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Biography
Infobox musical artist | name = Skindred| image = SkindredinRockford.jpg| caption = Skindred performing at LT's Bar and Grill in Rockford, Illinois on June 15, 2009.| image_size = 250| landscape = yes| background = group_or_band| origin = Newport , Wales, United Kingdom|Wales | genre = Alternative metal , reggae , nu metal , Hardcore punk | years_active = Start date|1998–present| label = Bertelsmann Music Group|BMG , Warner Bros. Records|Warner Bros. , MCA Records|MCA , Bieler Bros. Records|Bieler Bros. , Lava Records|Lava , Atlantic Records|Atlantic | associated_acts = Dub War , Mass Mental | website = URL|www.skindred.net| current_members = Benji Webbe Mikeydemus Dan Pugsley Arya Goggin Dan Sturgess (live)| past_members = Jeff "Death" Rose Martyn "Ginge" Ford Skindred is a Wales|Welsh rock music|rock band from Newport . The band was formed in 1998 following the disbandment of vocalist Benji Webbe 's previous band, Dub War . Skindred's musical style mixes alternative rock , heavy metal music|heavy metal , punk rock and reggae . The band also integrate elements of dancehall , jungle music|jungle , hardcore punk|hardcore , ska , hip hop music|hip hop , drum and bass , dubstep and various other influences into their music.
History
see also|Dub War Dub War was formed in Colwyn Bay , north Wales in 1993, and eventually signed with Earache Records . According to vocalist Benji Webbe , "They would not let us record and just wouldn't give us money to live on, this made us fight internally till we had no option other than to go our separate ways or kill someone or each other."Cite web |url= http://www.dubwar.co.uk/biography/ |title=Biography of Dub War |accessdate=28 December 2008 |publisher= Dub WarDub War disbanded in 1998, and Webbe formed Skindred with bassist Daniel Pugsley, guitarist Mikey Demus, and drummer Dirty Arya Goggin after Webbe was unable to put together a new project featuring other members of Dub War.Cite web |url=Allmusic|class=artist|id=p558003|pure_url=yes |title=Biography of Skindred |accessdate=28 December 2008 |last=Loftus |first=Johnny |publisher= Allmusic In 2002, Skindred released its debut album, Babylon (Skindred album)|Babylon . After being reissued in 2003 by RCA Records , the album was re-released by Lava Records on August 14, 2004. Allmusic writer Johnny Loftus wrote that "Skindred doesn't seem to consciously want the reinvention tag; it has simply tapped into the same lack of pretension that fueled Korn (album)|Korn and Living Colour 's Vivid (album)|Vivid -- records that were made visionary by an unadulterated honesty in both delivery and craft. ... highly recommended for fans of literate genre jumpers like Soulfly and System of a Down , or any heshers looking for some heavy-hitting firepower that hasn't fallen victim to the anvil of corporate assimilation."Cite web |url=Allmusic|class=album|id=r705685|pure_url=yes |title=Review of Babylon |accessdate=28 December 2008 |last=Loftus |first=Johnny |coauthors= |date= |work= |publisher= Allmusic
In the United States , Babylon charted at #1 on the Billboard (magazine)|Billboard Top Reggae Albums Billboard charts|chart , #5 on the Top Heatseekers chart and at #189 on the Billboard 200| Billboard 200 , and the single "Nobody" peaked at #14 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart and at #23 on the Modern Rock Tracks chart in 2004.Cite web |url=Allmusic|class=album|id=r705685|pure_url=yes |title=Charts and awards for Babylon |accessdate=28 December 2008 |publisher= Allmusic In 2005, the single "Pressure" peaked at #30 on the Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks chart. In 2006, Babylon once again charted at #1 on the Top Reggae Albums chart. On October 23, 2007, Skindred released its second album, Roots Rock Riot on Bieler Bros. Records . In the United States, the album peaked at #6 on the Top Heatseekers chart and at #22 on the Top Independent Albums chart.Cite web |url=Allmusic|class=album|id=r1211493|pure_url=yes |title=Charts and awards for Roots Rock Riot |accessdate=28 December 2008 |publisher= Allmusic The album Shark Bites and Dog Fights was released in September 2009.
