Kyle Justin Hamm

This redirect is about the musician who plays in the band Skeleteen. For the Kyle Justin who plays the theme tune for The Angry Video Game Nerd, see The Angry Video Game Nerd.

Kyle Justin Hamm

Kyle Justin (born Kyle Justin Hamm May 18, 1975) is an American guitarist, bassist, drummer, and vocalist who is best known for his bands Skeleteen and Dirty Barby as well as for his work in Los Angeles-based bands Scarling., The UV's, and the Orlando-based Studdogs.

Childhood and Formative Years

Kyle was born on May 18, 1975, in Johnson City, New York, the son of Bonita (née Eichler) Brousseau. Bonita's ex-husband was listed on birth records as his father but, at the age of 23, Kyle learned that this was not the case; his three older siblings, with whom he'd been raised in Montrose, Pennsylvania, were actually his half-siblings. At the age of 15, Kyle fled from the abusive patriarch to Flagler Beach, Florida, a suburb of Daytona Beach, and aided Bonita in caring for his grandmother and his ailing step-grandfather.

Musical Beginnings

Kyle began playing bass guitar at the age of 12, when his mother bought him a black Squier Affinity® P-Bass. His longtime interest in playing music was reignited after meeting future Dirty Barby co-founder George Farrell III in Orlando, where he had relocated in 1994. George was an artist and songwriter who employed an old karaoke machine to make rudimentary home recordings. Already a self-taught musician, Kyle then started learning to play drums on a child-size Toys "R" Us drum set, and the two promptly began a long-lasting collaboration of songwriting and recording in 1996. Eventually it happened that Kyle was responsible for the majority of the musical composition, while George was writing more of the lyrics, which he sang using a multitude of voices. One of these voices finally developed into a vocal character they called "Puce Glitz", the name lifted from 80's horror b-movie "House".

Musical career

Kyle currently fronts the heavy, experimental group Skeleteen. Previous bands include Dirty Barby (songwriting, drums, bass, guitar, and vocals), The Studdogs (drums), Scarling. (bass), and The UV's (drums).

Skeleteen 2002-Present

Main article: Skeleteen

Currently, Skeleteen is Kyle Justin and Matthew Eilers, with help from contributing musicians. Kyle has served as the band's co-founder and core consistent member. The band is releasing material through the Los Angeles-based independent record label Future Static, founded by DJ Kenn Deaton of the KSPC radio show Random Necessities for Audible Bliss. A remastered version of the Bury the Seasons EP was released digitally by Future Static in June 2008. No Fun Intended, the band's latest effort, was released digitally in January 2009 by Future Static, with the single for Gone made available worldwide in the same month. According to the band's website, the band is in the process of recording new material to be released with Future Static and is in the process of preparing to play live in the summer of 2009.

Skeleteen originally began in 2002 as a more serious, less flamboyant creative outlet for Kyle and Dirty Barby bandmate Cheryl Lyndsey. When Dirty Barby officially disbanded in 2003, Skeleteen became their primary musical focus, with Cheryl as drummer and Kyle as guitarist. Kyle achieved the massive, guitar-based sound wired through a couple effects pedals and giant speakers. Over the years, Kyle's set up has changed with the addition of several pedals and more speakers.

After receiving positive feedback in the local Orlando, Florida music community, Skeleteen relocated to Los Angeles in 2003. Initially, the duo was planning a move to New York City, a location with a strong art rock scene. In Los Angeles, however, was the opportunity for Kyle to become bassist of Scarling.,a band on the independent record label Sympathy for the Record Industry. With Kyle devoting his time to other endeavors, Skeleteen was shelved temporarily. Cheryl went on to play guitar in Tsk Tsk and, currently, is a multi-instrumentalist for The Breeders.

Kyle Justin, Skeleteen at Star Shoes, 2005

With the encouragement of friends, Kyle reformed Skeleteen in late 2004, vacating his position in Scarling. Mia X joined as Skeleteen's initial bassist and the two searched for a drummer, eventually tapping Chase Manhattan of Blare Bitch Project, Motochrist, and the Dee Dee Ramone band. Rayshele Tiege from the band Harlow (featured on the VH1 reality-show Bands on the Run) and Lunarclick joined on rhythm guitar for a short period of time between late 2004 and early 2005. Skeleteen played their first show with the new, larger line up at Star Shoes, now known as Vice Bar, on Hollywood Blvd in Los Angeles.

In early 2005, the band recorded a 3-song EP titiled Bury the Seasons, which featured two new compositions and a song originally written when the band was a two-piece. They received positive feedback from within the Los Angeles underground music community, playing regularly for the next 2 years at local venues around Los Angeles, Silver Lake, and Glendale. They were asked to serve as house band and musical guest for an episode of Q Television Network's The Queer Edge variety show (produced by Sean Carnage) with Jack E. Jett and special guest comedian Judy Tenuta, which aired on October 21, 2005. In mid-2005, after Mia left to pursue The UV's, Chloe Anderson joined the group on bass. Skeleteen continued to play live through 2006, stopping momentarily to begin recording material with Manny Nieto, who engineered The Breeders' latest album Mountain Battles. Some of this material would later be featured on No Fun Intended. After many issues during this recording, the band took another brief hiatus in 2006.

