Skeleton Crew (band)

For other uses, see Skeleton crew (disambiguation).

Skeleton Crew
Skeleton Crew, 1982 Left to right: Tom Cora, Dave Newhouse, Fred Frith
Skeleton Crew, 1982
Left to right: Tom Cora, Dave Newhouse, Fred Frith
Background information
OriginNew York City, United States
GenresAvant-rock, experimental, free improvisation
Years active1982–1986
LabelsRift Records
SpinoffsDuck and Cover
Past membersTom Cora
Fred Frith
Dave Newhouse
Zeena Parkins

Skeleton Crew was an American experimental rock and jazz group from 1982 to 1986, comprising core members Fred Frith and Tom Cora, with Zeena Parkins joining later. Best known for their live improvisation performances where they played various instruments simultaneously, they also recorded two studio albums Learn to Talk (1984) and The Country of Blinds (1986).[1] The group drew on music and themes from a number of sources, including world music, left-wing politics and pre-recorded tapes.[2]

Writing in the Santa Cruz Sentinel, Lee Sherman described Skeleton Crew's sound as "unique and eclectic".[2] In her 1990 book, Sonic Transports: New Frontiers in Our Music, Nicole V. Gagné called the group "one of the hottest and imaginative rock acts I've ever heard."[3] In 2021, Frith said Skeleton Crew's stance was "sorta kinda demented anti-industry and even anti-music".[4]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference Mills was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference Sherman was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Gagné 1990, p. 128.
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference Frith was invoked but never defined (see the help page).