Skating Polly

Skating Polly

Peyton Bighorse & Kelli Mayo of Skating Polly, 2016
Background information
Origin Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, U.S.
Genres Riot grrrl, indie pop, punk
Years active 2009–present
Labels Nice People, Chap Stereo
Members Kelli Mayo
Peyton Bighorse

Skating Polly is an American alternative rock band formed in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma in 2009. The band consists of multi-instrumentalists Kelli Mayo (b. March 29, 2000)[1] and Peyton Bighorse (b. July 11, 1995),[2] who were 9 and 14 years old when the band formed. The band is noted for its members alternating instruments, childlike yet mature and poetic lyrics, melodic arrangements, rudimentary musicianship and an eclectic array of songs that vary in style from riot grrrl to piano-based indie pop.

Biography

Kelli and Peyton met after Kelli's father began dating Peyton's mother. The girls' families eventually moved in together and they began playing with various musical instruments that their parents owned. The band's first setup consisted of Peyton on drums and Kelli playing a basitar, a two-stringed bass instrument most notably used by novelty punk band The Presidents of the United States of America (band). (Kelli's father made her a basitar after she complained that a traditional six-string guitar hurt her fingers.) The girls played their first show at their family Halloween party in 2009, with Peyton playing simple drum beats while Kelli played her basitar and improvised vocals.[3] They named their band Skating Polly because they considered it "ironically juvenile." [4] Kelli soon taught herself to play basic piano and drums while Peyton taught herself guitar. They began writing songs at a furious pace, trading off instruments and lead vocal duties. They were eventually discovered by Chris Harris, owner of the small indie label Nice People Records based in Norman, Oklahoma. Harris showed Kelli's father how to utilize home recording equipment and the girls began recording their first album, Taking Over the World, in their living room.[5]

Influences and comparisons

Skating Polly is often compared to bands associated with the riot grrrl movement such as Bikini Kill and Babes in Toyland, but many songs instead bring to mind artists such as Kimya Dawson and Beat Happening. Skating Polly does not have a front person in the traditional sense, as both members typically write and provide lead vocals for their own songs. The band is known to cover other artists and has put its spin on songs by Spacemen 3, Neutral Milk Hotel, Dead Boys, Portishead, Perfume Genius, The Left Banke, Ol' Dirty Bastard, M.I.A. (rapper), AC/DC, Nina Nastasia and Syd Barrett.[6]

Association with Exene Cervenka

Shortly before Taking Over the World was released on Nice People Records in November 2010, Kelli and Peyton met Exene Cervenka of the seminal punk band X (American band) after a show in Oklahoma City. Exene was surprised by the girls' extensive knowledge of punk rock music. Cervenka began corresponding with the girls via email and, after hearing Taking Over the World and demos of new songs, began discussing them in numerous interviews.[7] (She stated in a Los Angeles Times interview that, if she were in charge, she would have Skating Polly play the Academy Awards.)[8] Cervenka eventually offered to produce the band's sophomore album. In the meantime, Taking Over the World was well-received locally and the band began to perform at clubs throughout the midwest.[9]

Lost Wonderfuls

Cervenka came to Norman, Oklahoma in December 2011 to produce what would eventually become Skating Polly's second album, Lost Wonderfuls. The entire album was recorded in four days at Hook Echo Sound studios. Blag Dahlia, lead singer of the notorious punk band Dwarves (band), mixed a version of the album which was set to be released by a startup label in the Spring of 2012. However, the band's deal with the label fell through after the release date was repeatedly pushed back. The band went back into the studio to work on new material. Meanwhile, Kliph Scurlock, drummer of The Flaming Lips, became a fan of the band and offered to remix Lost Wonderfuls while a new record deal was being finalized.[10]

Lost Wonderfuls was eventually released by the Los Angeles-based label SQE Music in April 2013. Scurlock mixed the final versions of all songs except the title track. The album is a mixture of punk rock, riot grrrl, folk music and twee pop influences and was well received. The band released music videos for the songs "Placer", "Carrots", "Lost Wonderfuls" and "Blue Obvious." Many well-known musicians and artists have praised the band, including Rosanne Cash, Sean Lennon, Django Django, The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, Ty Segall, Wayne Coyne (The Flaming Lips), Kate Nash, Wavves, Lori Barbero of Babes in Toyland (band) and the actor Viggo Mortensen. Kliph Scurlock has perhaps been the band's most ardent supporter, as he can be seen wearing their T-shirt at various Flaming Lips concerts such as Freak Nigh OKC Zoo AMP 2012 and Indianapolis 2013, in the documentary Big Star: Nothing Can Hurt Me, and in a Super Bowl commercial for Hyundai and in the Gruff Rhys American Interior Documentary.

Current status

Since the release of Lost Wonderfuls, the band has garnered a considerable amount of airplay on indie and college radio stations across the United States and in certain places in Europe, particularly France. The band has toured extensively across the U.S., providing support to Deerhoof, The Flaming Lips, Band of Horses, Mike Watt, Kate Nash, The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, Emily Wells, Generationals (band), Holly Golightly (singer) and Wavves. The band played 7 shows at SXSW in 2013 and recorded a Daytrotter session.[11]

Their third album, Fuzz Steilacoom, was recorded by Calvin Johnson (Beat Happening, K Records) at Dub Narcotic Studio in Olympia, Washington in October 2013. It was released on February 25, 2014, on Skating Polly's own label Chap Stereo.[12] The album was co-produced by Allan Vest, of Oklahoma indie-rock band Starlight Mints, and Chris Harris. Dub Narcotic Studio engineer Bob Schwenkler co-produced one song on the record, "Dead Friends." The album was named after Steilacoom Road in Olympia, WA, where the duo stayed while recording the album; the word "fuzz" was added because Skating Polly felt like the most common element among all the songs was that they sounded loud, distorted, and fuzzy.[13]

In 2015, Skating Polly toured in Europe in support of Babes in Toyland. The duo's 4th album, The Big Fit, was released on March 25, 2016.[14]

Discography

Albums

Singles

Fuzz Steilacoom 7” (Chap Stereo, 2014) "Benny Once Told Me" (Chap Stereo, 2015) "Nothing More Than a Body" (Chap Stereo, 2015)

References

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