In February 1976, a tremendously innovative and pioneering
artist began shaking things up in the Chicago club scene. Skafish (Jim
Skafish) and his band hurled a never-before heard or seen sensibility at an
unsuspecting public. Skafish's appearance alone--a huge hook nose, meaty 6
foot 3 frame, and the suggestion of breasts that was underscored and emphasized
by degradingly gender-bending clothing, stunned audiences. The
lyrics and music were equally overwhelming. Autobiographical experiences
of childhood abuse, rejection, alienation, and sacrilegious themes were
rebelliously flaunted and acted out on stage. A combination of atonal jazz
improvisation, 20th century avant-garde, classic pop melody and high-speed
frenetic rock, the music was overpowering and disorienting. The reactions
were immediate, extreme and violent--and the press took notice. By the
summer of 1977, Skafish and his music began to find an audience.
Acknowledged as the sole originator and Godfather of Chicago's punk, new wave, alternative and indie rock movements, Skafish also co-created these art forms on a worldwide level. Skafish was a pioneer decades ahead of his time, irrevocably changing the face of Chicago music and culture, opening the door for all punk, new wave, alternative and indie rock artists to have their voices heard worldwide.
Site News
Are you here because you're a fan of Skafish's early, groundbreaking music from the 1970's? Then we've got news for you!
The first official live Skafish album, BOOTLEG 21-35, has now been released as a digital only recording. It was recorded at Ratso's in Chicago on Skafish's 21st birthday on August 29, 1977 and features 27 songs, 15 of which have never been released in any form before. And, you can pick up the album (which is over 2 hours and 13 minutes long, including 8 new Skafish-narrated commentary tracks) for the unbelievable price of just $6.99 on iTunes!
To learn more about the project, listen to the entire album for free, see videos, and read lyrics, visit the official Skafish Bootleg site.
Exclusive complete video commentary premiere, first on Skafish.com
Check out the complete video of Skafish narrating the 8 commentary tracks from the bootleg. In this long-form piece, Skafish discusses having emergency knee surgery weeks before his 21st birthday concert. He talks about receiving the bootleg tapes to the show over 30 years later, and the technical process of releasing the project. For those who are interested in the songs, Skafish shares the musical, lyrical, and conceptual reasons why he wrote each composition, and every band member's contribution. Watch his perspective on this historic milestone concert!
Want to hear the lastest from Skafish, in depth and uncensored? Read the Skafish Blog and see what he has to say.
From the Navigation Bar on the left,
select from the following categories:
Timeline, Press, and Photos:
Represents in text, press reaction, and photographs, the year to year story
from 1961-2000.
Band and People: Offers
bios of every Skafish band member, important guest artists and associates
who were a part of the project.
Quotes: Band members, other
artists, music industry insiders and the photographers/videographers who
documented Skafish reflect, in their own words, on the Skafish
experience.
Discography: Features a
complete listing of released and unreleased Skafish recordings, and
Skafish's personal liner notes about every released and unreleased
track.***Updated***
Audio: Features
eight complete Skafish songs from 1979 to 1994. **New Audio added**
Video: A complete
listing of released and unreleased video and clips of the Skafish band
performing in the early days of Chicago. **Under
Construction**
Bookings: Contact
info to book Skafish for live performances.
Search: To find anyone on this
website.
FAQ: Answers questions that
have been repeatedly asked, and allows anyone to email
questions.
Guestbook: To be placed on our
mailing list.
Links Offers
addresses of various people on this website and links to other related
sites.
Info/Contact Us:
Offers important updates, contact information and requests
for information from skafish.com. Latest updates to the site are
listed here! Submit photos for the
Skafish fanpage!
Top to Navigation Bar (From any page, you can click the Skafish picture on the
navigation bar to return to this page)
The navigation bar is one of the features currently being updated so this will not work on all pages until updates are complete.