drunken parade of…
The Spreading Stain I lost my teeth. Now everything is hard to swallow. It's…
The World's Most Famous Undertaker Transparent skin, one cloudy eye The immobile frame, undern…
The World’s Most Famous Undertaker Transparent skin, one cloudy eye The immobile frame, underne…
Vomit Ascot A place to lay down, and wait for an hour Clear…
Watch The Fat Man Swing As graceful as a newborn He waves his chubby fists Like bl…
Wide Open You are a submarine. Sub-merged and thouhgt of dreams. Sub…
You Might Drown Drink, baby, drink All the things you're scared to think B…