During that break, Chase continued to focus on his many musical endeavors and Chloe went on to form Infinite Monolith of Slavery in Seattle, Washington. Within a year, Kyle reformed Skeleteen with Matthew Eilers as a new project collaborator. The duo released their latest album No Fun Intended on Future Static in January 2009.

Dirty Barby 1996-2003

Main article: Dirty Barby

The band's initial conception occurred in 1996 when Kyle Justin and George Farrell III produced a collection of DIY home recordings and sent them out to a slew of independent record labels and fanzines. After receiving many positive responses, including encouragement from the influential Dischord Records and a letter of enthusiastic praise from Jello Biafra , leader of the seminal Dead Kennedys and founder of Alternative Tentacles Records, the duo sought to put together a full band, under the moniker of Dirty Barby. Kyle bought an inexpensive Toys "R" Us drum set to learn on and a four-track recorder. Eventually, they purchased a Roland VS-880EX digital 8-track recorder after reading Billy Corgan's praise of its virtues in a magazine article. "The music evolved haphazardly as they taught themselves to play and record." Kyle became responsible for the almost all of the songwriting, while George was writing more of the lyrics, singing using a multitude of voices. One of these voices finally developed into a vocal character they called "Puce Glitz"--the name lifted from 80's horror b-movie "House". Even though their sound transcended many genres, the group always retained their "punk"/queercore mindset, with a heavy influence from 90's riotgrrrl acts like Bikini Kill and Huggy Bear. They admired other "punk" bands--Free Kitten, L7, Red Aunts and The Butthole Surfers to name a few--but "refuse(d) to pattern themselves after any particular style or genre."

Kyle Justin, Dirty Barby at House of Blues (Orlando), 2001

Dirty Barby achieved notoriety for their onstage antics, "vodka-fueled behavior" and "love-us-or-hate-us attitude." The Orlando Weekly reported that, "the group's performances often turn into raging band vs. audience battles that border on out-and-out brawls. It's not uncommon to see band members dragged from the stage--in mid-song--or punches thrown. It's controlled chaos with very little control." George was known for "taunting, beating, and molesting his audiences and band members" alike with "giant stuffed animals and a giant flyswatter, among other things." These assaults often resulted in missed notes, terrible bruising, and broken equipment. He aggravated bassist Rachael Horning by tearing out hair extensions and tossing alcohol into her professionally made-up face. Original guitarist Tera Kenney often smashed her guitar to pieces at a show's climax, a practice later pursued by "Mecca" Michelle Strier, who once kicked a man in the face after he put his hand up her skirt while she was playing. It wasn't uncommon to see George "yanked from the stage and dragged across the floor" by an angry audience member. Several shows ended in bar fights due to the provocative nature of the performances and the band's intolerance for meanspirited hecklers. The band's theatrics were not just for shock value, but intended to "pull people in and get them to notice..."

After only a couple of shows, Dirty Barby received media recognition via numerous articles in The Orlando Sentinel, The Orlando Weekly, as well as various local music publications. They were featured on local television several times, including their acting in sketches with WJRR's "DJ Gloria" and a fictional Martha Stewart on a Guerrilla-TV holiday special, as well as the band's live rendition of the Lita Ford hit "Kiss Me Deadly" on a weekly program called "Bootleg Orlando". Rollins College's WPRK gave Dirty Barby an hour of airtime in September 2000 to promote the release of their debut album Sleep When I'm Dead. The attention was not confined to the immediate area, as the band began performing regularly throughout Florida, as well as other parts of the country. In early 2000, the band traveled north to participate in the Rhode Island School of Design's Queer Music & Arts Festival in Providence, Rhode Island. They were contacted later that year to do an extensive interview with Italian "queerzine" Speed Demon, which included the Dirty Barby track LA Mental on the fanzine's first music compilation CD. The compilation boasted music from the likes of riotgrrrl/queercore acts Le Tigre and The Butchies, to name a few. The group again departed Florida in July 2001 for a mini-tour of New York, the pinnacle of which was an appearance at the world famous CBGB in New York City.

Dirty Barby has shared billing with notable acts like Marky Ramone & the Intruders, Dog Fashion Disco, Retardobot, and Gargamel!. In 1999, they opened a last minute show put on by Jesse Camp’s backing band, a lineup featuring members of Hanoi Rocks and D-Generation. The crowd was surprised when former MTV VJ Camp jumped onstage for an impromptu duet with George.

Kyle and George remained the core members through Dirty Barby's existence. The group experienced a large number of personnel changes over the years, with perhaps the most notable of lineups featuring Mecca Strier (rhythm guitar), Chris Torlone (lead guitar), and Cheryl Lyndsey (bass). Chris was discovered by Kyle and Mecca in a bar, both initially thinking he was a girl. Cheryl was recruited through a classified ad that cited Nirvana and The Breeders as her two biggest influences. She quickly became a permanent core member who co-wrote the band's unreleased second album. Cheryl also went on to be the other half of Skeleteen, the duo started by Kyle in 2002, and is currently a multi-instrumentalist in The Breeders' touring band. Sam Johnson filled in during many live shows beginning in late 1999 and also recorded some lead guitar tracks on Dirty Barby's first album Sleep When I'm Dead. Sam later gained notoriety as leader of the hardcore punk band New Mexican Disaster Squad.

