SKONK

UPDATE: This profile is in memory of Chad Randall Byrd, the former lead singer of SKONK who passed away in August of 2005. Hurricane Katrina forced the band out of the state where several band members have gone on to form "Ochima" and are playing gigs in the Portland area. You can view their myspace profile here: www.myspace.com/ochimaSkonk was formed in 2003 when Trombonist Eric Bigger and vocalist Chad Byrd joined the guys of the hard rock group absence; drummer Eric Gold, lead guitarist Chris Ingold, Bassist Don Barrios, and rhythm guitarist Ben Deffendall. What is SKONK? A sound so dynamic and versatile that identifying a sole influence would be impossible. From guitar ripping solos to latin rythyms to hip-hop lyrics, SKONK produces imaginative riffs and songs like none other.With the exception of Eric Bigger who is originally from Seattle, SKONK grew up in the surrounding regions of the Greater New Orleans area. Don Barrios and Chad Byrd previously was in Groove Cartel for a number of years.After having their lead vocalist position becoming a revolving door, the heavy metal group Absence merged with Groove Cartel and brought Chris Ingold, Eric Gold, and Ben Deffendall into the mix. Eric "Big Easy" Bigger was later introduced to complete the sound.Backed by the well educated and versatile percussion skills of Eric Gold, every song has it's own unique beat and style, never repeating the same idea twice. On lead guitar Chris Ingold has unparralleled talent and has the recording knowledge which has produced their first demo cd and is also currently recording their 1st Official release: "Black, White, & Funky". Don Barrios brings energy and attitude on bass guitar displaying a combination of raw musical ability and talent. The rythym and a lot of the organizational direction of SKONK is orchestrated by Ben Deffendall who could also be heard cranking out tranceful licks song by song. The horn section is compliments of Eric "Big Easy" Bigger. With his trombone in hand Big E blows away any idea that SKONK is nothing more than your typical rock band.After playing several shows in the New Orleans area and an unfortunate performance threatening injury to Big E, SKONK decided to give live performances a break to work on their upcoming release: "Black, White & Funky". Look for the release of this cd to be dropped fall 2005.This profile was edited with Thomas' myspace editor™ V2.5