BANDS
Skeleton Crew
Skeleton Crew formed in 1987 at Mississippi State University. First called Calamity Jane, we consisted of Tim Christopher on drums, Keith Perler on guitar, Craig Smith on bass, and myself on guitar and vocals. The first song we ever played together was Poison's "Talk to Dirty to Me." After parting ways with Keith, we gelled as a power trio and began learning a wide range of covers: Van Halen, Guns & Roses, Motley Crue, AC/DC, Metallica, Black Flag, Jane's Addiction, The Cult, U2, et al. Then, in 1988, we wrote our first originals, the instrumentals "Prime Mover" and "Something Completely Different," which began a very creative period that lasted for most of the next five years. 1989 brought "U.V.A.," "When I Grow Down," "Bowhead," "Paging Dr. Mengele," and "Amy as a Stimulant," all of which we captured on 1990's Rage EP.
Buy Skeleton Crew's "...And We'll See All of History Again..." on iTunes!
The Persians
The Persians formed in 2001 in Starkville, MS and included Todd Hunt on drums and Rob Snell on bass. Together we recorded and released A Thing Like Any Other in 2003 and played all over Mississippi and Alabama. Lee Graham replaced Rob on bass in 2005, and we went on to contribute the song "So Help Me Something" for the Hodgepodge benefit album.
Buy The Persians' A Thing Like Any Other on iTunes!
Buy the Hodgepodge benefit album, featuring The Persians' "So Help Me Something"!
The Tuffskinz
Formed as a heavy-metal / hard-rock cover band in 2006, The Tuffskinz includes Lee Graham and Jerry Carnathan on guitar, Paul Graham on bass, and Scott Thomas (Scooter) on drums. We play several times a year covering songs by Black Sabbath, KISS, Iron Maiden, Van Halen, Ozzy Osbourne, and AC/DC. One Halloween we played Van Halen's first album in its entirety, and we contributed a cover of Del Rendon's song "Me and My Baby" for the Del Rendon Foundation benefit album Vol. II: After Bethel.
Buy Vol. II: After Bethel, featuring The Tuffskinz playing "Me and My Baby"?
The Bold O'Donaghues
In 2010, Dave Hood of Dave's Dark Horse Tavern asked me if I was interested in playing Irish drinking songs for St. Patrick's Day. I knew no such songs, which actually made me want to do it even more because then I'd have to learn some new (to me) music. As I began learning these songs, I realized that one of their primary characteristics is they're so easy to sing along to, so I decided to make PowerPoint slides with the lyrics so I could display them onscreen and help everyone sing along. After a few years, I asked my new neighbors, Jamie and Ania Dyer, to join me: Jamie plays banjo and mandolin, and Ania plays fiddle, tin whistle, and tambourine. Once bassist extraordinaire Lee Graham joined, our lineup was set. We now perform nearly 50 Irish songs every year on St. Patrick's Day and have even started a new tradition, Halfway to St. Patrick's Day, in September. Check out our compiled lyrics here. Whak fol the diddle!
Skeleton Crew formed in 1987 at Mississippi State University. First called Calamity Jane, we consisted of Tim Christopher on drums, Keith Perler on guitar, Craig Smith on bass, and myself on guitar and vocals. The first song we ever played together was Poison's "Talk to Dirty to Me." After parting ways with Keith, we gelled as a power trio and began learning a wide range of covers: Van Halen, Guns & Roses, Motley Crue, AC/DC, Metallica, Black Flag, Jane's Addiction, The Cult, U2, et al. Then, in 1988, we wrote our first originals, the instrumentals "Prime Mover" and "Something Completely Different," which began a very creative period that lasted for most of the next five years. 1989 brought "U.V.A.," "When I Grow Down," "Bowhead," "Paging Dr. Mengele," and "Amy as a Stimulant," all of which we captured on 1990's Rage EP.
Buy Skeleton Crew's "...And We'll See All of History Again..." on iTunes!
The Persians
The Persians formed in 2001 in Starkville, MS and included Todd Hunt on drums and Rob Snell on bass. Together we recorded and released A Thing Like Any Other in 2003 and played all over Mississippi and Alabama. Lee Graham replaced Rob on bass in 2005, and we went on to contribute the song "So Help Me Something" for the Hodgepodge benefit album.
Buy The Persians' A Thing Like Any Other on iTunes!
Buy the Hodgepodge benefit album, featuring The Persians' "So Help Me Something"!
The Tuffskinz
Formed as a heavy-metal / hard-rock cover band in 2006, The Tuffskinz includes Lee Graham and Jerry Carnathan on guitar, Paul Graham on bass, and Scott Thomas (Scooter) on drums. We play several times a year covering songs by Black Sabbath, KISS, Iron Maiden, Van Halen, Ozzy Osbourne, and AC/DC. One Halloween we played Van Halen's first album in its entirety, and we contributed a cover of Del Rendon's song "Me and My Baby" for the Del Rendon Foundation benefit album Vol. II: After Bethel.
Buy Vol. II: After Bethel, featuring The Tuffskinz playing "Me and My Baby"?
The Bold O'Donaghues
In 2010, Dave Hood of Dave's Dark Horse Tavern asked me if I was interested in playing Irish drinking songs for St. Patrick's Day. I knew no such songs, which actually made me want to do it even more because then I'd have to learn some new (to me) music. As I began learning these songs, I realized that one of their primary characteristics is they're so easy to sing along to, so I decided to make PowerPoint slides with the lyrics so I could display them onscreen and help everyone sing along. After a few years, I asked my new neighbors, Jamie and Ania Dyer, to join me: Jamie plays banjo and mandolin, and Ania plays fiddle, tin whistle, and tambourine. Once bassist extraordinaire Lee Graham joined, our lineup was set. We now perform nearly 50 Irish songs every year on St. Patrick's Day and have even started a new tradition, Halfway to St. Patrick's Day, in September. Check out our compiled lyrics here. Whak fol the diddle!