Date Signed: November 1, 2012
Label: Warner Bros. Records
Type of Music: Plasma Punk
Band Members: Michael Ian Cummings, vocals; Josh Hubbard, guitar; Noah Rubin, drums; Dan Burke, tour bassist.
Management: Nick Bobetsky, Red Light Management
Booking: Jackie Nalpant / Paradigm; UK & Europe: Matt Bates @ Primary
Legal: Gillian R. Bar, Esq. and Elliot J. Groffman, Esq. / Carroll, Guido & Groffman, LLP
Publicity: [email protected]
Web: http://skatersnyc.com
A&R: Adam Herzog & Jeff Sosnow
“We should totally start a band.” All musicians are guilty of spewing this intoxicated idiom at some point in their career, but sobriety usually exposes the idea for what it is, drunk conversation. SKATERS are an exception.
“Noah [Rubin] and I were longtime friends and decided we were going to start a band [in] New York,” explains frontman Michael Ian Cummings. “Then we met Josh [Hubbard] at a party and we had one of those debaucherous conversations of, ‘let’s start a band.’” After a few months, Hubbard actually moved to N.Y.C. from London. Feeling obligated to move forward due to Hubbard’s sudden arrival on their doorstep, SKATERS were born.
Within 24 hours of Hubbard’s arrival, the “plasma punk” boys had booked three shows with only five songs to their name. Constantly encouraging friends to attend, Cummings and company began to build buzz
“We made an EP at my house, which received like 8,000 downloads just from word-of-mouth.”
in the New York music scene by only headlining shows and developing a DIY EP. “We made an EP at my house, which received like 8,000 downloads just from word-of-mouth,” Cummings explains.
Once buzz hit the major labels, Warner flew the band to Los Angeles. “There were a bunch of super-dedicated music fans [working for Warner] that were really excited about our band,” says Cummings. “That was the selling point. To meet 55 people from a label who were well-versed in our band already––and we hadn’t even signed yet.”
The ink didn’t hit paper so quickly, however, as SKATERS wanted to make sure to give back to the community that supported each member over the years. Along with a record deal, the group asked Warner to distribute YONX, the band’s personal magazine that showcases art, fashion, music and the like. Warner agreed.
“We wanted to support friends that make tour posters, photo shoots, music videos, assisting with [things like] color correction, etcetera,” continues Cummings. “There’s just so many talented people that we’re surrounded by that can be taken for granted.”
By Andy Mesecher
