Artist description Skeptictank is a 3-piece punk/ska band from lovely Salt Lake City, home of watered-down beer, famous choirs, polygamists, olympic bribery, and occasional freak tornados. We listen to a very wide variety of music, and it shows. We shy away from silly pop lyrics and song themes in favor of politics and social issues, always with tongue planted firmly in cheek. If you're looking for a band that has a lot to say and knows what they're talking about, Skeptictank is the band for you!

Music Style Punk/Ska

Musical Influences None

Similar Artists Operation Ivy, (Pre-"Recipe for Hate") Bad Religion, The Clash, Richard Hell & the Voidoids, They Might Be Giants (if they were angry)

Artist History Skeptictank was born in December of 1995, and was potty-trained in less than a month. Well, six months. No more than fifteen. They produced their own 13-song demo cassette, Skeptictank Sing Songs Penned by Famous Mass-Murderers, (which they recorded themselves on a 1978 Tascam 4-track recorder) in early 1996. They played several shows locally and were invited by Dill Records (home of Skankin' Pickle) to play in San Francisco. This led to their appearance on the 'Dillinquents-Volume Green' compilation. After an extended (24 month) holiday, they recorded and released their first 'real' album, "Potted Meat Food Product" on their own Statutory Records label. It was closely followed by the 21-song collection of songs from the past 4 years, "Saturday Night Dance Party". Skeptictank is currently recording a 6-song ep tentatively titled "Wheel-Thrown Pottery Exhibit", and just recently released an MP3.COM exclusive cd entitled "Beating a Dead Gift Horse".

Group Members Matt Kremer- bass, vocals, organ (sometimes); Ryan Kummer- guitar, vocals; Shu Saito- drums.

Instruments bass, drums, guitar, (sometimes) organ or keyboards, (occasionally) kazoo, and- if you're lucky- accordian.

Albums Skeptictank sing songs penned by famous mass-murderers (1996- 13 tracks), Potted Meat Food Product (1999- 17 tracks), Saturday Night Dance Party (1999- 21 tracks), Beating a Dead Gift Horse (1999- 6 tracks)

Press Reviews Jason Beck in the June 1996 (yes, that long ago!) issue of Maximumrocknroll said: "Skeptictank plays enjoyable, snotty hardcore with style and humor. They're real tight and together, and have catchy songs. Get these guys a label!"; Johnny Juggernaut at G.R.O.W.T.H. Online Zine says: "These guys mix pure energy and good old ska fun & humor. Oftentimes they sound like Bad Religion on speed ("Revisionist"), and then quickly change to a classic ska sound ("Dogfight"). Their drummer plays the FASTEST FILLS I'VE EVER HEARD!!! ...I found them quite enjoyable..."; Bill Frost (Frost@slweekly.com) reviewed "Potted Meat Food Product" in the July 1, 1999 edition of Salt Lake City Weekly: "Seventeen songs in under 37 minutes- now that's punk rock. "#1 Hit Single" nails the current sad state of the entertainment industry in one simple chorus:"We'll never ever buy a song that we don't understand/It's easier to sing along with something stale and bland/No matter if we're right or wrong the money's in our hand/The market must supply what we demand/We're No.1" If you're not paying attention, it just sounds like dumb 'n' loud racket, but 'Potted Meat Food Product' is all about smart social commentary cut into bit-sized garage-punk blasts. "Suspended", one of the most caustically irresistible anarchy tunes you're likely to hear from a Utah band, pushes the you're-all-sheep ranting to the limit; instrumental breaks like random sound-bite laden "Mediocre" and the 'Check Your Head' faux-Beastie funk "Grunties" are the relief valves. There probably won't be another Skeptictank album, they seem far too intelligent to stay in music.; Tim Foster at The Crass Menagerie said: First off, this album has one of the grossest (and coolest) covers I've ever seen. That said, SKEPTICTANK plays punk rock. It's not pop, but it's as catchy as non-pop punk can be. This album kicks your ass all over the room, then makes you stop and think. Sing-screaming socially conscious lyrics that speak of the human condition and the problems with today's society over kick-ass punk rock guitars, this disc is addictive. It's a lot like early BAD RELIGION. SKEPTICTANK is basically classic style punk. "Potted Meat Food Product" is seventeen tracks of sonic assault and thought provocation. Highly recommended."; Morton McMorton at i dunno said: I got this CD in the mail without knowledge of it coming, and let me tell you, it was a very neat thing. I nearly crapped myself. Well, anyways, I popped this bad boy into the CD player and took a listen and what came out of my speakers was really quiet odd. Not odd in a bad way, just very unique sounding. The first song on the album, "#1 Hit Single", sounds like music you'd hear in a videogame with singing on top of it. It quickly grew on me though. These guys definitely have a very original sound. The closest thing I could compare them to is Assorted Jellybeans. And that's only on some of the songs. Their songs vary in sound, going from the video game sounding freaky ska songs to straightfoward punk rock songs. Their lyrics are very intelligent and they use lots of big words. They're pretty political, too. On the Morton scale, this CD gets a 3 out of 5. Woo!"; Peter Bailey (pbailey@jacwiley.com.au) from Australia, said: PUBLIC OPINION is a poignant anthem for anyone who ever trusted their instincts against adversity. Its empowerment makes you want to fight city hall (and win), accurately delivering grinding garage and polished pop at the speed of light. The ska-flavoured middle eight is like a mustang trying to apply the brakes, and shows Skeptictank's sense of self is comfortably in perspective. Imagine if the Circle Jerks played poetry, if They Might be Giants got angry, or if Green Day actually had attitude. This is one to play loud and often."

Additional Info Evan Dorkin and Sarah Dyer (Milk & Cheese, Dork!, Action Girl, Space Ghost Coast-to-Coast, Hectic Planet, etc. etc.) did the full-color cover of 'Potted Meat Food Product' and Tom Kovac ('Stitch' Comics, Slave Labor Graphics) did the cover of 'Saturday Night Dance Party'!

Location Salt Lake City, UT - USA

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