Skittish

Artist Information

Biography

Skittish is folk-rock with thorns.
Skittish is suburban surrender and sexual tension.
Most of all, Skittish is the collection of Minneapolis musicians, led by Jeff Noller, who have mixed their talents into the gumbo that is 'The Perfect Shade of Green.'

Conceived as the third full length album in 2008, band-leader Jeff Noller worked overnight shifts in a factory to buy studio gear and a house in which to build his dream studio. Close to completing work on this more rock-based album, the recession hit hard; taking the job, the house, and current girlfriend from the already struggling artist.
Timelines, street dates, and master plans shifted and these lifestyle tectonics led to the creation of a second, more folky, dark, and experimental side to “The Perfect Shade of Green.'

The, now double, album finally was released on October 12th 2010. With an array of home recording equipment, Noller called in every favor to get the dozen twin cities musicians that are peppered throughout the album.
This beautiful frankenstein monster now stood head and shoulders above the modern indie static with its multi-instrument arrangements, the found-sound samples that make up it's rhythm tracks, and the literary lyrics which are both heart-breaking and inspiring, sometimes within the same song. A massive album to serve as a dirge for the age of albums.

The two sides that make up 'The Perfect Shade of Green' play off each other like tennis pros. With themes and references being lobbed back and forth from the rocking first side that sounds like The Pixies if they played in the sixties, to the weirder folky side, which has the feel of The Carpenters scoring a Tim Burton movie.

So what is Skittish? Skittish is a band that cannot be beaten. Skittish is a band held together by great songwriting and two rolls of duct tape. But most of all, Skittish is Jeff Noller and friends, making songs for the underdogs.

MORE DETAILED/CURRENT INFO:
www.iamskittish.com
www.myspace.com/skittishmusic

Instrumentation

Jeff Noller - Guitar, VOX
Various Local Musicians - Bass, Drums, keys, mandolin

Discography

From my Parents Basement c. 2004
Tragedy of the Commons c. 2006
The Perfect Shade of Green c. 2010

Official Website

http://www.iamskittish.com

Links

• Facebook
• Twitter
• Last.fm
• MySpace

Audio

• Lovesongs and Lullabyes
  Listen  
• Through the Woods
  Listen  
• Welcome to the Circus
  Listen  
• Living Atop
  Listen  
• Singing the Obits
  Listen  
• Little Things
  Listen  
• Pink Noise
  Listen  
• Keep Driving
  Listen  
• Wrecking Ball
  Listen  

Lyrics

• Love songs and Lullabyes
• Keep Driving
• Welcome to the Circus
• Living Atop
• Little Things

Video

Love Songs and Lullabyes Video

Through The Woods LIVE

Photo Gallery

Press

• Infectious and it works [+ Show ]
  

  Disc one of “The Perfect Shade of Green” is all soaring vocals and interweaving harmonies. Kyle and ...Disc one of “The Perfect Shade of Green” is all soaring vocals and interweaving harmonies. Kyle and Noller’s voices mesh well over the instrumentation. Strong major key melodies in songs like “Living Atop” and “Singing the Obits” keep the album grounded and pleasing without being boring. It’s an entertaining indie-folk-rock romp.
  Kyle gets a chance to really unleash her vocal talents on disc two. Her voice is a dynamic counterpoint to Noller’s nasal sound. Tracks like “Living Amongst” and “Little Things” showcase the debate between their two competing sounds. It’s infectious and it works.

• plenty of great hooks and twists [+ Show ]
  

  Jeff Noller and Vonnie Kyle claim their band plays "folk rock with thorns," but I think they're unde...Jeff Noller and Vonnie Kyle claim their band plays "folk rock with thorns," but I think they're underselling themselves. They've just put out a terrific double CD, "The Perfect Shade of Green," with two dozen tracks that are just as much rock as folk, with plenty of great hooks and twists along the way. The only real problem is for Noller and Kyle. How does Skittish follow this up? With another 24 winners?

• beautiful, complicated
  

  "This album is beautiful, complicated, and most importantly very good."

• Best Summer Album [+ Show ]
  

  “It is quite possible that Skittish has put out the best album for the summer that I have ever hea...“It is quite possible that Skittish has put out the best
  album for the summer that I have ever heard...if you are
  looking for that perfect album to roll down the windows
  and crank up, then look no further it’s right here.”

• Distinctive and Vibrant [+ Show ]
  

  “Skittish has released a distinctive and vibrant album that offers a refreshingly innovative readi...“Skittish has released a distinctive and vibrant
  album that offers a refreshingly innovative reading
  of the much-popularized indie folk-rock genre...Tragedy
  of the Commons is an excellent example of how a compelling
  artist like Noller can explore a wide range of musical interests
  and make them work together. "

• CMJ Charting
  

  #181 on the CMJ College Music Charts in April 2006!!

• Very, Very Good [+ Show ]
  

  “Skittish is a band that has been skimming along under the radar, but that should change as soon a...“Skittish is a band that has been skimming along under
  the radar, but that should change as soon as more of the
  people with great taste, who frequent mp3 blogs, hear the
  music. It's by turns, folksy and then indie flavoured, but
  more than these it's very, very good”

Setlist

SET LIST:
Carousel
Keep Driving
Happily Ever After
Product of the Glove
Million Gray
Ugly on the Inside
Bump in the Night
Love Songs and Lullabyes
The Phantom's Toast
Through the Woods
Living Atop
Singing the Obits
Maggie
Welcome to the Circus
Here be Monsters
White Noise
The Entertainer
A Single Step

A typical set is 50 minutes, but we are able to do shows from 30 minutes to 2 hours.

Basic Requirements

Calendar