Skywave

Skywave emerged as an American shoegaze outfit that upheld the noise-pop lineage established by the earliest incarnation of Jesus & Mary Chain, fusing abrasive, sawtooth guitars with propulsive beats and vocals soaked in distortion and heavy reverb. Throughout the bulk of their run the trio remained largely unknown outside limited circles, issuing most material exclusively on self-pressed CD-Rs and cassettes, yet they cultivated a dedicated following and earned recognition from observers as one of the strongest and most overlooked American exponents of the shoegaze style. Paul Baker on guitar and vocals together with bassist Oliver Ackermann launched the band in Fredericksburg, Virginia during 1995, later adding drummer John Fedowitz to complete the lineup. Beginning in 1998 the three issued recordings on their self-operated Cherry Coated Records imprint while maintaining a near-constant touring schedule across the United States and Canada alongside assorted shoegaze and indie-pop acts. They produced multiple EPs and several full-length albums prior to Ackermann’s relocation to Brooklyn in 2003, the move that prompted Skywave’s dissolution. Their concluding record, Synthstatic, appeared in early 2004 and stood as their most favorably received and widely circulated release. Ackermann subsequently established the effects-pedal firm Death by Audio, a name that later designated both a well-known DIY performance space and an accompanying record label in Brooklyn; he also formed A Place to Bury Strangers, an outfit that extended Skywave’s sonic approach to greater extremes and acquired the tag “the loudest band in New York.” That project drew broad praise for its self-titled 2007 debut along with later albums. Fedowitz and Baker, meanwhile, carried forward as Ceremony, first appearing on the Safranin label in 2005 before moving to Killer Pimp, the same imprint that had put out A Place to Bury Strangers’ initial album. Baker eventually departed Ceremony to start Static Daydream. Responding to sustained interest from Skywave’s devoted audience, the band issued Killerrockandroll—a collection of remastered tracks drawn from across their discography—on Record Store Day in April 2016; aside from the title cut of the 2002 “Don’t Say Slow” 7" EP, nearly all the material on the compilation received its first vinyl pressing.