Alex Skolnick
Encyclopedia
Alexander Nathan Skolnick (born September 29, 1968, born and raised in Berkeley, California
) is an American jazz and metal guitarist
. He was a member of the San Francisco Bay Area thrash metal
band Testament
from 1983 until his departure in 1993. He returned briefly to re-record some old material for the band's First Strike is Still Deadly release, as well as the "Thrash of the Titans" all-star performance in 2001, before returning full-time four years later.
and was one of many guitarists (Steve Vai
, Larry LaLonde
, Rick Hunolt
, Kirk Hammett
, Andy Timmons
, Charlie Hunter
, Kevin Cadogan
) to achieve fame. His parents, Jerome and Arlene, are both professors of sociology
at New York University
and have previously taught at UC Berkeley. Skolnick has an older brother, Michael (b. 1962).
He joined the band Savatage
for the recording of Handful of Rain
, as well as its follow-up live album and home video release Japan Live '94
. He has also recorded and briefly toured with the Stu Hamm band, and played with the Trans-Siberian Orchestra
. In 2004, Skolnick made a guest appearance on Lamb of God
's Ashes of the Wake
album, recording a solo for the album's instrumental title track. He also briefly played guitar for Ozzy Osbourne
in 1995.
After leaving Savatage, Skolnick fronted several projects in the Bay Area
during the mid to late 1990s, such as Alex Skolnick and the Skol-tones, Exhibit-A and Skol-Patrol (a funk band exclusively dedicated to cop-show themes, both covered and original, featuring Michael Manring
). He also recorded two albums with Attention Deficit, a 3-piece featuring Tim Alexander
from Primus
as well as Manring. Recently Skolnick relocated to New York City
and began devoting all of his energies to jazz
, enrolling in the jazz program at The New School
. Most recently, he has been touring and recording with the Alex Skolnick Trio
, a jazz group known for playing rousing bebop
renditions of classic rock
and heavy metal
tunes.
In the spring of 2005, Skolnick and the rest of the classic Testament lineup reunited for a short European tour (10 Days of May Tour), with some American dates appended on. The tour was successful and a CD/DVD release was put together from the May 8, 2005 London show. In 2007, Skolnick contributed a solo for Egyptian Artist Nader Sadeks' project, "Faceless," which was composed by Steve Tucker (formerly of Morbid Angel
) The song was only to be heard in an art gallery in New York. In October 2007, the Alex Skolnick Trio were support act to Rodrigo y Gabriela
on the US East Coast. In 2009, Skolnick featured a guitar solo on 'Atman' for Rodrigo y Gabriela
' studio album 11:11
. The Skolnick Trio were also the main support band on Rodrigo Y Gabriela's consecutive European and US tour in late 2010, including five nights in London
, all of which sold out. Alex released a 3 DVD Jazz tuition set with Rock House Method in May 2010.
On April 29, 2008, Testament released their first studio album in nine years, Formation of Damnation, the first to feature Alex Skolnick on guitar since 1992's The Ritual as well as the first to feature bassist Greg Christian since 1994's Low
. Alex and Testament are currently working on a new studio album, entitled The Dark Roots of Earth
, set to be released in February 2012.
Skolnick has Composed music for the USA Network's broadcast of the 2002 Westminster Dog Show (a big band jazz piece), and the MTV series "Makin' The Band." Skolnick played one of the solos of the song, "Ashes of the wake," of Lamb of God
with Chris Poland
, formerly of Megadeth
. In Trans-Siberian Orchestra, Skolnick would work with Al Pitrelli
, also formerly of Megadeth.
Raised in the Bay Area, he now considers Brooklyn, New York his home. The silver streak in his hair is natural. Alex has become a writer, penning a popular blog, "SkolNotes" (featured on Alltop.com) and is a frequent contributor to Guitar Player Magazine on-line. A memoir is forthcoming. Until 2009, Skolnick toured with the East Coast set of the Trans-Siberian Orchestra
in the winter months.
Skolnick now plays Heritage Guitar
electric and hollow-bodied models with Seymour Duncan pickups. In 2009 Heritage released Alex's first signature guitar. The Alex Skolnick model is a solid body based upon the H 150/157 model. In his early years with Testament he endorsed Ibanez
guitars and mainly played the 540SLTD model.
Berkeley, California
Berkeley is a city on the east shore of the San Francisco Bay in Northern California, United States. Its neighbors to the south are the cities of Oakland and Emeryville. To the north is the city of Albany and the unincorporated community of Kensington...
