Skindive
Encyclopedia
Skindive are an Irish
Electro
/rock
band formed in the late 1990s in Dublin. The band incorporates electronic
sounds into often harsh and atmospheric
music and comparisons are often drawn to the band Garbage
because of the juxtaposition of heavily distorted guitars and clean female vocals.
. Owens had previously been living in London
playing with a series of groups which met with little or no success. Once returning to Dublin, Owens began working on writing his own music which eventually formed into the creation of the band.http://www.irishmusiccentral.com/skindive/biography.html
Owens found his bassist
(Alan Lee) and drummer
(Ger Farrell) during the first four months of recruiting but found it tougher to pick the right voice to go with his music and lyrics. After lots of auditioning, Owens got a recommendation to try out Danielle Harrison who was living in Los Angeles at the time. Inevitably, Danielle was the voice Owens was searching for and she moved to Dublin to join them.
Gerry Owens said on creating the band:
"I've been in several bands at this stage, and they all implode because of the personalities involved. It was very important to me to think in the long-term for Skindive. It took a long time to put the right people together"http://www.irishmusiccentral.com/skindive/biography.html
Over the next year, the newly formed Skindive, would play gigs in and around Dublin and perfect their stage performance. During this time, the band journeyed to America in pursuit of a record deal with Chris Blackwell
's Palm Records
. After Blackwell had heard the bands demo, he traveled to Ireland to watch them in concert. He immediately signed the band to Palm Records and they began working on recording their first album entitled Skindive.http://www.irishmusiccentral.com/skindive/biography.htmlhttp://new.imro.ie/about/interviews/skindive_interview.shtml
(Nine Inch Nails
, Sinéad O'Connor
) and Alan Branch
co-producing a number of tracks. The Album was mixed and mastered by Dave 'Rave' Ogilvie
(Marilyn Manson
, Nine Inch Nails
, Skinny Puppy
) in Vancouver.http://www.irishmusiccentral.com/skindive/biography.html
After the release of Skindive, the band went on tour in Ireland and the UK playing concerts such as Ozzfest
and supporting Snow Patrol
.
"one by one it seemed all of the people who had been championing us left the company until we were left on our own. And with them in New York and us over here it was very difficult to keep things moving."
In the end, the band asked Palm Records to release them from their contract which happened successfully. During this period, Skindive was close to breaking up but Gerry Owens and Danielle continued to write new music.
Eventually the band signed to Independent label AlphaMale Recordings, prepared for their follow-up album entitled Falling Down and releasing a single called Precious (which received regular air play on Pet Sounds, Today FM
). http://www.cluas.com/music/features/skindive.htm
Only a month after releasing the album in September, 2003, the band decided to break up for reasons unknown. http://www.irishmusiccentral.com/skindive/news.html
Gerry Owens has since gone on to form a new band called Lluther
whose live band includes ex-Skindive drummer Ger Farrell.
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
Electro
Electronica
Electronica includes a wide range of contemporary electronic music designed for a wide range of uses, including foreground listening, some forms of dancing, and background music for other activities; however, unlike electronic dance music, it is not specifically made for dancing...
/rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
band formed in the late 1990s in Dublin. The band incorporates electronic
Electronic music
Electronic music is music that employs electronic musical instruments and electronic music technology in its production. In general a distinction can be made between sound produced using electromechanical means and that produced using electronic technology. Examples of electromechanical sound...
sounds into often harsh and atmospheric
Ambient music
Ambient music is a musical genre that focuses largely on the timbral characteristics of sounds, often organized or performed to evoke an "atmospheric", "visual" or "unobtrusive" quality.- History :...
music and comparisons are often drawn to the band Garbage
Garbage (band)
Garbage are an alternative rock band formed in Madison, Wisconsin in 1994. The group consists of Scottish singer Shirley Manson and American musicians Duke Erikson , Steve Marker and Butch Vig . All four members are involved in songwriting and production...
because of the juxtaposition of heavily distorted guitars and clean female vocals.
Formation
Skindive was formed in 1999 by Gerry OwensGerry Owens (musician)
Gerry Owens is the vocalist, songwriter, arranger and producer of Irish Industrial rock band Lluther. Owens was born in Dublin, Ireland. As his father was a musician, Owens was always surrounded by music, particularly film soundtracks and classical/orchestral music...
