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Artists: Askeleton

Knol Tate is Askeleton. The Minneapolis native crafts bedroom pop masterpieces and then assembles a Twin Cities orchestra to take the show on the road.

Askeleton has former and current members of obscure bands such as Kill Sadie, Hidden Chord, End Transmission, Vox Vermillion, Siren 6 and Ela. The present line-up of Askeleton is: Knol Tate (vocals, guitar), Jacy McIntosh (bass guitar, percussion, backing vocals), William Caperton (guitar, keys, percussion), Ellen Fitzgerald (keys, backing vocals) and Eric Vong (drum kit, keyboard, percussion). Everyone plays a bit of everything. Askeleton plays music, most people hate music.

In 2000 Askeleton was founded during the breakup of Knol’s former bands Kill Sadie and The Hidden Chord. Using a free version of a digital audio program he wrote songs based on samples, simply arranged keyboard and guitar parts and left over Hidden Chord lyrics. During 2000 and 2001 Knol made two records released in 2002 as the “Sad Album” full length CD (Minneapolis label Blood of the Young Records) and a CD/EP called “Modern Fairy Tales” (New York’s Alone Records). A modest amount of favorable press and reviews followed both releases.

In order to promote these releases Knol assembled a band to play the songs live. Many different versions of the live band where formed and finally in 2003 the line up that is now known as Askeleton was in place, making it no longer a solo project. Askeleton is known to bring out the tension, experimentation and power of Wire, Eno era Talking Heads poppyness, quirk and grooves as well as the obscurity and anarchic art of early bay area punks like Dead Kennedys and Crime.

Getting right out on the road and booking tours with bands such as Seattle’s Minus The Bear (Suicide Squeeze/ARRC), The Bay Area’s The New Trust and Velvet Teen (Slow Dance records), Chicago’s Che Arthur (of File 13’s Atombombpocketknife) and many local shows with local and national bands like of Radio 4, Dosh, Mark Mallman, Kid Dakota, 12 Rods, One Am Radio, Har-Mar Super Star, Motion City Soundtrack, Ted Leo, The Soviettes, Detachment Kit, and countless others.

In 2004 Askeleton released the second full length album called Angry Album -or- Psychic Songs on Atlanta’s Goodnight records.

Askeleton did that. We did lots of things. Then we wrote a new record. We called it Happy Album because “it must be important for Askeleton to keep its emotional levels palatable to first-graders.” (Richard T. Williams - Pop Matters) I say it fit the motif. It came out in 2006.

Now we are working on the best album Askeleton ever attempted or did not attempt to make.  It is called The Personalization and should be out in a few months.