) is an American jazz and metal guitarist
Guitarist
A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
. He was a member of the San Francisco Bay Area thrash metal
Bay Area thrash metal
Bay Area thrash metal, or "Bay Area thrash", referred to a steady following of heavy metal bands in the 1980s who formed and gained international status in the San Francisco Bay Area, California...
band Testament
Testament (band)
Testament is an American metal band from Berkeley, California, formed in 1983. They are often credited as one of the most popular bands of the 1980s thrash metal scene...
from 1983 until his departure in 1993. He returned briefly to re-record some old material for the band's First Strike is Still Deadly release, as well as the "Thrash of the Titans" all-star performance in 2001, before returning full-time four years later.
Biography
Alex Skolnick was a student of Joe SatrianiJoe Satriani
Joseph "Joe" Satriani is an American instrumental rock guitarist and multi-instrumentalist, with multiple Grammy Award nominations...
and was one of many guitarists (Steve Vai
Steve Vai
Steven Siro "Steve" Vai is a three time Grammy Award-winning American guitarist, songwriter and producer who has sold over 15 million albums. Steve Vai is widely known as a flamboyant guitar virtuoso....
, Larry LaLonde
Larry LaLonde
Larry "Ler" LaLonde is a guitarist who currently plays in Primus along with Les Claypool and Jay Lane...
, Rick Hunolt
Rick Hunolt
Rick Hunolt is an American heavy metal guitarist who is best known for being the long time guitarist in thrash metal band Exodus. He joined the band in 1983, replacing Mike Maung who had been hired to replace original guitarist Kirk Hammett who left to join Metallica...
, Kirk Hammett
Kirk Hammett
Kirk Lee Hammett is the lead guitarist and a songwriter in the heavy metal band Metallica and has been a member of the band since 1983. Before joining Metallica he formed and named the band Exodus. In 2003, Hammett was ranked 11th on Rolling Stones list of The 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time...
, Andy Timmons
Andy Timmons
Andy Timmons is an American guitarist who has played in the bands Danger Danger, Pawn Kings, and Andy Timmons Band . He has also released several solo albums and has worked as a session guitarist...
, Charlie Hunter
Charlie Hunter
for the New Zealand racehorse trainer and driver see: Charlie HunterCharlie Hunter is an American guitarist, composer and bandleader....
, Kevin Cadogan
Kevin Cadogan
Kevin Rene Cadogan is an American singer/songwriter, producer and rock guitarist. He is a founding member of the band Third Eye Blind. he performed with the band from 1994 to 2000...
) to achieve fame. His parents, Jerome and Arlene, are both professors of sociology
Sociology
Sociology is the study of society. It is a social science—a term with which it is sometimes synonymous—which uses various methods of empirical investigation and critical analysis to develop a body of knowledge about human social activity...
at New York University
New York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
and have previously taught at UC Berkeley. Skolnick has an older brother, Michael (b. 1962).
He joined the band Savatage
Savatage
Savatage is an American heavy metal band founded by the brothers Jon and Criss Oliva in 1978 at Astro Skate in Tarpon Springs, Florida.-Early days :...
for the recording of Handful of Rain
Handful of Rain
-Personnel:Due to the shake-up in the band following Criss's death, the line-ups were somewhat unclear at the time. Drummer Steve Wacholz left the band and did not play on the album, but he is pictured in the album to maintain a more "classic" Savatage line-up. Bassist Middleton was apparently...
, as well as its follow-up live album and home video release Japan Live '94
Japan Live '94
Japan Live '94 a live album that was recorded by Savatage. The show that was recorded for the release was held in Kawasaki, Kanagawa, Japan on November 12, 1994 and was the last show on the short Handful of Rain tour.Due to a lack of time on the CD, the entire show was not released onto CD...
. He has also recorded and briefly toured with the Stu Hamm band, and played with the Trans-Siberian Orchestra
Trans-Siberian Orchestra
Trans-Siberian Orchestra is an American progressive metal band founded in 1993 by producer, composer, and lyricist Paul O'Neill, who brought together Jon Oliva and Al Pitrelli and keyboardist and co-producer Robert Kinkel to form the core of the creative team. Since then, TSO sold nearly 8...
. In 2004, Skolnick made a guest appearance on Lamb of God
Lamb of God (band)
Lamb of God is an American heavy metal band from Richmond, Virginia. Formed in 1994, the group consists of vocalist Randy Blythe, guitarists Mark Morton and Willie Adler, bassist John Campbell, and drummer Chris Adler...
's Ashes of the Wake
Ashes of the Wake
Ashes of the Wake is the fourth studio album by American groove metal band Lamb Of God, released in 2004. The album debuted at number 27 on the Billboard 200, selling 35,000 copies in its first-week and was rated by Guitar World as the 49th greatest Guitar Album of all Time...
album, recording a solo for the album's instrumental title track. He also briefly played guitar for Ozzy Osbourne
Ozzy Osbourne
John Michael "Ozzy" Osbourne is an English vocalist, whose musical career has spanned over 40 years. Osbourne rose to prominence as lead singer of the pioneering English heavy metal band Black Sabbath, whose radically different, intentionally dark, harder sound helped spawn the heavy metal...
in 1995.