. Owens had previously been living 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...
playing with a series of groups which met with little or no success. Once returning to Dublin, Owens began working on writing his own music which eventually formed into the creation of the band.http://www.irishmusiccentral.com/skindive/biography.html
Owens found his bassist
Bassist
A bass player, or bassist is a musician who plays a bass instrument such as a double bass, bass guitar, keyboard bass or a low brass instrument such as a tuba or sousaphone. Different musical genres tend to be associated with one or more of these instruments...
(Alan Lee) and drummer
Drummer
A drummer is a musician who is capable of playing drums, which includes but is not limited to a drum kit and accessory based hardware which includes an assortment of pedals and standing support mechanisms, marching percussion and/or any musical instrument that is struck within the context of a...
(Ger Farrell) during the first four months of recruiting but found it tougher to pick the right voice to go with his music and lyrics. After lots of auditioning, Owens got a recommendation to try out Danielle Harrison who was living in Los Angeles at the time. Inevitably, Danielle was the voice Owens was searching for and she moved to Dublin to join them.
Gerry Owens said on creating the band:
"I've been in several bands at this stage, and they all implode because of the personalities involved. It was very important to me to think in the long-term for Skindive. It took a long time to put the right people together"http://www.irishmusiccentral.com/skindive/biography.html
Over the next year, the newly formed Skindive, would play gigs in and around Dublin and perfect their stage performance. During this time, the band journeyed to America in pursuit of a record deal with Chris Blackwell
Chris Blackwell
Christopher Percy Gordon "Chris" Blackwell is a British record producer and businessman, who was the founder of Island Records, acknowledged as the most successful and groundbreaking independent record company in history. Blackwell has been a music industry mogul for over fifty years...
's Palm Records
Palm Records
Palm Records is a multi-award winning record label based in Kamuela on the Big Island of Hawaii. It is known for its acoustic guitar trio Kohala, its catalog of slack key guitar recordings, and as the first recipient of the Grammy Award for Best Hawaiian Music Album: "Slack Key Guitar Volume 2",...
. After Blackwell had heard the bands demo, he traveled to Ireland to watch them in concert. He immediately signed the band to Palm Records and they began working on recording their first album entitled Skindive.http://www.irishmusiccentral.com/skindive/biography.htmlhttp://new.imro.ie/about/interviews/skindive_interview.shtml
Debut album
Skindive first recorded and released the Tranquilizer EP in January, 2001 followed by their eponymous debut album released in February, 2001 on Palm Records. Owens took on most of the production and recording himself along with Adrian SherwoodAdrian Sherwood
Adrian Sherwood is an English record producer best known for his work with dub music as well as for remixing a number of popular acts such as Coldcut, Depeche Mode, The Woodentops, Primal Scream, Pop Will Eat Itself, Sinéad O'Connor, and Skinny Puppy...
(Nine Inch Nails
Nine Inch Nails
Nine Inch Nails is an American industrial rock project, founded in 1988 by Trent Reznor in Cleveland, Ohio. As its main producer, singer, songwriter, and instrumentalist, Reznor is the only official member of Nine Inch Nails and remains solely responsible for its direction...
, Sinéad O'Connor
Sinéad O'Connor
Sinéad Marie Bernadette O'Connor is an Irish singer-songwriter. She rose to fame in the late 1980s with her debut album The Lion and the Cobra and achieved worldwide success in 1990 with a cover of the song "Nothing Compares 2 U"....
) and Alan Branch
Alan Branch
Alan Keith Branch is an American football defensive tackle for the Seattle Seahawks. He attended the University of Michigan.-Early years:...
co-producing a number of tracks. The Album was mixed and mastered by Dave 'Rave' Ogilvie
Dave Ogilvie
Dave "Rave" Ogilvie is a Canadian record producer and musician. He is a producer of industrial music and has been associated with bands such as Skinny Puppy , Doughboys, The Birthday Massacre , Marilyn Manson, Jakalope , Killing Joke, Queensrÿche, Alexz Johnson, Fake Shark...
(Marilyn Manson
Marilyn Manson
Marilyn Manson may refer to:* Marilyn Manson , an American rock musician* Marilyn Manson , the American rock band led by the singer of the same name...
, Nine Inch Nails
Nine Inch Nails
Nine Inch Nails is an American industrial rock project, founded in 1988 by Trent Reznor in Cleveland, Ohio. As its main producer, singer, songwriter, and instrumentalist, Reznor is the only official member of Nine Inch Nails and remains solely responsible for its direction...
