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The Skins tour poster
photo credit: facebook.com
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The Skins, a Brooklyn-based 5 piece and the opening act for the Jake Bugg’s North American tour, hit the First Avenue stage January 17th with a boom clack. The sound was instantly recognizable as a soulful, punk flare stemming from classic rock guitar chords and more notably, guitar solos. Whatever happened to guitar solos? I miss those. Hearing them from far away you could tell they had so much talent and technical skill, they play like musical ingénues. Once I secured my spot up close and saw how young they were, the first note I took was, “School of Rock Graduates”. I was right on the money. This was a perfect opening act for 19 year old Jake Bugg, as The Skins range in age from 15-21. Their School of Rock teacher, based on the movie starring Jack Black, quit teaching to be their manager, but watches to make certain they keep up their “homework” while on the road.
They have that Brooklyn hipster look, young and fresh, yet vaguely familiar to folks in my generation with a Beastie Boys-TLC-Pearl Jam, swag. You instantly connect with them. I have yet to see an unknown headliner pull such a large crowd and kept them remarkably hooked.
Each song they played had a different vibe which continued to prove their talent and range as musicians. Their songs would span from pure rock and roll that housed technical guitar licks to a song that had a flirtatious R&B vibe. They merged into a Ramones Style anthem that required audience participation, “HEY”, which was not hard to secure. Then they would play a jazzy little number showcasing the singer’s Adele voice and the guitarist’s technical side. Most notably, when The Skins segued into a Brit-pop song that showcased dueling guitar solos between Daisy Spencer and Russel Chell.
At a glance you could see and hear that Spencer has a Jimmy Page inspired way about her playing while Chell has the stylistic features of a young Steve Vai. Bayli McKeithan is the head vocalist and absolutely charms with her powerful range but is not afraid to scream like Roger Daltry (The Who) or Patti Smith for that matter. Her younger sister, Kaya McKeithan, slaps da bass with the skill level of Peter Giles (King Crimson) but with the funk and pizazz of RHCPs own, Flea. The youngest brother and member of The Skins, is drummer, Reef McKeithan. At 15, he plays with the depth and skill of John Bonham (Led Zeppelin) yet brings a notable ?love (The Roots) rhythm which gives The Skins that contemporary Rock and Roll sound this generation has been waiting for.
After the set I ran to the merch booth, hoping for an opportunity to chat with a few of the band members. There is nothing more impressive than talking with passionate, developing, music lovers who share the same admiration of rock, blues, funk, and soul that a wise/old music aficionado does. They shared that after self-releasing their 2012 EP, the group caught the attention of notorious music producer Rick Rubin, and he's been helping develop songs with them at his own Shangri-La Studios in Malibu, CA. Their merchandise was extremely recognizable with t-shirts & stickers designed by Obey Giant’s Shepard Fairey, who offered to design them after catching their breakout performance at SXSW last year. They have recently signed a major label record deal with American Recordings, started by actor Adrian Grenier (Entourage) and are currently working on their next release. I can’t wait to see their evolution as they gain amplified education from being out of the classroom and rocking on the road.
They have that Brooklyn hipster look, young and fresh, yet vaguely familiar to folks in my generation with a Beastie Boys-TLC-Pearl Jam, swag. You instantly connect with them. I have yet to see an unknown headliner pull such a large crowd and kept them remarkably hooked.
Each song they played had a different vibe which continued to prove their talent and range as musicians. Their songs would span from pure rock and roll that housed technical guitar licks to a song that had a flirtatious R&B vibe. They merged into a Ramones Style anthem that required audience participation, “HEY”, which was not hard to secure. Then they would play a jazzy little number showcasing the singer’s Adele voice and the guitarist’s technical side. Most notably, when The Skins segued into a Brit-pop song that showcased dueling guitar solos between Daisy Spencer and Russel Chell.
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The Skins
photo: Libby
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After the set I ran to the merch booth, hoping for an opportunity to chat with a few of the band members. There is nothing more impressive than talking with passionate, developing, music lovers who share the same admiration of rock, blues, funk, and soul that a wise/old music aficionado does. They shared that after self-releasing their 2012 EP, the group caught the attention of notorious music producer Rick Rubin, and he's been helping develop songs with them at his own Shangri-La Studios in Malibu, CA. Their merchandise was extremely recognizable with t-shirts & stickers designed by Obey Giant’s Shepard Fairey, who offered to design them after catching their breakout performance at SXSW last year. They have recently signed a major label record deal with American Recordings, started by actor Adrian Grenier (Entourage) and are currently working on their next release. I can’t wait to see their evolution as they gain amplified education from being out of the classroom and rocking on the road.
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The Skins at First Avenue, Minneapolis (01/17/2014) photo: Vu
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