After leaving Savatage, Skolnick fronted several projects in the Bay Area
San Francisco Bay Area
The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a populated region that surrounds the San Francisco and San Pablo estuaries in Northern California. The region encompasses metropolitan areas of San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose, along with smaller urban and rural areas...
during the mid to late 1990s, such as Alex Skolnick and the Skol-tones, Exhibit-A and Skol-Patrol (a funk band exclusively dedicated to cop-show themes, both covered and original, featuring Michael Manring
Michael Manring
Michael Manring is an American electric bassist from the San Francisco Bay Area, .-Biography:...
). He also recorded two albums with Attention Deficit, a 3-piece featuring Tim Alexander
Tim Alexander
Tim "Herb" Alexander is an American musician, best known as the former drummer for the rock band Primus. Tim played on the Primus recordings Suck on This to Tales from the Punchbowl, before leaving the band in 1996, only to rejoin in 2003 for the EP Animals Should Not Try to Act Like People...
from Primus
Primus (band)
Primus is an American rock band based in San Francisco, California, currently composed of bassist/vocalist Les Claypool, guitarist Larry "Ler" LaLonde and drummer Jay Lane. Primus originally formed in 1984 with Claypool and guitarist Todd Huth, later joined by Lane, though the latter two departed...
as well as Manring. Recently Skolnick relocated to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
and began devoting all of his energies to jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
, enrolling in the jazz program at The New School
The New School
The New School is a university in New York City, located mostly in Greenwich Village. From its founding in 1919 by progressive New York academics, and for most of its history, the university was known as the New School for Social Research. Between 1997 and 2005 it was known as New School University...
. Most recently, he has been touring and recording with the Alex Skolnick Trio
Alex Skolnick Trio
The Alex Skolnick Trio is an American jazz music trio comprising the guitarist Alex Skolnick, Matt Zebroski on drums, and Nathan Peck on bass. Previously, John Davis played bass for the group. The Trio is known for its inventive jazz take on hard rock and heavy metal "standards"...
, a jazz group known for playing rousing bebop
Bebop
Bebop differed drastically from the straightforward compositions of the swing era, and was instead characterized by fast tempos, asymmetrical phrasing, intricate melodies, and rhythm sections that expanded on their role as tempo-keepers...
renditions of classic rock
Classic rock
Classic rock is a radio format which developed from the album-oriented rock format in the early 1980s. In the United States, the classic rock format features music ranging generally from the late 1960s to the late 1980s, primarily focusing on the hard rock genre that peaked in popularity in the...
and heavy metal
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
tunes.
In the spring of 2005, Skolnick and the rest of the classic Testament lineup reunited for a short European tour (10 Days of May Tour), with some American dates appended on. The tour was successful and a CD/DVD release was put together from the May 8, 2005 London show. In 2007, Skolnick contributed a solo for Egyptian Artist Nader Sadeks' project, "Faceless," which was composed by Steve Tucker (formerly of Morbid Angel
Morbid Angel
Morbid Angel is an American death metal band based in Tampa, Florida. UK music magazine Terrorizer ranked one Morbid Angel album in its “Top 40 greatest death metal albums”, with their 1989 debut Altars of Madness appearing at number 1...
) The song was only to be heard in an art gallery in New York. In October 2007, the Alex Skolnick Trio were support act to Rodrigo y Gabriela
Rodrigo y Gabriela
Rodrigo y Gabriela , also known as "El Rodri y La Gabi", are a Mexican musical duo who specialize in playing fast, rhythmic acoustic guitars...
on the US East Coast. In 2009, Skolnick featured a guitar solo on 'Atman' for Rodrigo y Gabriela
Rodrigo y Gabriela
Rodrigo y Gabriela , also known as "El Rodri y La Gabi", are a Mexican musical duo who specialize in playing fast, rhythmic acoustic guitars...
' studio album 11:11
11:11 (Rodrigo y Gabriela album)
11:11 is the third studio album by Mexican guitar duo Rodrigo y Gabriela. It was released on independent label Rubyworks around the world from 2 September to 8 September 2009. It guest stars Strunz & Farah on the song "Master Maqui" and Alex Skolnick on the song "Atman"...
. The Skolnick Trio were also the main support band on Rodrigo Y Gabriela's consecutive European and US tour in late 2010, including five nights in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, all of which sold out. Alex released a 3 DVD Jazz tuition set with Rock House Method in May 2010.
