Skankin' Pickle
| Company type | Band |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 1988 |
| Headquarters | San Jose , United States |
| Products | Ska punk music |
Skankin' Pickle was a ska punk group originating from San Jose, California, active between 1989 and 1997.
Biography
The band was established in December 1988 by students from Westmont High School and Los Gatos High School. The founding members consisted of bassist and vocalist Mike Mattingly, saxophonist and vocalist Mike Park, guitarist and vocalist Lynette Knackstedt, along with drummer Chuck Phelps. Shortly thereafter, trombonist Lars Nylander joined, followed by a second trombonist, Gerry Lundquist, in early 1990.
In 1991, Park launched Dill Records in San Jose to distribute Skankin' Pickle's first album, the partly live and partly studio-recorded Skafunkrastapunk. Dill Records also released early works from bands such as Mu330, Slapstick, The Rudiments, and Less Than Jake. Skankin' Pickle upheld a strong independent philosophy, organizing all-ages concerts with minimal cover fees and affordable CD pricing, embodying a DIY ethos that Park carried forward in his subsequent projects.
During the early 1990s, Skankin' Pickle toured extensively alongside notable acts including Bad Manners, The Skatalites, Mustard Plug, Sublime, Cherry Poppin' Daddies, The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Rancid, Primus, and Green Day. Their lively stage presence and spirited performances earned them recognition as one of the Bay Area's premier unsigned bands by 1994.
Their last studio release, The Green Album, came out in 1996 on Dr. Strange Records and featured cover songs alongside previously unreleased material. Following this release, Park left the band and was succeeded by Mike Liu from Santa Clara's ska punk ensemble Janitors Against Apartheid. After additional personnel changes, only Knackstedt and Nylander remained from the original lineup during their concluding European tour in June 1997. Subsequently, they retired the Skankin' Pickle name as members transitioned into the ska punk/pop punk outfit known as the 78 RPM's.
Post Skankin' Pickle
Knackstedt and Nylander proceeded with the 78 RPM's, producing two albums before disbanding in 2003. After departing Skankin' Pickle, Mike Park founded the independent label Asian Man Records and formed ska punk groups including The Chinkees and The Bruce Lee Band, later embarking on a solo acoustic career. Trombonist Gerry Lundquist joined the St. Louis-based ska punk band Mu330 in 1996, while Jay Vance created the robot-themed rock group Captured! by Robots.
Mike Mattingly established Neosoreskin along with the Deviled Egg Heads Music label. He also performs solo under the name Tingly, releasing albums such as the acoustic Beautiful View.
On December 7, 2007, Lynette Knackstedt passed away in San Francisco due to a drug overdose. A benefit concert held on April 19, 2008, at 924 Gilman Street featured local acts and was headlined by Mike Park. The event raised close to $2,000 for Ohlhoff Recovery Programs, a rehabilitation organization based in the Bay Area.
On November 20, 2010, Park, Lundquist, and Nylander performed alongside the band Monkey during the San Francisco stop of the Yo Gabba Gabba! live tour, delivering a rendition of Marcia Griffiths/Bad Manners' "Feel Like Jumping."
Musical style
Skankin' Pickle was distinguished by its fusion of various musical genres, predominantly ska punk, alongside elements of classic ska, punk rock, funk, hardcore punk, rock, metal, reggae, rap, hip-hop, speed metal, and even polka. Following Mike Mattingly's exit, Mike Park assumed the role of lead vocalist; the responsibilities for songwriting and front vocals were distributed among Park, Knackstedt, Nylander, and Mattingly/Miller.
The band's lyrics spanned a wide spectrum—from humorous tracks like "Fakin' Jamaican" to songs with sociopolitical messages advocating racial justice such as "Racist World." They tackled specific incidents including David Duke's 1992 political campaign ("David Duke is Running For President") and the controversy surrounding Ice Cube's album ("Ice Cube, Korea Wants A Word With You"). Most of these socially aware compositions were penned by Park, who further pursued anti-racism themes in his projects The Chinkees, The Bruce Lee Band, and his solo career.
References in other bands' work
Matt Skiba of Alkaline Trio makes mention of Skankin' Pickle during the performance of "Goodbye Forever" on their Halloween at the Metro DVD: "Remember last April when we saw Skankin' Pickle; Somehow the singer showed the Fireside exactly how I feel"
The Canadian punk group Fucked Up released a diss track targeting fellow Canadian rock band Billy Talent, featuring two references to Skankin' Pickle as a nod to Billy Talent’s earlier ska punk identity under the name Pezz.
In the rarities compilation Everything Under the Sun by Sublime, frontman Bradley Nowell mentions Skankin' Pickle during a WBCN Boston interview (Disc 2, Track 12):
WBCN - "...so, welcome to town. Playing TT's tonight, in Cambridge..."
Nowell - "With Sprung Monkey."
WBCN - "With Sprung Monkey?"
Nowell - "I mean Skankin' Pickle. Sorry, I always confuse the two."
WBCN - "Heh, heh, heh... It's easy to do..."
Nowell - "Skankin' Pickle is way better than Sprung Monkey..."
1989–1993
- Lynette Knackstedt – guitar and vocals
- Gerry Lundquist – slide trombone and vocals
- Mike "Mr. Clean" Mattingly – bass guitar and vocals
- Lars "Slim" Nylander – valve trombone and vocals
- Mike "Bruce Lee" Park – tenor saxophone and vocals
- Chuck "Mod" Phelps – drums
1993–1996
- Lynette Knackstedt – guitar and vocals
- Gerry "Hulk Hogan"/"Lungs" Lundquist – slide trombone and vocals
- Ian "Guru" Miller – bass guitar and vocals
- Lars Nylander – valve trombone and vocals
- Mike "Bruce Lee" Park – saxophone and vocals
- Chuck Phelps – drums
Post-Green Album (early 1996)
- Lynette Knackstedt – guitar and vocals
- Mike Park – saxophone and vocals
- Gerry Lundquist – slide trombone and vocals
- Jay Vance – bass guitar and vocals
- Lars Nylander – valve trombone and vocals
- Chuck Phelps – drums
- Michael Liu – saxophone
Albums
| Year | Title | Label |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | Skafunkrastapunk | Dill Records |
| 1992 | Skankin' Pickle Fever | Dill Records |
| 1994 | Sing Along With Skankin' Pickle | Dill Records / Asian Man Records |
| 1995 | Skankin' Pickle Live | Dill Records |
| 1996 | The Green Album | Dr. Strange Records |
Demos
| Year | Title | Label | Tracks |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | Skankin' Pickle cassette | Dill Records | Template:Col-begin
Template:Col-2
1. "I Missed the Bus" |
Singles/EPs
| Year | Title | Label | Tracks |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | Fever | Beach Recordings | Side A: "I Missed the Bus"/"David Duke is Running for President" Side B: "Ice Cube, Korea Wants a Word with You"/"Pass You By" |
| 1995 | Hi, My Name Is Eric Yee. My Favorite Band Is Green Day! | Dill Records | Side A: "My Name Is Eric Yee. My Favorite Band Is Green Day"/"Losin' Again" Side B: "Sally Brown" |
External links
- [ Skankin' Pickle on Allmusic]
- Articles with short description
- 1989 establishments in California
- 1996 disestablishments in California
- American ska punk musical groups
- Asian Man Records artists
- Musical groups disestablished in 1996
- Musical groups established in 1989
- Musical groups from San Jose, California
- Punk rock groups from California
- Third-wave ska groups