Biography

Skinnerbox (sometimes Skinnerbox NYC) was founded in the late '80s by scene veteran Jeff "King Django" Baker, who had previously played with the Boilers, the Slackers, the Skadanks, and hardcore band Murphy's Law. Handling the songwriting, vocals, and trombone, Baker put together a band capable of leaping from song to song between R&B, punk, jazz, and pop variations on the ska sound. Aside from numerous compilation appearances and several cassette-only releases, Skinnerbox's discography includes the full-length album Tales of the Red (1993) and the compilation/retrospective Special Wild 1989-1994, both released on Baker's own Stubborn imprint. In 1995, Baker took time off to form the Stubborn All-Stars, with whom he recorded and toured; in 1997, he returned to Skinnerbox for the album What You Can Do, What You Can't, featuring a lineup of keyboardist/vocalist Brandt Sean Abner, trumpeter Dan Dulin, tenor saxophonist Erkin "El Wood" Husey, drummer James Blanck, bassists Pierre Romain and Anna Milat-Meyer, guitarists Dave Hahn and Krister Jonsson, and additional keyboardist Guyora Kats. ~ Steve Huey, Rovi