Old Skull
Encyclopedia
Old Skull were an American
punk rock
novelty band formed in the late 1980s in Madison, Wisconsin
. The band was started by ten-year-old J.P. (Jean-Paul) Toulon and his nine-year-old brother, Jamie Toulon, with encouragement from their father Vern Toulon, a longtime member of the Madison punk scene who had spent time in New York City
, where for a time he was a guitarist for the industrial
band Missing Foundation.
. In 1989, Restless Records
released Old Skull's debut album, Get Outta School. Produced by both Vern Toulon and Robin Davies and engineered by future Garbage
member Steve Marker
, Get Outta School dealt with such wide-ranging topics as skateboarding
, hot dogs, homelessness
and the AIDS
virus
. Due to the non-childlike subject matter in many of the songs, rumors persisted that Vern Toulon was actually ghostwriting
much, if not all of the band's material. Critics described the album as hilarious, unlistenable and torturous, though most agreed that it wasn't all that bad for a group of nine-year-olds. The band also began opening for national acts such as Gwar
, The Flaming Lips
and Sonic Youth
. The novelty of the act drew media attention from television shows like A Current Affair
and publications such as Life
, People
and Newsweek
. MTV
also gave the band some minor airplay.
After the release of Get Outta School, Jesse Collins-Davies left the band and was replaced by twelve-year-old Graham Lindsey
. After two years of playing drums with the band, Lindsey was given a one month punishment by his parents which ultimately led to the band's first breakup.
. This record was considerably more musical than the debut and executed competently with relative cohesion. A short tour of Japan followed before the act disbanded permanently.
's as an opening act for The Exploited
, with J.P. returning to vocals and Jamie playing guitar. They were joined onstage by Rik Smart, Mike House and John McClellan of the New York squat punk music scene.
Coincidentally, months before the reunion, a person named "P.J." called into the radio station
WFMU
in New Jersey
, claiming to be a former member of Old Skull. "P.J." stated that he was re-forming Old Skull as a jazz fusion
band without the input of any of the other former members. The call turned out to be an elaborate comedy sketch set up by Tom Scharpling
, a supervising producer and writer for the Monk television series, and Superchunk
drummer Jon Wurster, for their radio show, The Best Show on WFMU. The sketch also became available on their Hippy Justice CD. Coincidentally, the Hippy Justice CD was released at approximately the same time that the real reunion at CBGB
's took place.
band based out of C-Squat
, a squat
located in the East Village of Manhattan. In the spring of 2010, he served jail time in Madison, Wisconsin, and later moved to a drug rehab facility where he had apparently managed to beat a drug addiction. J.P. Toulon died on November 13, 2010, his brother Jamie's birthday. He had been living in Minneapolis with his son at the time of his death. The cause of death has not been publicly released but Toulon had been hospitalized for pancreatitis
several times in the months before his death . A memorial was held for Toulon at C-Squat on November 21, 2010.
Jamie Toulon went on to play guitar for Milwaukee band, Doomsday Cauldron. Jamie later moved to New York City and played in a punk band named Apox, who released an album titled Prevalence in 1998. He was also an original member of Star Fucking Hipsters
, a side project of Leftöver Crack
member, Stza
. Jamie later joined his brother in Planned Collapse until both brothers left the band. Clay Pigeon, a WFMU DJ who often records conversations with random NYC street people, included a fifteen minute interview with Jamie on his August 26, 2010 program. In the interview, Jamie revealed that he was living on the streets of New York City and was battling an ongoing drug addiction. Jamie committed suicide in Lynchburg, Virginia
on June 10, 2011, seven months after the death of his brother.
Jesse Collins-Davies, now known as DJ Jesse Collins, continues to perform as part of the drum and bass
/jungle music
scene of Madison.
Graham Lindsey began a solo career as an alternative country artist. Reviews of his music have drawn comparisons to Bob Dylan
, Bruce Springsteen
and Neil Young
. He released his first album, Famous Anonymous Wilderness, in 2003. A second album, Hell Under The Skullbones, followed in 2006. 2008 saw the release of The Mine EP and his third full-length album, We Are All Alone In This Together. Four of Lindsey's songs were used in the direct-to-DVD
film, Fairview St., released in 2009. Lindsey is also a backup musician for The Perreze Farm, a band formed by Lindsey's drummer, Joe Perreze. They released their debut EP, Songs For The Birds, on May 26, 2009.
