Sept.
4, 2003
Skrape Plans to “Up the Dose”
By Randy J. Klodz
Skrape, which earned its early road marks by touring with bands as heavy as
Pantera, Slayer and Disturbed while touring behind the metal heavy 2001 debut
“New Killer America,” will set out on the road touring with the
likes of Ill Nino, Spineshank and 40 Below Summer. The tour is set to hit the
Chicago area at Oasis One Sixty on Sept. 14.
The Florida-based quintet--which is comprised of Billy Keeton on vocals, Randy
Melser and Brian Milner on guitars, Pete Sison on bass and Will Hunt on drums--plans
to debut some material from the forthcoming “Up the Dose,” which
is scheduled to hit store shelves on Oct. 7.
Skrape will hit town this time around with three heavy-hitting bands, all of
which have a unique style, but all share a similar crowd. “Each of the
bands have their own element,” Hunt confirmed, “but they are kind
of similar in sound. It would be nice to be in front of some crowds that really
like this music.”
Though the new album displays the band’s leanings toward the heavy with
“Stand Up (Summer Song)” and “My Life,” the band seems
to be moving toward being more melodic with songs such as “I Can’t
Breathe ” and the orchestral “Searching for Home.”
It may seem odd for a ballad such as “Searching for Home” to appear
on a Skrape album, but the song’s quiet, yet emotion-filled lyrics may
create a pounding heavier than any machine-gun power chords could. According
to Hunt, the song has been around for several years and details a tough period
of time where some of the current band members were members of different bands
and were reduced to “sleeping on people’s couches” to make
ends meet.
But when it comes down to it, “Searching for Home,” may be exactly
what the band ordered if they are to become a more diverse rock act. “The
first record [“New Killer America”] was a little one-dimensional
for us. We just decided this time around that we wanted to create more of a
roller coaster, so to speak,” Hunt said, “we wanted to make it with
some highs and lows.”
“I think that it makes for a little bit more of a palatable album that
you can just leave on. You don’t have to take it out if you get sick of
banging your head, it will just take it to the next place.”
Oasis One Sixty as at 160 W. Joe Orr Rd. in south suburban Chicago Heights.
Tickets for this all-ages show are listed for $15 each, with start time listed
as 6 p.m. For more information on the band, visit www.skrape.com.
| Skrape |
Photo: RCA Records |