On April 29, 2008, Testament released their first studio album in nine years, Formation of Damnation, the first to feature Alex Skolnick on guitar since 1992's The Ritual as well as the first to feature bassist Greg Christian since 1994's Low
Low (Testament album)
Low is the sixth album by American heavy metal band Testament. It was released in 1994. It was the first album without lead guitarist Alex Skolnick or drummer Louie Clemente, who were replaced by James Murphy and John Tempesta, respectively...
. Alex and Testament are currently working on a new studio album, entitled The Dark Roots of Earth
The Dark Roots of Earth
The Dark Roots of Earth is the upcoming tenth studio album by American thrash metal band Testament. It is currently scheduled to be released in late April/early May 2012 by the independent German record label Nuclear Blast Records...
, set to be released in February 2012.
Skolnick has Composed music for the USA Network's broadcast of the 2002 Westminster Dog Show (a big band jazz piece), and the MTV series "Makin' The Band." Skolnick played one of the solos of the song, "Ashes of the wake," of Lamb of God
Lamb of God (band)
Lamb of God is an American heavy metal band from Richmond, Virginia. Formed in 1994, the group consists of vocalist Randy Blythe, guitarists Mark Morton and Willie Adler, bassist John Campbell, and drummer Chris Adler...
with Chris Poland
Chris Poland
Chris Poland is an American guitarist, best known for being a former member of heavy metal band Megadeth.-Early career:...
, formerly of Megadeth
Megadeth
Megadeth is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California which was formed in 1983 by guitarist/vocalist Dave Mustaine, bassist Dave Ellefson and guitarist Greg Handevidt, following Mustaine's expulsion from Metallica. The band has since released 13 studio albums, three live albums, two...
. In Trans-Siberian Orchestra, Skolnick would work with Al Pitrelli
Al Pitrelli
Al Pitrelli is a guitarist, best known for his work with the Trans-Siberian Orchestra, Megadeth, Alice Cooper, Joe Lynn Turner, Asia and Savatage.-Early career :...
, also formerly of Megadeth.
Raised in the Bay Area, he now considers Brooklyn, New York his home. The silver streak in his hair is natural. Alex has become a writer, penning a popular blog, "SkolNotes" (featured on Alltop.com) and is a frequent contributor to Guitar Player Magazine on-line. A memoir is forthcoming. Until 2009, Skolnick toured with the East Coast set of the Trans-Siberian Orchestra
Trans-Siberian Orchestra
Trans-Siberian Orchestra is an American progressive metal band founded in 1993 by producer, composer, and lyricist Paul O'Neill, who brought together Jon Oliva and Al Pitrelli and keyboardist and co-producer Robert Kinkel to form the core of the creative team. Since then, TSO sold nearly 8...
in the winter months.
Skolnick now plays Heritage Guitar
Heritage Guitars
Heritage Guitars is a guitar manufacturer in Kalamazoo, Michigan, United States.-History:Heritage Guitars was founded in 1985 by former employees of the Gibson guitar factory...
electric and hollow-bodied models with Seymour Duncan pickups. In 2009 Heritage released Alex's first signature guitar. The Alex Skolnick model is a solid body based upon the H 150/157 model. In his early years with Testament he endorsed Ibanez
Ibanez
is a Japanese guitar brand owned by Hoshino Gakki. Based in Nagoya, Aichi, Japan, Hoshino Gakki were one of the first Japanese musical instrument companies to gain a significant foothold in import guitar sales in the United States and Europe, as well as the first brand of guitars to mass produce...
guitars and mainly played the 540SLTD model.
Discography
| Year | Artist | Album | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | Testament | The Legacy | |
| 1988 | Testament | The New Order | |
| 1989 | Testament | Practice What You Preach | |
| 1990 | Testament | Souls of Black | |
| 1992 | Testament | The Ritual | |
| 1994 | Savatage | Handful of Rain | |
| 1995 | Savatage | Japan Live '94 / Live In Japan | |
| 1998 | Attention Deficit | Attention Deficit | |
| 2001 | Attention Deficit | The Idiot King | |
| 2002 | Alex Skolnick Trio | Goodbye to Romance: Standards for a New Generation | |
| 2004 | Alex Skolnick Trio | Transformation | |
| Lamb of God | Ashes of the Wake | Second solo on Ashes of the Wake | |
| 2005 | Ofri Eliaz | Ya salio de la mar - Ladino Songs | co-production, guitars |
| Numbers From The Beast | An All Star Salute to Iron Maiden | Lead Guitar on Wrathchild | |
| 2007 | Alex Skolnick Trio | Last Day in Paradise | |
| 2008 | Testament | The Formation of Damnation | |
| 2011 | Alex Skolnick Trio | Veritas |