Vern Toulon, producer and father to the Toulon brothers, went on to appear in the Madison-based documentary film, Streets Without Cars before passing away on May 31, 2001, at the age of 46. Several reports indicate that he had resorted to panhandling in the years before his death. The boys' parents had divorced early in the band's career. Several years after the divorce, the boys' mother died in a train accident.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
punk rock
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
novelty band formed in the late 1980s in Madison, Wisconsin
Madison, Wisconsin
Madison is the capital of the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Dane County. It is also home to the University of Wisconsin–Madison....
. The band was started by ten-year-old J.P. (Jean-Paul) Toulon and his nine-year-old brother, Jamie Toulon, with encouragement from their father Vern Toulon, a longtime member of the Madison punk scene who had spent time in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, where for a time he was a guitarist for the industrial
Industrial music
Industrial music is a style of experimental music that draws on transgressive and provocative themes. The term was coined in the mid-1970s with the founding of Industrial Records by the band Throbbing Gristle, and the creation of the slogan "industrial music for industrial people". In general, the...
band Missing Foundation.
Formation, Get Outta School
The original lineup featured J.P. on guitar, Jamie on keyboards and ten-year-old Jesse Collins-Davies on drums. Collins-Davies was the stepson of Robin Davies, a member of the Madison-based punk band, the Tar Babies who had previously recorded for SST RecordsSST Records
SST Records is an American independent record label formed in 1978 in Long Beach, California by musician Greg Ginn. The company was initially called Solid State Transmitters through which Ginn sold electronics equipment...
. In 1989, Restless Records
Restless Records
Restless Records was started in El Segundo, California in 1981 by Enigma Records and primarly released alternative, metal and punk records. Restless also licensed and released records from Bar/None Records, Metal Blade Records and Mute Records...
released Old Skull's debut album, Get Outta School. Produced by both Vern Toulon and Robin Davies and engineered by future Garbage
Garbage (band)
Garbage are an alternative rock band formed in Madison, Wisconsin in 1994. The group consists of Scottish singer Shirley Manson and American musicians Duke Erikson , Steve Marker and Butch Vig . All four members are involved in songwriting and production...
member Steve Marker
Steve Marker
Steve Marker is an American musician and record producer, best known internationally as the guitarist of the Madison, Wisconsin-based alternative rock band Garbage.-Early life:...
, Get Outta School dealt with such wide-ranging topics as skateboarding
Skateboarding
Skateboarding is an action sport which involves riding and performing tricks using a skateboard.Skateboarding can be a recreational activity, an art form, a job, or a method of transportation. Skateboarding has been shaped and influenced by many skateboarders throughout the years. A 2002 report...
, hot dogs, homelessness
Homelessness
Homelessness describes the condition of people without a regular dwelling. People who are homeless are unable or unwilling to acquire and maintain regular, safe, and adequate housing, or lack "fixed, regular, and adequate night-time residence." The legal definition of "homeless" varies from country...
and the AIDS
AIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
virus
Virus
A virus is a small infectious agent that can replicate only inside the living cells of organisms. Viruses infect all types of organisms, from animals and plants to bacteria and archaea...
. Due to the non-childlike subject matter in many of the songs, rumors persisted that Vern Toulon was actually ghostwriting
Ghostwriter
A ghostwriter is a professional writer who is paid to write books, articles, stories, reports, or other texts that are officially credited to another person. Celebrities, executives, and political leaders often hire ghostwriters to draft or edit autobiographies, magazine articles, or other written...
much, if not all of the band's material. Critics described the album as hilarious, unlistenable and torturous, though most agreed that it wasn't all that bad for a group of nine-year-olds. The band also began opening for national acts such as Gwar
Gwar
Gwar is a satirical heavy metal band formed in Richmond, Virginia, United States, in 1984. The band is best known for its elaborate science fiction/horror film inspired costumes, obscene lyrics and graphic stage performances, which feature humorous enactments of politically and morally taboo...
