Written for Tonight At Dawn by @KralTunes
Typically, A seven second video of wailing guitar, pounding drums, and an ear-piercing scream is not worth getting too excited about. However, when those seven seconds are the world’s introduction to the Foxy Shazam/Cadaver Dogs collaboration known as The Skulx, even this minimalist offering is enough to make fans of their respective bands’ (and good music in general) restless with anticipation.
Within their preceding factions, Alex Nauth (Foxy Shazam), Mathew Franklin and Lex Vegas (Cadaver Dogs) have been creating soaring anthems packed with limitless energy and boundless creativity for over a decade. Unifying their unique talents can only make for a truly wild and unpredictable listening experience! The first track, ‘Do What You Do‘ (released last week), is proof of that seemingly exaggerated claim. To further whet those appetites, the debut album (due for release later in 2015) will also sport a slew of guests, including members of Slash & The Conspirators, Bad Rabbits, and Larry & His Flask.
Sadly, little more about the group is known at this time (one could say this Ohio threesome are as elusive as an NBA title in Cleveland).
However, the trio agreed to humor me and answer seven prying questions; one question for each second of their initial video (how clever am I?!)
Read the complete transcript below:
KralTunes: First question…What the hell is a Skulx?!
Alex Nauth: The Skulx isn’t so much a who as it is a where. There are times for everyone where you get “down in the dumps” or “on the skids” and as hard as it may be to recognize when you’re “in the thick of it”, these times can be the most enlightening. Times where you have to pull yourself up, or get out, or move on, these moments force us to make changes and find qualities in ourselves we never knew existed. The Skulx to us stands for that place and the great things that can come from dark times.
KT: For those uninitiated, let’s get to know the band, Alex Trabeck-syle. I’ll walk from podium to podium and ask each band member where they’re from and to reveal some tidbit about themselves. Any interesting factoid will do.
My name is Alex Nauth and I can fart the entire alphabet.
My name is Lex Vegas and I’ve had my mouth on things in (almost) every state.
My name is Mathew Franklin and I’m fully self-actualized.
KT: Can fans expect this new album to be an amalgamation of Foxy Shazam and Cadaver Dogs’ style and sound, or will this be an entirely different beast?
AN: The three of us have made tons of music together in the past before we were a part of either of those bands. What’s been amazing about this ride so far is that The Skulx is a culmination of all those bands and friends spanning over 10 years now. It’s our histories, together and separate, along with many friends/musicians from incredible bands we’ve had the honor of playing with that make this upcoming record what it is. It’s something larger than anything we’ve been a part of before.
KT: How did the three of you come to form this group? Was it something you talked about doing for a long time? Spontaneous?
LV: Not so much talked about as supernaturally understood. We all saw the Skulx signal and answered the call.
KT: The trio seems to be big into art (that’s the vibe I get from stalking all your Instagrams, at least). Other than music, what are some mediums the band members dabble in, and can fans see, or expect to see, some of your works publicly?
MF: All of us are extremely creative, it’s never been forced, just flows out like the Nile. I actually have been a painter for years, got some art degrees, and am a tattoo artist. You can see my work all over my social media and ingrained into everything we put out. So yes we are into art. It’s rare to hear a band anymore and not have some visual to put with it. That’s why we say dress for the job you want. We want to melt your face off so expect us all to be in welding masks live.
KT: When can we expect to see the release of this highly anticipated album, and will there be touring in the future?
LV: Album and shows will definitely be happening, if we don’t die trying we’ll keep trying until we die.
AN: And we should probably die around August or September so expect it around then. We’re not cruel though, some music is going to be released in the next coming weeks so everyone knows what they’re getting themselves into.
KT: Finally, both of your bands (Foxy Shazam in particular) are without doubt some of the more ‘vigorously active’ groups in rock and roll (particularly Mr. Nauth). Have any of you sustained notable injuries due to your acrobatics?
AN: Oooooh yeah. I’ll start and say that I’ve had too many to count, black eyes, split lips, and forehead or body chunks taken out by flailing limbs, instruments, or just by letting the demons out on each other on stage. The worst is when I pretty much broke my ankle and had to finish the rest of a tour while half standing with my knee on a stool every night.
LV: I’ve chipped a few fangs on drumsticks and I bleeding constantly but usually its the stage that leaves hurting.
MF: In my case I tend to break my body post show. Whether jumping off balconies or trying to convince a crowd of people I can do a front flip… I always wake up in a pool of blood.
Find The Skulx Here:
Tonight at Dawn 