Brad Skistimas | |
|---|---|
| Born | August 5, 1983 Dallas, Texas, U.S. |
| Origin | Denton, Texas, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Singer-songwriter, musician, video producer, animator, graphic designer |
| Instrument(s) | Vocals, guitar, piano |
| Years active | 2001–present |
| Website | fivetimesaugust |
Brad Skistimas (born August 5, 1983) is an American singer-songwriter, independent musician, and producer. He is best known as the creator and lead performer of the project Five Times August and as the founder of the children's music brand The Juicebox Jukebox. Skistimas is also a graphic designer, animator, and video producer.
Skistimas began recording music under the name Five Times August in 2001 at the age of 18. [1] His first self-produced albums, Say (2001), Hover (2003), and Audience of Zero (2003), were sold locally in Dallas coffee shops and shows.
In 2004, Skistimas collaborated with songwriter Chris Hawkes to release the EP Something Clever. The track “Better With You” was licensed by MTV and appeared in the first season of Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County. [2]
In 2005, Skistimas released the full-length album Fry Street. All songs from the album were licensed for MTV's Laguna Beach and later appeared in other series including The Real World, One Tree Hill, and Degrassi. [3]
By 2007, Five Times August became one of the Top 10 Unsigned Artists on Myspace with over 5 million profile hits. [4] That same year, the album was reissued as The Independent and distributed in Walmart stores through Anderson Merchandising, despite Skistimas being unsigned. [5]
In 2008, Skistimas released Brighter Side, produced by Todd and Toby Pipes of Deep Blue Something. [6] He later used online crowd funding to fund Life as a Song (2009), re-recorded with Grammy-winning producer Andy Zulla, which raised $20,000 in just 31 days.
In 2013, Skistimas released the side project Where Did I Go? under the name *Bradley James*, produced by Rob Arthur. The EP drew on crooner influences like Nat King Cole and Sam Cooke. [7]
Throughout the 2010s, his songs appeared in films including Status Update and Then Came You, and in series such as The Big Bang Theory. [8]
In 2021, Skistimas released a series of protest singles under Five Times August, including the viral song “Sad Little Man” criticizing Anthony Fauci. [9] [10]
These singles were compiled into the 2022 album Silent War, which reached #5 on Amazon's overall albums chart and #1 on Apple Music's alternative and singer-songwriter charts. [11]
In 2023, Skistimas released the single “Ain’t No Rock and Roll” with Nashville songwriter Chris Wallin, featuring musicians Pete Parada, Ira Dean, Tom Bukovac, and Jim “Moose” Brown. [12] In 2024, he collaborated with Smash Mouth's Greg Camp on the singles “Liars, Cheats, and Crooks” and “Counterfeit World”.
In 2018, Skistimas launched The Juicebox Jukebox, a children's music and educational brand. The debut album Now Hear This! was released in 2020 and its animated videos have gained more than 35 million views on YouTube. [13]
The project was added to the Texas Commission on the Arts Touring Roster in 2019 [14] and provides music for Star Spangled Adventures, a U.S. history animated series part of Dr. Ben Carson's Little Patriots curriculum. [15]
Skistimas has performed protest songs at rallies including: