Meet Skunk Manhattan | Musician, Producer, Teacher, Podcast Host

We had the good fortune of connecting with Skunk Manhattan and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Skunk, where are your from? We’d love to hear about how your background has played a role in who you are today?
I was born in San Antonio, Texas but moved to the small town of Hallettsville when I still very young. Here I began Catholic school while my mom worked as and nurse and my dad looked for a steady job. I somehow took a few piano lessons, but we didn’t even have a piano to practice on, so it didn’t make much sense. A few years later we relocated to College Station where my dad eventually settled into a teaching job, my mom continued saving lives, and I no longer had nuns as teachers.

Music wasn’t a big part of my upbringing and, funny enough, I was a victim of the absurd 80’s notion that heavy metal was satanic and caused teens to kill themselves and all that other nonsense that ultimately probably made it more popular. There was no MTV in my house at this time. Ironically this was a time when MTV actually played music videos and had not yet begun to embody the downfall of western civilization. My family never went to concerts, but rather drug my brother and I around the deep south in the dead of summer to civil war reenactments. Suffice to say, I was awkward, lonely and often unhappy as a kid and the residuals still remain.

I knew virtually nothing of music and pop culture aside from the handful of cassette tapes we listened to on road trips, but I will say those were damn good tapes! My dad had a great classic rock record collection which I later discovered. On those unorthodox family road trips I vividly remember listening to The Doors greatest hits, The Beatles Sgt. Pepper album, Elton John, CCR and Fleetwood Mac’s Rumors. There was also often classical and soundtrack music playing at home, which I am thankful for. I was on the brink of high school before “heavy metal” changed my life forever.

I did most of the normal 1980s kid stuff like playing outside, drinking out of garden hoses, climbing trees, riding bikes without helmets and burning my eyeballs out with Nintendo. The music I knew via my classmates at this time was cheesy rap. My brother and I used to mess around on a cheap little keyboard making “beats” and improvising atrocious raps. We could have been cliché sh*tty Soundcloud rappers if we were born twenty years later. Fortunately I discovered rock and became an actual musician. I do not mean this as a slight on all rap and hip hop music, just the sea of atrocious amateur dog shit that has come to does exist under that moniker. There is plenty of fantastic hip hop and one big influence that sticks with me to this day is the innovate and underrated, Digital Underground.

The discovery of Guns N’ Roses was a major turning point in my life. Once I heard Appetite for Destruction, and realized that “heavy metal” was awesome and not a bunch of satanists telling kids to killed themselves, I was hooked. The first thing I recall figuring out was a simple guitar melody from Sweet Child O’ Mine on a cheap toy guitar. As the 90s rolled around, I got my first real instrument and began guitar lessons. I ended up becoming friends with my guitar teacher and would go to his shows as “a roadie”. I’m still not sure how I got into all these bars without a legal guardian at age 14. Maybe he pretend to be my uncle or something. It was really cool seeing a live band and being a part of it, even if it was just a relatively small town bar band. It definitely inspired me to want to be on stage.

I basically stumbled through high school, torn between fitting in amongst a sea of people I had very little in common with and struggling to find my true self. I began piano lessons, with an actual piano this time, and really started to become a musician, although there weren’t many people I was able relate to. Aside from my brother, who would eventually co-form A Good Rogering with me, Dave Tucker, 5 Iron Woodworks owner, drummer, and close friend to this day, was one of the few classmates I jammed with. His first set of drums was cardboard boxes, a broom for a high hat, and a screwdriver for a bass drum pedal. I had ninety dollar guitar and amp combo and, although his sister highly disagreed, we were ready for rock n’ roll stardom. Our first “recording” was utter trash. It was at a work acquaintance’s home “studio” in Waco. We were high-fiving my Slayer inspired dive bomb guitar solos and Dave’s way to close to Glen Danzig vocals, but even then we knew the recording we’d gotten for twenty dollars was total sonic crap.