In 2011, Dan Sturgess was added to Skindred's live lineup (it's still unconfirmed whether or not he will be a full time member although he has appeared in almost all of Skindred's publicity shots since his addition). The band's fourth studio album, Union Black (album)|Union Black , was released April 25, 2011 exclusively to the UK & Europe. On July 1, it was released in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. The band promoted this with a UK tour, supported by American post-hardcore group Chiodos and Blackpool band Me Vs Hero . The London show was filmed for Scuzz TV in the UK. Skindred also played at several major European festivals including Download Festival on the Acoustic Stage (Friday) and Main Stage (Saturday), Boardmasters Festival , Wacken Open Air , Przystanek Woodstock , and Sonisphere Festival in Italy and Switzerland,cite news | title = Skindred Return to Download and add more European Festivals | publisher = Skindred.net | date = 2011-04-08 | url = http://www.skindred.net/skindred-return-to-download-and-add-more-european-festivals/ | accessdate = 2011-05-03 the Swiss leg of Sonisphere being notable for the first live performance of Warning with Jacoby Shaddix , who's band Papa Roach was also performing at Sonisphere in Switzerland.
Musical style
Skindred fuses heavy metal music|heavy metal , punk rock and reggae influences. The band refers to this style as " Ragga metal".cite news |title= Last chance to catch Skindred |url= http://results.factiva.com/index/index.aspx? ref=EXPECH0020061216e2cf0002c |publisher=Express and Echo |date=December 15, 2006 |accessdate=2008-09-25 cite news |title= Skindred set to storm into action |url= http://results.factiva.com/index/index.aspx? ref=SWEPOS0020060406e24500043 |publisher=South Wales Evening Post |date=April 5, 2006 |accessdate=2008-09-25 Benji Webbe has also jokingly referred to the band's musical style as "nu-reggae", in reference to the term nu metal .cite news |first=Newt |last=Briggs |authorlink= |author= |coauthors= |title= Dread head |curly= |url= http://www.lasvegasmercury.com/2004/MERC-Sep-09-Thu-2004/24714307.html |agency= |work= |publisher= Las Vegas Mercury |location= |id= |pages= |page= |date=September 9, 2004 |accessdate=28 December 2008 |language= |quote= |archiveurl= |archivedate= Although Skindred has sometimes been compared to Bad Brains ,cite news |first= |last= |authorlink= |author= |coauthors= |title= Mon-Skindred |curly= |url= http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives? p_product=IDSB& s_site=idahostatesman& p_multi=IDSB& p_theme=gannett& p_action=search& p_maxdocs=200& p_topdoc=1& p_text_direct-0=10883001A64B7B3F& p_field_direct-0=document_id& p_perpage=10& p_sort=YMD_date:D& s_trackval=GooglePM |format= |agency= |work= |publisher= Idaho Statesman |location= |id= |pages= |page= |date=February 25, 2005 |accessdate=28 December 2008 |language= |quote= |archiveurl= |archivedate= Webbe states that "To someone who doesn't know anything about reggae music, of course we're going to sound like Bad Brains. It's like someone who doesn't know anything about opera might say that Luciano Pavarotti|Pavarotti sounds just like Mario Lanza . But when your ears are trained and you know what you're looking for, you're going to say, 'Shit no, Mario Lanza don't sound nothing like Pavarotti.'"
Band members
Benji Webbe — Vocals,(1998–present)
Daniel Pugsley — Bass, Electronics (1998–present)
Michael Fry (a.k.a. Mikeydemus) — Guitar, Backing vocals (2002–present)
Jeff "Death" Rose — Guitar (1998–2002)Cite web |url= http://www.dubwar.co.uk/articles/statement.php |title=Jeff / Ginge Statement upon leaving Skindred |accessdate=28 December 2008 |publisher= Dub War
http://www.alternativevision.co.uk/interview230.html Skindred Interview, http://www.alternativevision.co.uk/ Alternative Vision, 29th April 2011. Retrieved 7th May 2011. reflist
http://www.skindred.net/ Official Skindred Website
http://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/music/sites/skindred/ Skindred biography from BBC Wales
http://www.komodorock.com/interviews/interviews/if-music-is-religion,-skindred%27s-benji-webbe-is-jesus-2009080412026/ Interview With Benji Webbe at UK Sonisphere Festival 2009
http://www.rocksins.com/2009/09/exclusive-interview-with-skindred-463/ Interview with Benji Webbe, Rocksins.com
Skindred Category:British alternative metal musical groups Category:Bieler Bros. Records artists Category:Musical groups established in 1998 Category:People from Newport Category:Reggae metal musical groups Category:Welsh rock music groups Category:Kerrang& #33; Awards winners Category:Skindred
