Skaters (band)
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Skaters (stylized as SKATERS) was a rock band formed in
New York City, New York New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
, in 2012. The band was signed to
Warner Bros. Records Warner Records Inc. (formerly Warner Bros. Records Inc.) is an American record label. A subsidiary of the Warner Music Group, it is headquartered in Los Angeles, California. It was founded on March 19, 1958, as the recorded music division of the ...
before going independent in 2017 and releasing their second album under Yonks Records. In the summer of 2011, singer and songwriter Michael Ian Cummings met English guitarist Josh Hubbard at a party in Los Angeles. Several months later, Cummings received a call from Hubbard announcing that he would be arriving in New York City the following day from the UK. Cummings stated that he would like to play a gig, so the pair recruited drummer Noah Rubin and bassist Dan Burke, booked three shows, learned some songs Cummings and Rubin had been working on (and a handful of
Pixies A pixie (also pisky, pixy, pixi, pizkie, and piskie in Cornwall and Devon, and pigsie or puggsy in the New Forest) is a mythical creature of British folklore. Pixies are considered to be particularly concentrated in the high moorland areas aro ...
covers), and the band was formed. Their debut record, ''Manhattan'', contains stories of the city where they met. "We were all bartenders, so the songs are tales of experiences we had or saw, and other people who were characters in our life during the first year we were in this band," Cummings said. The album was recorded by John Hill in the API room at Greenwich Village's
Electric Lady Studios Electric Lady Studios is a recording studio in Greenwich Village, New York City. It was commissioned by rock musician Jimi Hendrix in 1968 and designed by architect John Storyk and audio engineer Eddie Kramer by 1970. Hendrix spent only ten we ...
.


Early life

Band members Michael Ian Cummings and Noah Rubin, both from
Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
, were located in the Los Angeles area when they began making music together as singer and drummer of The Dead Trees. In 2012, Cummings and Rubin began sending demos back and forth to
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to future member Joshua Hubbard, who then had played guitar for
The Paddingtons The Paddingtons are an English indie rock band from Hull. Between April 2005 and 9 November 2006, they played over 150 live shows, including venues such as Trent Park Golf Club, The Square, Harlow; Jersey Live; Summercase; The Underground ...
and Dirty Pretty Things. The three men eventually met in
Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...
to form the band. They set out to produce an art magazine, ''YONKS'', and record their EP ''Schemers''. ''YONKS'' is a publication that features the band's new music and focuses on showcasing talented artists and photographers. Cummings now sings for the band, Rubin plays the drums, and Hubbard plays guitar. Other musicians, Dan Burke and Tommy Allen, are permanent and contributing members of the Skaters team. The name Skaters was chosen because it reminds the members of their youth and culture of skating. The band claims to have been musically influenced by "the melodic punk bands of the 70’s and 80’s like
Mission of Burma Mission of Burma was an American post-punk band from Boston, Massachusetts. The group formed in 1979 with Roger Miller on guitar, Clint Conley on bass, Peter Prescott on drums, and Martin Swope contributing audiotape manipulation and acting a ...
, Devo, and
The Cars The Cars were an American rock band formed in Boston in 1976. Emerging from the new wave scene in the late 1970s, they consisted of Ric Ocasek ( rhythm guitar), Benjamin Orr (bass guitar), Elliot Easton (lead guitar), Greg Hawkes ( keyboard ...
", as well as
The Ramones The Ramones were an American punk rock band that formed in the New York City neighborhood of Forest Hills, Queens, in 1974. They are often cited as the first true punk rock group. Despite achieving a limited commercial appeal in the United S ...
,
The Clash The Clash were an English rock band formed in London in 1976 who were key players in the original wave of British punk rock. Billed as "The Only Band That Matters", they also contributed to the and new wave movements that emerged in the w ...
, and
The Pixies Pixies is an American alternative rock band formed in 1986, in Boston, Massachusetts. Until 2013, the band consisted of Black Francis (vocals, rhythm guitar, songwriter), Joey Santiago (lead guitar), Kim Deal (bass, vocals) and David Loverin ...
. Skaters is currently managed by Nick Bobetsky of Red Light Management.


Music career

In early 2012, the band released its first EP, ''Schemers''. The EP was inspired by New York City music and art from all decades. The EP consists of five songs which were made available for free download on the band’s website. The ''Schemers'' EP reached over 10,000 downloads from their website. Skaters performed at SXSW in
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, in March 2013. On April 9, 2013, the band released their first 7-inch single which featured their songs "I Wanna Dance (But Don't Know How)" and "Armed". Their debut album, ''Manhattan'', was released on February 25, 2014, via
Warner Bros. Records Warner Records Inc. (formerly Warner Bros. Records Inc.) is an American record label. A subsidiary of the Warner Music Group, it is headquartered in Los Angeles, California. It was founded on March 19, 1958, as the recorded music division of the ...
to critical acclaim. The album was recorded in New York at Electric Lady, a studio built by Jimi Hendrix. Skaters latest EP ''Rock and Roll Bye Bye'' was released on March 24, 2017, and features several songs that were produced and engineered by Albert Di Fiore, including the single, "Rock and Roll Bye Bye". Di Fiore also produced and engineered the Skaters singles "Save Her Something Special" "Mental Case" and "Head On to Nowhere".


Members

* Michael Ian Cummings – Singer/Songwriter * Noah Rubin – Drums * Joshua Hubbard – Guitar * Dan Burke – Bass


Discography


Studio albums

*''
Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...
'' (2014) *'' Rock and Roll Bye Bye'' (2017)


Extended plays


Singles

* "Miss Teen Massachusetts" * "
Deadbolt A dead bolt, deadbolt or dead lock is a locking mechanism distinct from a spring bolt lock because a deadbolt can only be opened by a key or handle. The more common spring bolt lock uses a spring to hold the bolt in place, allowing retraction ...
" US Alternative Songs #34 * "Stood Up" * " I Wanna Dance (But I Don't Know How)" * "Armed" * "Let the Heads Roll" *"Criminal'' *"In Your Head"


References

{{Authority control Musical groups from New York City