, The Flaming Lips
The Flaming Lips
The Flaming Lips are an American alternative rock band, formed in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma in 1983.Melodically, their sound contains lush, multi-layered, psychedelic rock arrangements, but lyrically their compositions show elements of space rock, including unusual song and album titles—such as "What...
and Sonic Youth
Sonic Youth
Sonic Youth is an American alternative rock band from New York City, formed in 1981. The current lineup consists of Thurston Moore , Kim Gordon , Lee Ranaldo , Steve Shelley , and Mark Ibold .In their early career, Sonic Youth was associated with the No Wave art and music scene in New York City...
. The novelty of the act drew media attention from television shows like A Current Affair
A Current Affair (US TV series)
A Current Affair is an American television newsmagazine that aired in syndicated from July 1986 to 1996 before reappearing briefly in March 2005. The show was produced by 20th Century Fox, and long based at Fox's New York flagship WNYW.-Overview:...
and publications such as Life
Life (magazine)
Life generally refers to three American magazines:*A humor and general interest magazine published from 1883 to 1936. Time founder Henry Luce bought the magazine in 1936 solely so that he could acquire the rights to its name....
, People
People (magazine)
In 1998, the magazine introduced a version targeted at teens called Teen People. However, on July 27, 2006, the company announced it would shut down publication of Teen People immediately. The last issue to be released was scheduled for September 2006. Subscribers to this magazine received...
and Newsweek
Newsweek
Newsweek is an American weekly news magazine published in New York City. It is distributed throughout the United States and internationally. It is the second-largest news weekly magazine in the U.S., having trailed Time in circulation and advertising revenue for most of its existence...
. MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
also gave the band some minor airplay.
After the release of Get Outta School, Jesse Collins-Davies left the band and was replaced by twelve-year-old Graham Lindsey
Graham Lindsey
Graham Lindsey is an American singer, songwriter and musician born and raised in Madison, Wisconsin. He played in several punk bands, including Old Skull; "the world's youngest punk band", while still in high-school. He released his first solo album in 2003...
. After two years of playing drums with the band, Lindsey was given a one month punishment by his parents which ultimately led to the band's first breakup.
New lineup, C.I.A. Drug Fest
In 1992, the Toulon brothers re-started Old Skull without Graham Lindsey. J.P. Toulon switched to drums, while brother Jamie, now known as Spike, handled bass and some lead vocals. The Toulons were joined by brothers Chris and Josh Scott on vocals and guitars respectively. This lineup recorded C.I.A. Drug Fest, once again produced by Vern Toulon and released through Restless RecordsRestless Records
Restless Records was started in El Segundo, California in 1981 by Enigma Records and primarly released alternative, metal and punk records. Restless also licensed and released records from Bar/None Records, Metal Blade Records and Mute Records...
. This record was considerably more musical than the debut and executed competently with relative cohesion. A short tour of Japan followed before the act disbanded permanently.
2005 reunion
In August 2005, the Toulon brothers, now in their mid-20's, reunited for a one time show at CBGBCBGB
CBGB was a music club at 315 Bowery at Bleecker Street in the borough of Manhattan in New York City.Founded by Hilly Kristal in 1973, it was originally intended to feature its namesake musical styles, but became a forum for American punk and New Wave bands like Ramones, Misfits, Television, the...
's as an opening act for The Exploited
The Exploited
The Exploited are a Scottish punk band from the second wave of UK punk, formed in 1979. Originally a street punk band, they transformed into a faster hardcore punk band with a heavy political influence. From about 1987 on they changed into a crossover thrash band...
, with J.P. returning to vocals and Jamie playing guitar. They were joined onstage by Rik Smart, Mike House and John McClellan of the New York squat punk music scene.
Coincidentally, months before the reunion, a person named "P.J." called into the radio station
Radio station
Radio broadcasting is a one-way wireless transmission over radio waves intended to reach a wide audience. Stations can be linked in radio networks to broadcast a common radio format, either in broadcast syndication or simulcast or both...
