CKY

CKY traces its origins to West Chester, Pennsylvania, where the story began in 1992. High-school math class brought together Deron Miller on vocals and guitar with drummer Jess Margera, and the pair soon formed Foreign Objects. Their first release arrived that fall as the five-song EP The Undiscovered Numbers & Colors on Distant Recordings. The following year the duo moved toward less metallic, more radio-friendly material under the name Oil while still tracking additional Foreign Objects songs on the side. Ryan Bruni came aboard as their third live bassist, leading to the 1996 EP Lifeline and a self-titled 1997 release.

While laying down tracks for a debut full-length, the Oil trio crossed paths with producer Chad I. Ginsburg (aka CIG), who was invited to remain as second guitarist. That decision dissolved Oil in 1998 and gave birth to CKY, as the members abandoned mainstream ambitions and adopted the name Camp Kill Yourself—a suggestion from Miller, who felt it suited a horror film. After cutting demos, the quartet gained traction when Margera’s pro-skateboarding brother Bam appeared performing eccentric stunts in the video Jump Off a Building, which featured the CKY song “Genesis 12a.” Bam secured further video work and recruited his brother’s band for the soundtracks, resulting in the 1999 releases CKY, Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 that collected all the featured tracks.

Camp Kill Yourself joined the 1999 Warped Tour yet were removed near its conclusion after taking part in a fan-organized protest over vending prices. The band had already signed with Volcom, which reissued Camp Kill Yourself, Vol. 1 with new artwork and requested an official shortening to CKY by mid-2000. Bruni was dismissed in February over performance concerns, and Vern Zaborowski replaced him in time for that summer’s Warped Tour and the limited-edition EP Disengage the Simulator. CKY songs also appeared on MTV’s Jackass, which prominently showcased Bam, and both volumes of Camp Kill Yourself were reissued in 2001 just as the group signed with Def Jam/Island.

Infiltrate Destroy Rebuild surfaced in September 2002, with CKY supporting it by opening for Axl Rose’s reconstituted Guns N’ Roses; the tour collapsed almost immediately. The band continued onward, and the album’s heavy alt-metal sound helped distance them somewhat from the “skate” band tag. The DVD Infiltrate Destroy Rebuild: The Video Album followed in November 2003. Zaborowski departed mid-2004 during sessions for the third album, leaving Ginsburg to handle bass until a replacement arrived.

June 2005 brought An Answer Can Be Found, accompanied by Miller’s ongoing online declarations of the band’s excellence. Around the same period they welcomed ex-All That Remains bassist Matt Deis, the first bassist to contribute to songwriting. Touring supported the record until CKY and Island parted ways in early 2006; a deal with Roadrunner was finalized by year’s end, yielding Carver City in 2009. Deis announced in 2010 that he could “no longer commit to the band” and was succeeded by Matt Janaitis, whose first studio appearance came on the single “Afterworld,” written for the third Jackass film and later included on the 2011 B-Sides and Rarities compilation. Internal tensions prompted the exit of guitarist, lead vocalist, and co-founder Miller, leaving the group operating as a trio by 2016 with Ginsburg, Margera, and Deis, who had returned the prior year. Their fifth studio album, the aptly titled Phoenix, arrived in 2017. ~ Greg Prato