Askeleton
Encyclopedia
Askeleton is a band from the Twin Cities, Minnesota. Askeleton has former and current members of bands such as Kill Sadie
, Hidden Chord, Aneuretical, The Swiss Army and Ela. The present line-up of Askeleton is: Knol Tate
(vocals, guitar and percussion), Noah Paster (bass guitar, keyboards), William Caperton (guitar, keys, percussion), Rob Skoro (keys, guitar and backing vocals) and Steve Yasgar (drum kit, laptop and percussion). Everyone plays a bit of everything.
In order to promote these releases Knol assembled a band to play the songs live. Many different versions of the live band where formed and finally in 2003 the line up that is now known as Askeleton was in place, making it no longer a solo project.
Askeletion has toured with bands such as Seattle's Minus the Bear
, The New Trust and Velvet Teen, and Che Arthur
. They have also had many local shows with local and national bands like of Radio 4
, Dosh
, Mark Mallman
, Kid Dakota
, 12 Rods
, One AM Radio
, Har-Mar Super Star, Motion City Soundtrack
, Ted Leo
, The Soviettes
, and Detachment Kit.
In 2004 Askeleton released the second full length album called Angry Album -or- Psychic Songs on Atlanta's Goodnight records.
The final album of the trilogy was released in 2005 it was sarcasticly called the Happy album. After some success, positive reviews and winning Minneapolis weekly’s Cities Pages “Song Writer of the Year” for 2004's Angry Album, bandleader and multi- instrumentalist Knol Tate went straight into his own recording studio to work on the follow-up. Ever changing sounds and aesthetic Tate moved away from the sample and lo-fi based digi-pop sounds of Sad Album and the digital rock meets minimalism of Angry Album. The (Happy) Album utilizes the Twin Cities community of musicians and the Askeleton live band. No longer a one-man band. Askeleton leaps out of the world of the computer composers.
Keeping with the some of the aesthetics
fans of Askeleton have come to know, the music and lyrics are simple yet to the point. With songs about simple subjects like cities, cars, rock n’ roll and the idea of individuals and groups becoming simply “some people” Tate draws complex and sometimes abstract pictures with simple ideas and words. (Happy) Album is true to its name. The songs are brighter and more positive than past efforts and yet have the parenthesis around the songs (like the title) to clarify some of the meaning behind the underlined sarcasm of the happiness of the record. In a sense (Happy) Album is the perfect (happy) ending to the trilogy.
The music Askeleton makes is deconstructionalist or simple. Some people call it pop music, some people call it punk, some people call it rock, some people call it new wave.
Kill Sadie
Kill Sadie was a Minneapolis-based post-hardcore band who formed in 1997 and eventually split in 2001 after a large number of line-up changes. It proved to be a launching ground for several influential modern emo, hardcore, and indie musicians, who found larger success in other outfits such as...
, Hidden Chord, Aneuretical, The Swiss Army and Ela. The present line-up of Askeleton is: Knol Tate
Knol Tate
Knol Tate is a musician hailing from Minnesota's Twin Cities. A former member of bands including Killsadie and The Hidden Chord, Tate now performs under the moniker of Askeleton as well as preforms in Minneapolis group Satellite Voices as the vocalist and multi-instrumentalist.Tate is also an...
(vocals, guitar and percussion), Noah Paster (bass guitar, keyboards), William Caperton (guitar, keys, percussion), Rob Skoro (keys, guitar and backing vocals) and Steve Yasgar (drum kit, laptop and percussion). Everyone plays a bit of everything.
History
In 2000, Askeleton was founded during the breakup of Knol's former bands Kill Sadie and The Hidden Chord. Using a free version of a digital audio program he wrote songs based on samples, simply arranged keyboard and guitar parts and left over Hidden Chord lyrics. During 2000 and 2001 Knol made two records released in 2002 as the Sad Album full length CD (Minneapolis label Blood of the Young Records) and a CD/EP called Modern Fairy Tale (New York’s Alone Records). A modest amount of favorable press and reviews followed both releases.In order to promote these releases Knol assembled a band to play the songs live. Many different versions of the live band where formed and finally in 2003 the line up that is now known as Askeleton was in place, making it no longer a solo project.
