Skunk (band)

Last updated

Skunk
Genres Alternative rock, post-hardcore
Years active1986 (1986)-1991 (1991)
Labels Twin/Tone
Past members Matt Sweeney
Claude Coleman, Jr.
Matt Quigley
Stephan Apicella-Hitchcock
Tim Aaron
Website www.twintone.com/skunk.html

Skunk was an American alternative rock band formed in 1986 in Maplewood, New Jersey. During the group's existence Skunk released two albums on Twin/Tone Records; 1989's Last American Virgin and 1991's Laid. [1]

Contents

Skunk was the first band of now respected session guitarist Matt Sweeney, who after their breakup went on to form New York City math rock quartet Chavez, [2] and drummer Claude Coleman, Jr., best known for his decades long tenure playing with Ween. [3] Also in the band for its entire history was bassist Matt Quigley, who later went on to form the art-pop group Vaganza. [3]

Although they were not well known while they were active, Skunk were a favorite group of Billy Corgan of the multi-platinum 90s band Smashing Pumpkins, who in 2001 joined forces with Sweeney to form the band Zwan. [4] In the liner notes to the Pumpkins' Pisces Iscariot LP, Corgan wrote of the song "Frail and Bedazzled"

"frail and bedazzled owes a great debt to the band skunk, from whom i ripped part of this song off. skunk was probably the greatest band that i ever knew/saw that is virtually unknown-even less than the frogs. frogs. skunk. i miss skunk." [5]

Discography

Last American Virgin (1989)
Laid (1991) [6]

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References

  1. unknown. "AllMusic entry for Skunk". AllMusic. Retrieved October 19, 2013.
  2. Cohan, Brad (December 23, 2010). "Q&A: Chavez's Matt Sweeney On How He Ended Up Working With Josh Groban". The Village Voice. Archived from the original on October 19, 2013. Retrieved October 19, 2013.
  3. 1 2 "Skunk". Trouser Press. Retrieved October 19, 2013.
  4. McInnes, Gavin. "The Smashing Pumpkins are Dead". Vice. Retrieved October 19, 2013.
  5. "Liner notes to Pisces Iscariot". Smashing Pumpkins Fan Collaborative. Retrieved October 19, 2013.
  6. Ira A. Robbins, David Sprague The Trouser Press Guide to '90s Rock 1997 Page 142 "Laid (Twin\Tone) 1991 Singer/guitarist Matt Sweeney first came to light with the New Jersey punk band Skunk, whose two records feature sophomoric album titles with juvenile lyrics and aimless vocals to match, although both are stylistically diverse and Laid shows real progress toward a fully realized sound."