 by Rob van Alstyne
Knol Tate is a man of many hats: producer, sideman, bandleader—but just one passion—music. “Music’s always pretty much been it for me,” says Tate, 31, via telephone from his newly opened St. Paul studio space where he’s continuing an esteemed producer/engineer career already responsible for some of this year’s most adventurous local rock releases (Vox Vermillion’s Standing Still You Move Forward and The Tin Horns’ Present the Champions of Victory). “I spent my entire teenage years growing up in the Dinkytown area with my brother and Mom. We were just surrounded by music. The old Coffman Union used to have a great record store and I remember going there and buying a Talking Heads album after hearing ‘Burning Down the House’ in ‘Revenge of the Nerds’ and thinking it was cool. It was really amazing because everybody around me was older and into such great music. My mother would let us hang out late at coffee shops and talk to people. Our mom let us practice our instruments whenever we wanted; we would have shows in the living room.”
 Many
thanks are indeed due then to Knol’s mom for the joyous wonder that is
Askeleton’s soon-to-be-released third LP, (Happy) Album. Were it
not for Mama’s guiding hand this exuberant collection of skewed indie-pop
may never have come to fruition (let’s not even get into the exploits
of Knol’s brother Erin, drummer extraordinaire for current Seattle sensation
Minus the Bear). Eschewing the one-man-computerized band approach that had defined
previous Askeleton outings, (Happy) Album revels in letting everyone
come to the party. Tate’s strange, elliptical lyrics are still there (“I
only care for beautiful girls/ Let me taste rock ‘n’ roll.”),
delivered in the same hangdog semi-croak, but the words and voice are set to
a decidedly different beat. The no-wave synth-heavy iciness of 2004’s
Angry Album has melted away to reveal a kinder, gentler—and decidedly
more organic—Askeleton. From the boisterous sing-song jangle pop of “Cities,
Not the People in Them” (arguably the most infectious slice of local music
I’ve heard this year) to the stirring dueling guitar squeal outro of “People
Who Drive Cars,” it’s clear that collaboration rather than isolation
defined (Happy) Album’s recording sessions.
“Over the past couple of years with all the touring Askeleton’s
done, it felt really good playing the songs that were written and recorded as
a one-man-band [with] guitars and real human drums,” explains Tate of
his motivations for drastically altering his recording methods. “I knew
that’s what I wanted with this record. There’s a lot more people
on this record than even play in the live band. There are well over 10 people
who play on the record.” (Full disclosure: one of the many people jamming
on this party platter is the Pulse’s esteemed music editor Steve McPherson
who lays down guest guitar spots on multiple tracks).
Tate’s shift from solo electro-pop artist to bandleader is seamless, and
it certainly helps that he appears to have produced his most immediately accessible
melodies for this particular outing. “I wanted it to sound like a party,”
claims Tate of his vision for the record. “On most songs there are more
vocal tracks than instruments.  There
might be 12 instrument tracks, but like 14 vocal tracks. I wanted everyone to
be able to sing and have the songs get stuck in their head. Sort of, wow, there’s
18 people singing ‘I live here now’ and I have no idea what they’re
talking about but I want to sing along, too!”
An engagingly eclectic listen, (Happy) Album isn’t all jittery
riffs and feel good ass shake jams—although it’s got booty shake
to spare—there’s also the occasional sharp turn into dour piano
balladry terrain (“Someone Moved to Suburban California”) and tripped-out
group chanting (the faux-tribal ululations bursting out during the midsection
of the wobbly horn fueled “Anti-Saints With Words In Their Mouths”).
Like all musicians worth keeping an eye on, Tate’s more concerned with
following his own distinctly odd vision than in the footsteps of any particular
musical idols (no matter how many Talking Heads comparisons the group seems
to draw).
“I don’t make music with other people in mind,” says Tate.
“I make it for myself. I like so much different music that I think a lot
of influences come through. I love David Byrne but I feel he’s much more
of an influence on me in terms of live performance than anything to do with
the records. It’s funny though, because some of the comparisons just make
no sense, like Wire and Björk. I don’t even like Björk!”
 Thankfully,
unlike so many talented Twin Cities outfits who make inspiring records only
to support them by touring within an hour’s drive of Minneapolis, Askeleton
are taking their show on the road with a full-scale tour of the country for
a full month once (Happy) Album hits shelves. It’s a bold decision
and far from a recipe for financial stability, but one Tate and his bandmates—guitarist/keyboardist
Bill Caperton (whom Tate backs up in hard rocking quartet Ela), bassist Noah
Paster (formerly of Aneuretical), keyboardist/vocalist Courtney DeaKyne and
drummer Steve Yasgar—feel compelled to make.
“It feels like something I have to do,” says Tate. “I like
sharing music and not playing in front of the same crowds. I like playing at
the small coffee shop to a group of teenagers who are really excited to be seeing
live music. I also like playing at the bar where you know everyone is going
to hate the music. A few weekends ago [local hip-hop mainstays] Heiruspecs invited
us to go up to Duluth and play a show with them. They knew we would scare the
shit out of their fans and we were happy to do so. We really made a spectacle
of ourselves and had crazy props and fake blood and stuff, and after our first
song maybe three people clapped but by the end of our set we had won them over.
That challenge is really appealing to me. I sort of follow that Black Flag rule
of if you don’t get out there and tour then most people aren’t going
to give a fuck about what you’re doing.” ||
Askeleton plays two CD release shows on Fri., Nov. 4 at the Triple Rock
Social Club. 5 p.m. $7. All Ages show with Hockey Night and Towers Thick Walls.
10 p.m. $7. 21+ show with Oranges Band and Die Electric! 629 Cedar Ave. S.,
Mpls. 612-333-7399.
For more info on Askeleton, visit Askeleton.net.
Head on over to our mp3
page to download hundreds of tunes, including Askeleton’s song, “Cities,
Not the People in Them.”
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