Joey Skidmore was born in Baltimore MD but grew up in the heart of the Ozarks in Springfield MO. Throughout the ‘80s he played in a variety of bands on the neo-’60s/psych/garage/punk scene, while recording a string of independent releases with producer Lou Whitney of the Morells fame.
After relocating to Kansas City in 1989, Joey reformed the Joey Skidmore Band with guitarist Mike Costelow in 1991. "The first time Mike and I jammed together, we walked outside and saw this big, barren tree full of thousands and thousands of squawking crows, just like something out of Hitchcock’s ‘The Birds.’ I took it as a good omen, and we’ve been playing together ever since."
In 1992 Joey and Mike flew to France to do a series of "unplugged" acoustic shows, encouraged by the success of Joey’s two previous albums "The Word Is Out" and "Welcome To Humansville"--which had received a substantial amount of "alternative" airplay in France and Belgium. "Butt Steak" (a politically incorrect song about food) was also receiving airplay domestically on the Doctor Demento show, and had achieved cult status among New Yorkers, thanks to WFMU’s The Hound show.
The French gigs led to a deal with Dixie Frog Records, and "Joey Skidmore" came out in France in 1994. One of the songs, "Creature of Habit," resulted in an unreleased dance remix for Carrier Records, but "Joey Skidmore Turns Pop" featuring two Iggy Pop covers, was released on green vinyl on the independent 442 eme Rue label in 1996.
In 1998 the band released "Bent," and in 2000 "Butt Steak" was included on a "best of MP3" CD ROM, with the band receiving a page and a half write-up in The Complete Idiot’s Guide To MP3, by Nat Gertler and Rod Underhill, with a foreword by Byrd’s legend Roger McGuinn.
The current lineup includes Joey, vocals and guitar, Mike Costelow, lead guitar, Cory Corbino, bass, and Steph DiFranco, drums. The group just finished its sixth album, "Ventriloquist Doll," featuring the late Nikki Sudden, and is preparing to tour Europe again.
Over the years the Joey Skidmore Band has played festivals including SXSW in Austin TX, Summer Jam in Kansas City, July Jamm in Lincoln NE, and Big Muddy Blues and Roots Festival in St. Louis MO. They’ve done five tours of France, and opened up for an eclectic variety of acts including Chuck Berry, Helmet, Blue Oyster Cult, Webb Wilder, Nazareth, Gravity Kills, and George Thorogood. They play pure, unpretentious rock and roll.
Joey Skidmore Band has become a Kansas City icon, playing year after year with fervor and intensity. "Ventriloquist Doll," Joey Skidmore's long-awaited sixth album--featuring the late Nikki Sudden--is finally complete and just released by Spanish label Sunthunder Records. After touring Europe, the band shows no signs of slowing down. In the words of Keith Richards: "String us up, and we still won't die." For more information visit www.joeyskidmore.com.
Band Members
Joey Skidmore, vocals and guitar; Gary Paredes, guitars and vocals; Mike Costelow, guitars, bass, and backing vocals; Cory Corbino, bass; Manga, drums
Influences
Iggy Pop, Stones, C.C.R., New York Dolls, MC5
Discography
“Stop The Nukes” 7” E.P. (Mop-Top), 1980 (only 500 pressed) “Second Chance” 7” E.P. (Mop-Top) 1983 “The Word Is Out” LP (Mop-Top, Semaphore Europe)1987 “Welcome To Humansville” LP/CD (Mop-Top, Semaphore Europe),1991, Second Pressing 1992 “Joey Skidmore” CD (Dixie Frog/MSI France),1994 “Joey Skidmore Turns Pop” 45 (442 eme Rue, France),1996 “Bent” LP/CD/VHS Video (Mop-Top),1998 “One For The Road…Live At The Outland” CD (Mop-Top/ 442 eme Rue France), 2002
Compilations
“Le Monstreux Y Animales Imaginary (Monsters and Imaginary Animals),” Featuring “Sleek Leopard Lady,” cassette, (Eat Rekkerds/EPE France), 1992 “No Housing No Peace,” featuring “Butt Steak” and “Legend of the Shoe Man,” cassette, (National Coalition for the Homeless), 1995 “The Complete Idiot’s Guide To MP3, Music on the Internet,” featuring “Butt Steak,” CD Rom (Alpha/Que), 2000 (Approximately 30,000 sold) “License To Hear, A Tribute To James Bond,” featuring “James Bond vs. the Munsters,” Picture Disc LP, (442 eme Rue, France), 2002 “Garage Band Revisited #4,” featuring “Sometimes I Think About” (GBR France), (limited edition, only 100 copies pressed), 2004 "Suddenly Yours A Tribute to Nikki Sudden," featuring "Pistol in my Pocket," CD (Sunthunder Spain), 2007
Other Projects/Guest Appearances
The Gecko Brothers, Cassette, 1997 Kenny Joyce, “New Generation,” CD/12” (Panic/Polygram Europe), 1995 Kenny Joyce, “Stay Closer to Me,” CD (KJ Productions), 1997 Lisa Blue, “Red White And Lisa Blue,” CD (Foz Music), 1997 BCR, “A Speck of Dust,” (Sparkling Beatnik Records), 2004
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