, Skinny Puppy
Skinny Puppy
Skinny Puppy is a Canadian industrial musical group, formed in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada in 1982. The group is widely considered to be the founders of the electro-industrial genre....
) in Vancouver.http://www.irishmusiccentral.com/skindive/biography.html
After the release of Skindive, the band went on tour in Ireland and the UK playing concerts such as Ozzfest
Ozzfest
Ozzfest is an annual festival tour of the United States featuring performances by many heavy metal and hard rock musical groups. It was founded by Ozzy Osbourne and his wife Sharon Osbourne, both of whom also organize each yearly tour with their son Jack Osbourne...
and supporting Snow Patrol
Snow Patrol
Snow Patrol are an alternative rock band from Bangor, County Down, Northern Ireland. Formed at the University of Dundee in 1994 as an indie rock band, the band is now based in Glasgow...
.
Follow up And break up
In 2002, after touring, the band suddenly found themselves lacking support from Palm Records. Danielle has said in an interview with Cluas.com:"one by one it seemed all of the people who had been championing us left the company until we were left on our own. And with them in New York and us over here it was very difficult to keep things moving."
In the end, the band asked Palm Records to release them from their contract which happened successfully. During this period, Skindive was close to breaking up but Gerry Owens and Danielle continued to write new music.
Eventually the band signed to Independent label AlphaMale Recordings, prepared for their follow-up album entitled Falling Down and releasing a single called Precious (which received regular air play on Pet Sounds, Today FM
Today FM
Radio Ireland Ltd, trading as 100-102 Today FM is an Irish commercial FM radio station which is available nationally. The station, which commenced broadcasting on Saint Patrick's Day in 1997, can be received nationally and carries a mix of music and talk...
). http://www.cluas.com/music/features/skindive.htm
Only a month after releasing the album in September, 2003, the band decided to break up for reasons unknown. http://www.irishmusiccentral.com/skindive/news.html
Gerry Owens has since gone on to form a new band called Lluther
Lluther
Lluther is an Irish noise rock/alternative metal band from Dublin, Ireland, founded in 2004 by songwriter/guitarist Gerry Owens. The band has released two studio albums, one EP, and seven singles....
whose live band includes ex-Skindive drummer Ger Farrell.
Band members
- Gerry OwensGerry Owens (musician)Gerry Owens is the vocalist, songwriter, arranger and producer of Irish Industrial rock band Lluther. Owens was born in Dublin, Ireland. As his father was a musician, Owens was always surrounded by music, particularly film soundtracks and classical/orchestral music...
- Guitar/Songwriter - Danielle Harrison - Vocals
- Alan Lee - Bass
- Ger Farrell - Drums
Discography
| Year | Information |
|---|---|
| 2001 2001 in music See also:* 2001 in music Record labels established in 2001-Events:*January 1**Comeback of Guns N' Roses in House of Blues**Hum disbands.*January 17 – Bass player Jason Newsted leaves Metallica after 14 years with the band.... |
Tranquilizer
|
| 2001 2001 in music See also:* 2001 in music Record labels established in 2001-Events:*January 1**Comeback of Guns N' Roses in House of Blues**Hum disbands.*January 17 – Bass player Jason Newsted leaves Metallica after 14 years with the band.... |
Skindive
Island Records Island Records is a record label that was founded by Chris Blackwell in Jamaica. It was based in the United Kingdom for many years and is now owned by Universal Music Group... /Palm Pictures Palm Pictures Palm Pictures is a US-based entertainment company owned and run by Chris Blackwell. Palm Pictures produces, acquires and distributes innovative music and film projects with a particular focus on the DVD format... |
| 2001 2001 in music See also:* 2001 in music Record labels established in 2001-Events:*January 1**Comeback of Guns N' Roses in House of Blues**Hum disbands.*January 17 – Bass player Jason Newsted leaves Metallica after 14 years with the band.... |
3 EP
Island Records Island Records is a record label that was founded by Chris Blackwell in Jamaica. It was based in the United Kingdom for many years and is now owned by Universal Music Group... /Palm Pictures Palm Pictures Palm Pictures is a US-based entertainment company owned and run by Chris Blackwell. Palm Pictures produces, acquires and distributes innovative music and film projects with a particular focus on the DVD format... |