After some basic college and dead end jobs, I moved to San Antonio where I met lifelong friends in music classes at SAC. There I began performing both acoustically and with a local band. We recorded an album in three days, and even did a radio interview, but my heart was not in someone else’s project. Before long I decided to move to Los Angeles along with my brother, who had actually taken up bass to play at a San Antonio album release show. We attended the Musician’s Institute in Hollywood and here I made more lifelong acquaintances, one which led me to England a short time later. Guy Laverick had a home recording studio with an early version of Logic Audio, an Allen & Heath mixer and two 8-track ADAT machines. At the time, that was mega cool! I wrote some really cool riffs and bits of songs, but my lyrics and vocals were quite embarrassing at that point.

I returned to LA where being young and naive came with consequences. I proceeded to experience the general pitfalls of rock n’ roll, without actually being a rockstar. Booze, drugs and bad decisions led me back home, broke and depressed. This was shortly after 911 and it was very strange time. It took a few tough years to get back to a mental and economic state of any worth, and through some mutual friends I was able to move to Austin in 2004 where I’ve developed the network I know today. I’ve been teaching since 2005 and perform some of the same music now I used to watch my teacher play. Over the last two decades I have performed and recorded with a variety of different bands and artists. I feel my musical path was never a question; it has been gradually revealed throughout my life. I am very thankful for the inspiring music instructors, my long time musical friends, and a family who didn’t listen to garbage and supported my decision to put all of my eggs into the artist basket. “You’ll be broke for the first 10 years” some said. They were almost right, it’s been more like 20. But I’m still here and this is what I do.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I’d say I’m equally influenced by lyrics and composition. I appreciate and enjoy an extensive range of music, however artistic merit is very important to me. I can appreciate good production, a catchy melody, great tones etc., but something needs to resonate with me and feel like it came from a genuine place. I’ve dipped my toes in many musical ponds, both as a listener and an original creator, and have messed with a wide array of genre bending ideas over the years. It keeps music very fun and fresh. I love going from a challenging Bach invention to simple pop songs to blues improv to grotesque hardcore metal Whatever, it’s all cool and has a place. I really like mixing up and I think this is a big part of what defines me as an overall musician and and even a performer to a degree.

Years of trial and error, folly and hard knocks, have landed me here. If it weren’t for my family, band mates and great friends, I most likely wouldn’t have made it this far. I’m very thankful for friends and fans who have been there through it all and to those who still support my/our endeavors today. I’ve always been the black sheep in a sense, and I wish I’d have never fought it but rather had unconditionally embraced it. I got a taste of what I wanted in my early twenties, but it took another ten years before my brother and I finally came together to start A Good Rogering. Advice: Be yourself and chase your dreams. Don’t let the opinions, negativity and jealousy of others hold you back. I live with a lot of regret and wasted a lot of valuable years due to my insecurity and the opinions of others who ultimately did not matter one bit. Life is precious and short and one should go for what they want. Drop the toxic roadblocks and stay your true course.

A Good Rogering essentially started as a group of music fanatics just trying to create cool music and play a some shows. The original roster was Aric Wright, Blaine Matte, Mike Molina and myself. They were fun times and necessary training but we were very green in hindsight. We had a horrible self made website and weren’t exactly on our way to mainstream stardom. We did turn heads though with our live performances and I’m proud of the songs the early years birthed. We were pretty eclectic and tried a lot, both in our writing and at shows. Success was limited however due to lack of direction, a cohesive and experienced team, and capital. Plus the technology even 15 years ago was vastly different than it is now. Much has changed in myself and the world. It’s interesting how a milestone at one point in time can seem so petty and trivial at a later date.

My aspirations and understanding of business have grown, and I’m finally at a place where the roster, the music and the brand are really all syncing up. I think our latest album ‘Systematic Paralysis’ personifies this. It is a culmination of music written years prior, with the later found roster and production that made it what it needed to be. Having said that, I’ll never rest on laurels and I keep aspiring to write better songs with better production. One thing I’ve enjoyed about the journey is all the different musicians who have been a part of this.. from guests on stage and in the studio, to core members past and present. The band has evolved, but I am proud of all we’ve released and much of what we have achieved as a complete DIY band. Early on I got a signature Tregan guitar and advertising in Guitar World and Guitar Player magazine. We finally did a tour in 2017 to coincide with the release of our EP ‘This Is Death Metal’ and released our first professional music video of the same title. It was an over-the-top satirical stop motion animated video created by Eric Livingston (RIP), and deemed so “shocking” by our Facebook and Google overlords, we couldn’t even advertise it. Our production has risen in all aspects in the past few years and more videos have followed. We’ve worked with industry professionals such as Marc Urselli, Maor Appelbaum and currently, Sylvia Massy. We are also touring again this spring and summer.

