Beautiful Skin
Encyclopedia
Beautiful Skin were an American
post-punk
band extant from 1997 until their 2001 split. Despite never achieving real mainstream or commercial success, they are regarded among the cognoscenti as a trailblazer for the post-punk revival
http://www.splendidezine.com/review.html?reviewid=1129888995138439.
ist Nick Forte and Brazil
ian keyboardist
Ross Totino. Totino had played with many bands in Brazil in the 1980s, playing covers of bands like Wire
and The Cure
at talent shows and parties, while Forte had been a member of seminal U.S. hardcore
band Rorschach
. The two met while working at an electronics factory in New York; Forte was at the time playing in the band Computer Cougar, who released a single and a posthumous LP on the label Gern Blandsten.
Soon the pair were experimenting together, combining their respective influences into a sound that harked back to the post-punk of Wire
and The Cure
as well as the experimental electronic of Suicide
and Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark
and the krautrock
of Can
and Kraftwerk
. Their debut single, Sex is a Triangle for the Perfect Square was followed up by the critically acclaimed Revolve, their debut LP released on Gold Standard Laboratories
. With the addition of Mitch Rackin on bass and Charles Burst on drums, Beautiful Skin toured the west coast in the winter of 2000/2001, supporting labelmates such as The Locust
, Le Shok, and DeFacto. The band split soon after. Various unreleased recordings from the four and two person eras were issued as Everything, All This and More on GSL
in 2005
. Totino currently lives in Los Angeles
, now recording under the name Fans of Collision. Forte also continues to write and record, and produces remixes under various names. Rackin has since played with Dirty Rainbow and Heavy Hands. Burst is a member of The Occasion and also performs with Mike Wexler.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
post-punk
Post-punk
Post-punk is a rock music movement with its roots in the late 1970s, following on the heels of the initial punk rock explosion of the mid-1970s. The genre retains its roots in the punk movement but is more introverted, complex and experimental...
band extant from 1997 until their 2001 split. Despite never achieving real mainstream or commercial success, they are regarded among the cognoscenti as a trailblazer for the post-punk revival
Post-punk revival
The post-punk revival was a development in alternative rock of the late 20th and early 21st centuries in which bands took inspiration from the original sounds and aesthetics of garage rock of the 1960s and post-punk and New Wave of the late 1970s...
http://www.splendidezine.com/review.html?reviewid=1129888995138439.
History
Beautiful Skin consisted of guitarGuitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
ist Nick Forte and Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
ian keyboardist
Keyboardist
A keyboardist is a musician who plays keyboard instruments. Until the early 1960s musicians who played keyboards were generally classified as either pianists or organists. Since the mid-1960s, a plethora of new musical instruments with keyboards have come into common usage, requiring a more...
Ross Totino. Totino had played with many bands in Brazil in the 1980s, playing covers of bands like Wire
Wire (band)
Wire are an English rock band, formed in London in October 1976 by Colin Newman , Graham Lewis , Bruce Gilbert , and Robert Gotobed...
and The Cure
The Cure
The Cure are an English rock band formed in Crawley, West Sussex in 1976. The band has experienced several line-up changes, with frontman, vocalist, guitarist and principal songwriter Robert Smith being the only constant member...
at talent shows and parties, while Forte had been a member of seminal U.S. hardcore
Hardcore punk
Hardcore punk is an underground music genre that originated in the late 1970s, following the mainstream success of punk rock. Hardcore is generally faster, thicker, and heavier than earlier punk rock. The origin of the term "hardcore punk" is uncertain. The Vancouver-based band D.O.A...
band Rorschach
Rorschach (band)
Rorschach is a New Jersey-based band that existed from 1989 to 1993 and reformed in 2009. The group often blended hardcore punk and dissonant elements of metal providing the inspiration to a number of hardcore and post hardcore bands thereafter....
. The two met while working at an electronics factory in New York; Forte was at the time playing in the band Computer Cougar, who released a single and a posthumous LP on the label Gern Blandsten.
Soon the pair were experimenting together, combining their respective influences into a sound that harked back to the post-punk of Wire
Wire (band)
Wire are an English rock band, formed in London in October 1976 by Colin Newman , Graham Lewis , Bruce Gilbert , and Robert Gotobed...
and The Cure
The Cure
The Cure are an English rock band formed in Crawley, West Sussex in 1976. The band has experienced several line-up changes, with frontman, vocalist, guitarist and principal songwriter Robert Smith being the only constant member...
as well as the experimental electronic of Suicide
Suicide (band)
Suicide is an American electronic protopunk musical duo, intermittently active since 1970 and composed of vocalist Alan Vega and Martin Rev on synthesizers and drum machines. They are an early synthesizer/vocal musical duo....
and Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark
Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark
Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark are a synthpop group whose founding members are originally from the Wirral Peninsula, England...
and the krautrock
Krautrock
Krautrock is a generic name for the experimental music scenes that appeared in Germany in the late 1960s and gained popularity throughout the 1970s, especially in Britain. The term is a result of the English-speaking world's reception of the music at the time and not a reference to any one...
of Can
Can (band)
Can was an experimental rock band formed in Cologne, West Germany in 1968. Later labeled as one of the first "krautrock" groups, they transcended mainstream influences and incorporated strong minimalist and world music elements into their often psychedelic music.Can constructed their music largely...
and Kraftwerk
Kraftwerk
Kraftwerk is an influential electronic music band from Düsseldorf, Germany. The group was formed by Ralf Hütter and Florian Schneider in 1970, and was fronted by them until Schneider's departure in 2008...
. Their debut single, Sex is a Triangle for the Perfect Square was followed up by the critically acclaimed Revolve, their debut LP released on Gold Standard Laboratories
Gold Standard Laboratories
Gold Standard Laboratories or GSL was an independent record label which was founded in 1993 in Boulder, Colorado by Sonny Kay. In 2000, it was relocated to San Diego, California, USA, and two years later, to Los Angeles. It was headquartered in L.A...
. With the addition of Mitch Rackin on bass and Charles Burst on drums, Beautiful Skin toured the west coast in the winter of 2000/2001, supporting labelmates such as The Locust
The Locust
The Locust is a musical group from San Diego, California, United States known for their unique mix of grindcore speed and aggression, mathcore complexity, and new wave weirdness.- Style :...
, Le Shok, and DeFacto. The band split soon after. Various unreleased recordings from the four and two person eras were issued as Everything, All This and More on GSL
Gold Standard Laboratories
Gold Standard Laboratories or GSL was an independent record label which was founded in 1993 in Boulder, Colorado by Sonny Kay. In 2000, it was relocated to San Diego, California, USA, and two years later, to Los Angeles. It was headquartered in L.A...
in 2005
2005 in music
-Events:*During the year 2005, 12 rock music albums scored number 1 in the USA. This was the first time even ten albums have scored number 1 since 1996.-January:...
. Totino currently lives in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, now recording under the name Fans of Collision. Forte also continues to write and record, and produces remixes under various names. Rackin has since played with Dirty Rainbow and Heavy Hands. Burst is a member of The Occasion and also performs with Mike Wexler.
Line up
- Nick Forte - Vocals/Guitar (1997–2001)
- Ross Totino - Keyboards (1997–2001)
- Charles Burst - Drums (2000–2001)
- Mitch Rackin - Bass (2000–2001)