WFMU
WFMU
WFMU is a listener-supported, independent community radio station headquartered in Jersey City, New Jersey, United States, broadcasting at 91.1 MHz FM, presenting a freeform radio format...
in New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
, claiming to be a former member of Old Skull. "P.J." stated that he was re-forming Old Skull as a jazz fusion
Jazz fusion
Jazz fusion is a musical fusion genre that developed from mixing funk and R&B rhythms and the amplification and electronic effects of rock, complex time signatures derived from non-Western music and extended, typically instrumental compositions with a jazz approach to lengthy group improvisations,...
band without the input of any of the other former members. The call turned out to be an elaborate comedy sketch set up by Tom Scharpling
Tom Scharpling
Tom Scharpling is an American radio host, comedian, television writer, producer and music video director. He is best known for hosting the weekly freeform radio call-in comedy program The Best Show on WFMU and for acting as a writer/executive producer for the TV show Monk.Scharpling is also noted...
, a supervising producer and writer for the Monk television series, and Superchunk
Superchunk
Superchunk is an American indie rock band from Chapel Hill, North Carolina, consisting of singer/guitarist Mac McCaughan, guitarist Jim Wilbur, bassist Laura Ballance, and drummer Jon Wurster. Formed in 1989, they were one of the bands that helped define the Chapel Hill music scene of the 1990s...
drummer Jon Wurster, for their radio show, The Best Show on WFMU. The sketch also became available on their Hippy Justice CD. Coincidentally, the Hippy Justice CD was released at approximately the same time that the real reunion at CBGB
CBGB
CBGB was a music club at 315 Bowery at Bleecker Street in the borough of Manhattan in New York City.Founded by Hilly Kristal in 1973, it was originally intended to feature its namesake musical styles, but became a forum for American punk and New Wave bands like Ramones, Misfits, Television, the...
's took place.
Recent activity
J.P. Toulon moved to New York City where he began playing with Planned Collapse, a crust punkCrust punk
Crust punk is a form of music influenced by anarcho-punk, hardcore punk and extreme metal. The style, which evolved in the mid-1980s in England, often has songs with dark and pessimistic lyrics that linger on political and social ills...
band based out of C-Squat
C-Squat
C Squat is a squat located at 155 Avenue C in the East Village of Manhattan, New York City, in an area called Loisaida.-History:Journalist and author Robert Neuwirth described the situation that gave birth to many of New York's squats, including C Squat, in the late 1970s and early 1980s, "In the...
, a squat
Squatting
Squatting consists of occupying an abandoned or unoccupied space or building, usually residential, that the squatter does not own, rent or otherwise have permission to use....
located in the East Village of Manhattan. In the spring of 2010, he served jail time in Madison, Wisconsin, and later moved to a drug rehab facility where he had apparently managed to beat a drug addiction. J.P. Toulon died on November 13, 2010, his brother Jamie's birthday. He had been living in Minneapolis with his son at the time of his death. The cause of death has not been publicly released but Toulon had been hospitalized for pancreatitis
Pancreatitis
Pancreatitis is inflammation of the pancreas. It occurs when pancreatic enzymes that digest food are activated in the pancreas instead of the small intestine. It may be acute – beginning suddenly and lasting a few days, or chronic – occurring over many years...
several times in the months before his death . A memorial was held for Toulon at C-Squat on November 21, 2010.
Jamie Toulon went on to play guitar for Milwaukee band, Doomsday Cauldron. Jamie later moved to New York City and played in a punk band named Apox, who released an album titled Prevalence in 1998. He was also an original member of Star Fucking Hipsters
Star Fucking Hipsters
Star Fucking Hipsters is a punk rock band from New York City who have released albums on Fat Wreck Chords and Alternative Tentacles records. They have been called a "punk supergroup" and feature members from numerous notable bands including Leftöver Crack, Ensign, and The Ergs!-Initial formation...
