Inspired by Lake Michigan, the Grand Rapids-area band brought its summery vibe to Local Spins on WYCE, which also aired new tracks by Brotha James, Political Lizard, Joshua Davis, The Quirk, Hope Waidley.
Reminiscent of the Rhythm of the Water: The Skinny Limbs (Photo/Veronica Leigh Anderson)
THE BAND: The Skinny Limbs
THE MUSIC: Coastal, calming indie-rock inspired by Lake Michigan
WHERE YOU CAN SEE THE BAND: 8 p.m. tonight (Friday, Aug. 3) at The Pyramid Scheme with Antighost, Silver Age and The Pretty Okay; Aug. 18 at the Great Lakes Surf Festival at Pere Marquette Park in Muskegon.
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Picture a day spent at a Lake Michigan beach or maybe a summer evening, windows-down drive along the shoreline.
Then imagine what the soundtrack for that might entail.
On the Air: Max and Nate Knoth of The Skinny Limbs during Local Spins on WYCE. (Photo/Local Spins)
That’s the idea, sonically speaking, for the music and shimmering guitar riffs created by Grand Rapids-area band The Skinny Limbs.
“We wanted to write songs about Lake Michigan and the dunes and the water and surf,” says singer, bassist and guitarist Max Knoth, in describing the band that also features his brothers Jake (drums) and Nate (guitar, backing vocals) as well as guitarist Connor O’Brien. O’Brien’s brother, Gavin, also often pitches in on synthesizer and tambourine.
“Some of the reverb of the guitar is reminiscent of Dick Dale and The Beach Boys, that vibe,” adds Nate Knoth. “It’s maybe just the pace of the music. It’s fairly slow, laid-back, but it’s got a groove reminiscent of the rhythm of the water.”
Band members brought that distinctive groove to the studios of WYCE this week, performing two songs on the air for Local Spins on WYCE and chatting about their approach. Watch the video of their performance of “Bad Timing Boy” here and listen to the full radio show podcast below.
VIDEO: The Skinny Limbs, “Bad Timing Boys” (Local Spins on WYCE)
Hailing from Hudsonville, the Knoth boys were “forced take piano lessons” as youngsters. And while they hated it at the time, they’re now thankful for getting the musical foundation and exposure that eventually led them to take up other instruments and pursue the “beach sounds, summer feeling” that The Skinny Limbs first unfurled in 2017.
Summer Feeling: The Skinny Limbs (Photo/Veronica Leigh Anderson)
The dreamy, psychedelic-hued band – which surmises it would appeal to fans of Mac DeMarco, Bad Suns and Hippo Campus – has since released an EP, “Sunshine Salute,” and two singles, “Bad Timing Boy” and “Hermes.”
The Skinny Limbs currently are working on “a few new singles” at Third Coast Recording in Grand Haven and arranging booking of shows in Grand Rapids, Lansing and Detroit for the fall. They also have hopes for eventually getting on a regional tour with a national level indie-rock band.
“We’ll be playing music either way,” says Nate Knoth, noting that some band members are still students at Grand Valley State University, “but if we could do it making money, that would be the dream.”
In the meantime, they’ll be performing at 7 p.m. Friday (Aug. 3) at The Pyramid Scheme in Grand Rapids, along with Antighost, Silver Age and The Pretty Okay. Tickets are $12 at the door; get details online here.
And appropriately enough, they’ll also be playing the main stage at the Great Lakes Surf Festival being held Aug. 18 at Pere Marquette Park in Muskegon.
Get more information about the band online at theskinnylimbs.com.
This week’s edition of Local Spins on WYCE – which showcases local and regional music at 11 a.m. Fridays on WYCE-FM (88.1) – also featured brand new music from Brotha James, Joshua Davis, Political Lizard, The Quirk and Hope Waidley (this week’s musicians’ pick by The Skinny Limbs) as well as songs by Bigfoot Buffalo, The Concussions, The JetBeats and The Moxie Strings. Listen to the full podcast here.
PODCAST: Local Spins on WYCE (Aug. 3, 2018)
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