Skin & Bones
Acoustic
Dutchess County, NY
Cover Band
Interview with Skin & Bones
What made you decide to create Skin-n-Bones?
Skin-n-Bones was originally a duo with Val and me, we took the name from The Foo Fighters "acoustic" album and it was after we played the cover band scene for years with full bands and way too much traveling, and just wanted to strip it down to just the 2 of us. We eventually added Keith on percussion and Richie as a second guitar player, who both played a huge role in redefining the band to what it is now. We still say it's acoustic, but it definitely isn't anymore.
Tell us about your repertoire. What made you choose the songs you play?
Sometimes we choose the home runs for us and sometimes they're one and done. How the crowd reacts to our songs usually decides which ones we keep. I have a strict rule at rehearsal not to listen to a song more than once, or just go by the memory of a song. This way we can make them our own without even trying, when I hear a song we do play on the radio I always say, oh wow that's how it goes? We've been accumulating a bigger crowd which is great, but it kind of kills the vibe of the really great, chill songs and then we need to bust out the danceable, louder songs. Nothing wrong with that, but it does feel more "cover band" when we do that.
What would you say you enjoy most about performing live?
Musically, The harmonies, we work on them at practice but when it’s live we really are much better with them. Visually, the cast of characters that come out to watch us. They’ve actually become part of the show.
Do you ever get requests to perform certain songs? If so, how do you handle them?
The other night someone requested the electric slide😂 we ignored that one. If we do know the song we'll try to play it, but otherwise we try not to stray too much from the ones we know. It'll make the one person happy and the rest of the crowd not so much.
Does Skin-n-Bones have any cool shows, or notable events coming up?
Val and I looked at each other and said this is going to be a long night. We're pretty booked for the rest of the year. Our notable summer shows will be at Barton orchards. A lot of city people come and it's fun to see reactions from people who don't know us.
Do you have any notable achievements with Skin-n-bones?
I guess playing consistently and watching the crowd get bigger is a decent achievement. Our biggest shows are at Barton Orchards. This year I'm working on some bigger venues🙏 Barton normally puts 8,000 people in our view. Not all at the same time but it is nice to see heads out there. But the take away I hope people do notice are how we change the songs up, our mashups and medleys. We rehearse a lot and it really is a great chemistry between us all. Definitely the most cohesive group of people I've ever played with.
What are your fondest memories with Skin-n-bones?
I play with my brother-in-law, my wife and a best friend. It to sound corny but they’re all great and find memories. I’ve played music since I was 12, and you know too, it's hard to get that perfect combo of people. The best memories is when we see people having a great time. Rehearsals are probably the fondest. We have a great time and lots of laughs.
What would you say Skin-n-Bones struggled with as a band that led you to start using Bandinq?
I’ll give you a scenario. Phone rings it's a venue. They ask if we're available on a certain date, I tell them I'll check. I text the band, and I wait… and then I'll get the "I'll know by tomorrow" response (Richie😂). A couple of days later I call the venue back and the date is taken. We've tried to sync our regular calendars but it never worked. Bandinq actually works and I can respond immediately for a gig. And also the guys can just mark it off for personal time. I think what you guys have made is perfect, and even better for people in multiple groups.
What would be once piece of advice that you could give to aspiring musicians, or up-and-coming artists looking to perform?
Find that perfect niche of songs you love but also the crowd loves, put the time in to rehearse and do it for fun.
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