, a side project of Leftöver Crack
Leftöver Crack
Leftöver Crack is an American punk rock band formed in 1998, following the breakup of the ska punk band Choking Victim. Primarily playing an amalgam of ska and hardcore punk, they classify themselves as "crack-rocksteady". The band is currently signed to Fat Wreck Chords for CD releases, and...
member, Stza
Stza
Scott Sturgeon, also known as Stza Crack , is a musician who has fronted several ska-punk bands in the New York City area, the best known being Choking Victim and Leftöver Crack...
. Jamie later joined his brother in Planned Collapse until both brothers left the band. Clay Pigeon, a WFMU DJ who often records conversations with random NYC street people, included a fifteen minute interview with Jamie on his August 26, 2010 program. In the interview, Jamie revealed that he was living on the streets of New York City and was battling an ongoing drug addiction. Jamie committed suicide in Lynchburg, Virginia
Lynchburg, Virginia
Lynchburg is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The population was 75,568 as of 2010. Located in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains along the banks of the James River, Lynchburg is known as the "City of Seven Hills" or "The Hill City." Lynchburg was the only major city in...
on June 10, 2011, seven months after the death of his brother.
Jesse Collins-Davies, now known as DJ Jesse Collins, continues to perform as part of the drum and bass
Drum and bass
Drum and bass is a type of electronic music which emerged in the late 1980s. The genre is characterized by fast breakbeats , with heavy bass and sub-bass lines...
/jungle music
Oldschool jungle
Jungle is a genre of electronic music that incorporates influences from genres including breakbeat hardcore, and reggae/dub/dancehall. There is debate as to whether jungle is a separate genre from drum and bass as many use the terms interchangeably...
scene of Madison.
Graham Lindsey began a solo career as an alternative country artist. Reviews of his music have drawn comparisons to Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
, Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen , nicknamed "The Boss," is an American singer-songwriter who records and tours with the E Street Band...
and Neil Young
Neil Young
Neil Percival Young, OC, OM is a Canadian singer-songwriter who is widely regarded as one of the most influential musicians of his generation...
. He released his first album, Famous Anonymous Wilderness, in 2003. A second album, Hell Under The Skullbones, followed in 2006. 2008 saw the release of The Mine EP and his third full-length album, We Are All Alone In This Together. Four of Lindsey's songs were used in the direct-to-DVD
Direct-to-video
Direct-to-video is a term used to describe a film that has been released to the public on home video formats without being released in film theaters or broadcast on television...
film, Fairview St., released in 2009. Lindsey is also a backup musician for The Perreze Farm, a band formed by Lindsey's drummer, Joe Perreze. They released their debut EP, Songs For The Birds, on May 26, 2009.
Vern Toulon, producer and father to the Toulon brothers, went on to appear in the Madison-based documentary film, Streets Without Cars before passing away on May 31, 2001, at the age of 46. Several reports indicate that he had resorted to panhandling in the years before his death. The boys' parents had divorced early in the band's career. Several years after the divorce, the boys' mother died in a train accident.
Band members
- J.P. (Jean-Paul) Toulon (deceased) – vocals, guitar (1989–1991); drums (1992–1993); vocals (2005)
- Jamie "Spike" Toulon (deceased) – keyboards, vocals (1989–1991); bass, vocals (1992–1993); guitar (2005)
- Jesse Collins-Davies – drums, vocals (1989–1990)
- Graham LindseyGraham LindseyGraham Lindsey is an American singer, songwriter and musician born and raised in Madison, Wisconsin. He played in several punk bands, including Old Skull; "the world's youngest punk band", while still in high-school. He released his first solo album in 2003...
– drums (1990–1991) - Chris Scott – vocals (1992–1993)
- Josh Scott – guitar (1992–1993)
- Rik Smart – guitar (2005)
- Mike House – bass (2005)
- John McClellan – drums (2005)
External links
- Doomsday Cauldron's MySpace page
- Graham Lindsey's MySpace page
- Review of Get Outta School at Crawdaddy!Crawdaddy!Crawdaddy! was the first U.S. magazine of rock and roll music criticism. Created in 1966 by college student Paul Williams in response to the increasing sophistication and cultural influence of popular music, Crawdaddy! was self-described as "the first magazine to take rock and roll...