Aside from A Good Rogering, I co-host Eclectic Soundtrax Podcast with Victor Ramos where we interview musicians and artists from around the world. I started a music festival, Skunkfest, in 2018. and since 2019 I’ve been writing and touring with the eclectic, quirky rock band turned silent film accompaniment group, The Invincible Czars. I toured with the now defunct Austin metal titans Dead Earth Politics in 2017 and that really opened some doors and lit a fire in me to tour with AGR. I’m also a part of the progressive thrash metal band Runescarred, which features members of DEP. I’ve been a music teacher and working professional musician now for now for over 15 years, but only since AGR’s reboot after a 3 year hiatus did I really start moving toward what I’d always truly desired to do. It really took other bands and musical colleagues to make me realize I could do what they were doing. Each experience I’ve had in bands has served as a lesson in some capacity and ultimately has culminated to lead me here.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Anyone who knows me knows we’re eating Mexican food. Of course, just about any cuisine is good. Austin is full of amazing restaurants, bars, shops, parks, the works. Comedy clubs, the rare good movie in the theatre, live music events etc. are all cool. I like zoos and nature stuff as well. Bar hopping is not the crutch it once was. Frankly, if money was not an issue, I’d want to hang out in recording studios most of the time because I feel like I’ve got a lot of catching up to do.

Some favorite spots, mainly those which involve food:
Austin: Matt’s El Rancho, Chuys, Torchy’s, Jack Allen’s Kitchen, Sap’s Thai, Waterloo Records.
San Franciso; SF and Oakland Zoos, Roam, Promenade Cafe, Amoeba Music.

Shout out to these Austin studios I’ve recorded at: Evil Snail, Mesa, Same Sky

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I thank my family: the endless support and compassion from my mother, the eccentricity and intelligence from my father, the artistic vision and songs from my brother, the determination and work ethic from my grandfather and the kindness and prayers from my grandmothers. Sarah Lusher: my wonderful fiance and best friend who brightens my every day. My lifelong friends who have had my back when it mattered. My bandmates in A Good Rogering: Sammy Alvarado, Tim Driscoll, John Takanikos, Jeff Gonzalez, and all those who have shared in this journey and helped me grow and discover my ultimate musical path. Former bands I’ve played with as well as the other projects I am currently a member: Runescarred, The Invincible Czars and Layne Unchained. The countless musicians, producers and teachers I’ve known as both mentors and friends. The many friends I’ve made over the years, many who are still in my life. My students for inspiring me as well, and the countless bands, artists, authors, comedians, actors, athletes etc. who have served as inspiration over the years. Friends and fans, you know who you are and I thank you!

Some influences specifically related to the stylings of A Good Rogering, Faith No More and basically any Mike Patton project, Black Sabbath, Ozzy, Black Label Society, Alice In Chains, Type O Negative, Anything Chris Cornell , Tool, Pink Floyd, The Doors, The Beatles, Clutch, Metallica, Megadeth, GNR, Melvins, Dime & Vinnie, Bill Hicks, Orwell, Huxley, Satire and stand up comedy in general.

Website: https://www.agoodrogering.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/agoodrogering

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/skunk-manhattan-426b9016

Twitter: https://twitter.com/agoodrogering

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/agoodrogeringband

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/agoodrogering

Other: Bandcamp: https://agoodrogering.bandcamp.com/album/systematic-paralysis Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/69X8XgwkdjLzhlDFPOuFdy?si=PRFF72y7SK-8qpC2Qbc0nw Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/a-good-rogering/356457164

Image Credits
All photos by Kali Rose (Kairo Media) except the credited Wolfman Photography image and the shirtless photo by Stacey Lovett.