Askeletion has toured with bands such as Seattle's Minus the Bear
Minus the Bear
Minus the Bear is an American indie rock band from Seattle, Washington. Founded in 2001, the group features current and former members of Botch, Kill Sadie, and Sharks Keep Moving...
, The New Trust and Velvet Teen, and Che Arthur
Che Arthur
Che Arthur is a singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist who currently resides in Chicago, Illinois. He is also a sound engineer/tour manager who has worked on tours with such bands as Minus the Bear, Pelican, Don Caballero, Trans Am, Thursday, Cursive, The Black Heart Procession, Jets to...
. They have also had many local shows with local and national bands like of Radio 4
Radio 4 (band)
Radio 4 is a band from Brooklyn who formed in 1999. They claim that their sound, which has been described as "danceable punk", is "made in New York, is about New York, and sounds like New York"....
, Dosh
Dosh
Martin Luther King Chavez Dosh , known in music as Dosh, is a musician and multi-instrumentalist based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. As an artist, Dosh is a percussionist uses various electronics, often with a Fender Rhodes...
, Mark Mallman
Mark Mallman
Mark Mallman is a Minnesota musician and composer for film.-Education:Mallman graduated from Waukesha South High School in 1991. He studied jazz piano at The Milwaukee Conservatory of Music then moved to Minneapolis, Minnesota, in 1991...
, Kid Dakota
Kid Dakota
Kid Dakota is the musical moniker of Darren Jackson. He started performing as "Kid Dakota and the Tumbleweeds" in 1998 while living in Providence, Rhode Island. The name was chosen in homage to his home state of South Dakota and also as a parody of Kid Rock...
, 12 Rods
12 Rods
12 Rods was an indie rock band formed in Oxford, Ohio, United States in 1992. The group went on to relocate to Minneapolis, Minnesota in 1995 until its end in 2004.-History:...
, One AM Radio
One AM Radio
The One AM Radio is the musical project of Hrishikesh Hirway, a composer and songwriter from Los Angeles. The One AM Radio's sound is often characterized by Hrishikesh's lush, soothing vocals over dream-like instrumental arrangements...
, Har-Mar Super Star, Motion City Soundtrack
Motion City Soundtrack
Motion City Soundtrack is an American rock band from Minneapolis, Minnesota, formed in 1997. The band consists of founding members Justin Pierre and Joshua Cain , along with keyboardist and moog synthesist Jesse Johnson, bassist and backing vocalist Matthew Taylor, and drummer, percussionist and...
, Ted Leo
Ted Leo
Theodore F. Leo , called "Ted," as a short form of "Theodore," is an American punk rock/indie rock songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist, though he is most known for his singing and guitar playing...
, The Soviettes
The Soviettes
The Soviettes are a punk rock band from Minneapolis, Minnesota, founded in 2001. The group was composed of Annie , Sturgeon , Susy , and Danny , all of whom switched off singing duties.-History:...
, and Detachment Kit.
In 2004 Askeleton released the second full length album called Angry Album -or- Psychic Songs on Atlanta's Goodnight records.
The final album of the trilogy was released in 2005 it was sarcasticly called the Happy album. After some success, positive reviews and winning Minneapolis weekly’s Cities Pages “Song Writer of the Year” for 2004's Angry Album, bandleader and multi- instrumentalist Knol Tate went straight into his own recording studio to work on the follow-up. Ever changing sounds and aesthetic Tate moved away from the sample and lo-fi based digi-pop sounds of Sad Album and the digital rock meets minimalism of Angry Album. The (Happy) Album utilizes the Twin Cities community of musicians and the Askeleton live band. No longer a one-man band. Askeleton leaps out of the world of the computer composers.
