Jim Skafish releases new effort

What's This? This is Skafish, That's What!
A quick quiz- Hands up if anyone knows who the first Chicago artist to play at New York's legendary CBGBs club was? Now, can you tell me who was headlining at Sid Vicious' last ever public appearance? And, finally, who did Muddy Waters compare to Mick Jagger and jazz legend Stan Kenton call "a genius"?
Any clues?
If I told you the same man was the answer to all three questions, you might be impressed. But when you learn that there's a fair chance you've never heard of him, my guess is you'd better pick your chin up off that floor.
So take a bow Jim Skafish!
Jim made his first record in 1970 and began writing avant garde piano compositions in 1973. In 1974/5, he started writing the songs which would eventually give birth to Chicago punk. He and his band have shared a stage with the likes of Iggy Pop, The Police, U2, The Ramones, New Order & The Stranglers to name but a few. Jim's genius as both songwriter and performer has been praised by musicians and critics alike over the past three decades.
Between 1974 and 1979, Skafish wrote over 50 outrageous, controversial and ultimately brilliant vocal songs for his band. These songs were to shock, offend and delight the record-buying public in equal measure.
Now, for the first time, the pick of these recordings are available on the CD What's This? 1976-1979. Of the eleven songs on this collection, recorded in three sessions beginning in August 1976, only two - Disgracing The Family Name and Work Song - have been released before. The tracks cover musical styles as diverse as jazz, rock n' roll, 20th Century avant garde, pop, blues and metal but all manage to retain that punk "do-it-yourself" ethos. This record reflects the incredible talent of a man who has been playing, writing and arranging music, whether it be jazz, classical, rock, blues or pop, since the age of six. Skafish can move from the incendiary punk sounds of Executive Exhibitionist and Knuckle Sandwich to the rich jazz harmonies of There's a World, apparently without even breaking his stride.
In addition to these unreleased gems, this release includes five commentaries from this musical visionary, detailing the evolution of the music, the Chicago scene and the band. For anyone with even a passing interest in the emerging punk scene, this record is a bona fide artefact. So, What's This? This is history in the making from one of music's true originals. This is a record you should own, that's what!

www.skafishwhatsthis.com