Keeping with the some of the aesthetics
Aesthetics
Aesthetics is a branch of philosophy dealing with the nature of beauty, art, and taste, and with the creation and appreciation of beauty. It is more scientifically defined as the study of sensory or sensori-emotional values, sometimes called judgments of sentiment and taste...
fans of Askeleton have come to know, the music and lyrics are simple yet to the point. With songs about simple subjects like cities, cars, rock n’ roll and the idea of individuals and groups becoming simply “some people” Tate draws complex and sometimes abstract pictures with simple ideas and words. (Happy) Album is true to its name. The songs are brighter and more positive than past efforts and yet have the parenthesis around the songs (like the title) to clarify some of the meaning behind the underlined sarcasm of the happiness of the record. In a sense (Happy) Album is the perfect (happy) ending to the trilogy.
The music Askeleton makes is deconstructionalist or simple. Some people call it pop music, some people call it punk, some people call it rock, some people call it new wave.
Band members
The band, although starting as a one man project and becoming a 5 person band works in recording primarily as a large orchestra of indie musicians. that list is as follows.- Knol TateKnol TateKnol Tate is a musician hailing from Minnesota's Twin Cities. A former member of bands including Killsadie and The Hidden Chord, Tate now performs under the moniker of Askeleton as well as preforms in Minneapolis group Satellite Voices as the vocalist and multi-instrumentalist.Tate is also an...
- vocals, guitar, synthesizer, balalaika, bass, programming, xylophone, piano, electric piano, Casiotone, Casio sk-1, percussion, drums. - Noah Paster - bass, keyboards
- Steve Yasgar - drums, percussion, laptop
- Billy Caperton - guitar, vocals, beatbox, casiotone.
- Scott Johnson - guitar
- Courtney DeaKyne - keyboards, vocals
- Jacy McIntosh - bass, guitar, vocals, organ
- Eric Dickie Vong - drums, percussion, casio sk 1, vocals
- Ellen Fitzgerald - vocals, electric piano, organ, synthesizer.
- Robert Skoro - electric piano, percussion, vocals.
- Steve McPherson - guitar.
- Elliot Manthey - drums
- Brock Specht - guitar, farfisa, electric piano, percussion.
- Micheal Rusteck - programming, guitar, bass, organ.
- Erin TateErin TateErin Tate is the drummer for Seattle-based indie rock band, Minus the Bear. Before starting the band in 2001, he was a member of Kill Sadie. He has also played drums for Askeleton, Amy Blaschke, Heather Duby, Onalaska and These Arms Are Snakes.- Gear :...
- drums - Jesse Johnson - moog
- Daniel Buettner - bass
- Judd Hildreth - drums
- Martin John Huebach - guitar, keyboards
- Emily Dantuma - cello
- Alex EllisAlex EllisAlexander Ellis is a Canadian racing driver from St. Catharines, Ontario.Alex Ellis began racing 2005 in karts at the age of 14. After karting, Ellis participated in a 1.2L Formula Vee series in Canada in 2008...
- saxophone - Jonathan Kennedy - trumpet
- Kelsey Crawford - vocals, electric piano, flute
- Jeff Brown - drums
- Matthew Rezac - bass, organ, synthesizer
- Mike Dombrock - bass
- Jacob Barker-Huelster - bass
Discography
- Sad Album, 2002
- Modern Fairy Tales, 2002
- The Future EP, 2004
- Angry Album -or Psychic Songs, 2004
- Happy Album, 2005
- The Personalization, 2008
- Isolationist EP, 2010
- We Are The Elite EP, 2010
External links
- Askeleton's official website
- The Future as uploaded by frontman Knol Tate music video for "the future" single
- Birdman as uploaded by frontman Knol Tate music video for "Birdman" single
- places where people gather as uploaded by frontman Knol Tate music video for "places where people gather" single
- ghosts as uploaded by frontman Knol Tate music video for "ghosts" single