The band's debut album Sleep When I'm Dead was recorded at Reel Time Studios in Holly Hill, Florida, and was officially released in October 2000. The song Nothing's Real (written and performed by Kyle) was chosen to appear in feature film Vampire Clan, starring Drew Fuller of "Charmed" and "Blonde Ambition". The film was based on the 1996 "vampire cult killings" that occurred in Central Florida and also featured tracks from fellow Orlando-based band The Genitorturers.

During the year of 2002, Kyle and George began to feel stifled by the band’s flamboyant image, as well as disheartened by continuous changes in lineup. They played a few shows as a three-piece (with Cheryl remaining on bass), deleted older songs from setlists, and eventually removed the drag imagery from their live shows. With their music heading in a different direction, Kyle and Cheryl started writing and performing as a two-piece in Skeleteen, with Kyle on guitar and Cheryl on drums. They decided to record new material for a second album as Dirty Barby with the remaining three members, at Reel Time Studios, while simultaneously putting down tracks for Skeleteen’s debut Sorry For Everything. The Dirty Barby tracks were never completed or released, as personal enthusiasm fizzled and was re-directed to the freshness of their Skeleteen output.

Dirty Barby added Chris Wilcox and Alex Upegu as rhythm and lead guitarists for their final few performances, which included a request to play House Of Blues in Orlando. The last Dirty Barby show took place at Backbooth (Orlando) in March 2003, with former guitarist Mecca making a guest vocal appearance.

Kyle Lime, Scarling. live at Curiosa (Los Angeles), 2004

Scarling. 2003-2004

Main article: Scarling.

Kyle signed on as bassist for Scarling in mid-2003. Soon after joining, Kyle shelved Skeleteen temporarily to devote his time to this new musical endeavor. Kyle and guitarist Rickey Lime became friends quickly. Not wanting to use his birth name, the two agreed he would take on her last name, as if they were siblings. He went by Kyle Lime during his stint in Scarling.

After playing several shows around California, Scarling. played at a showcase for Sympathy for the Record Industry at South by Southwest in Austin, Texas. Then, in August 2004, the band was an opening act on The Cure's Curiosa Festival tour. Other notable acts included Interpol, Mogwai, The Rapture, and Cursive. Prior to this, Kyle recorded on the b-sides to a couple 7" Singles released by the band on Sympathy for the Record Industry. Immediately after the Curiosa tour, he vacated his position in Scarling. to pursue his own creative outlets and reform Skeleteen.

The Studdogs 2002-2003

Main article: The Studdogs

Near the end of Dirty Barby, Kyle joined The Studdogs when they were in need of a replacement drummer. The Studdogs and Dirty Barby cultivated a mutual appreciation after playing several shows together. Both bands were known for their raw, often raunchy, offensive, abrasive, and in-your-face live shows. He played with them for nearly a year and left only due to his move to Los Angeles. The band's sleazy blues rock sound found them playing in the Florida scene with the likes of Demolition Doll Rods and Bob Log III. The album "The Gospel According to the Studdogs" was released through Orange Recordings a year after he left the group.

The UV's 2004-2005

When restarting Skeleteen in 2004, Kyle aided his bandmate Mia in starting her own female-centered punk/rock band. She tapped former Betty Blowtorch and Blare Bitch Project guitarist Blare N. Bitch to play bass, former Blare Bitch Project guitarist/singer Punky for lead guitar, and Kyle on drums. They took on The Ultraviolets and eventually shortened it to The UV's. Though his focus on Skeleteen, Kyle joined on drums to help get the band started. Chase Manhattan took over as drummer for both bands. The UV's filmed a live scene for the indie movie Devil Girl. Chase was unable to attend the filming and Kyle was asked to fill in on drums for the movie. He is credited under the alias Kyle DeFluzio.

Ladyfest Orlando

Main article: Ladyfest

Kyle has been an outspoken proponent of gender equality and human rights for many years. He has described himself as "a longtime feminist." While on a trip to Boston in 2002, he read an article in Bust Magazine that told of a female-oriented music and arts festival that occurred in August 2000. "He stopped on a sentence describing how (Le Tigre) band member Kathleen Hanna had participated in Ladyfest Midwest Chicago and loved it. When (Kyle) got back to Orlando, he e-mailed a select group of women, and an even more select group of men, to gauge their interest in putting together a homegrown version of the event." The very first Ladyfest took place in Olympia, Washington, but festivals have been organized independently of each other in other states or countries every year since. The blueprints for the Orlando Ladyfest were lifted from this original Ladyfest.

Kyle acted as head organizer and prime motivator of Ladyfest Orlando. He curated the event, which occurred on September 29, 2002. It featured over 30 female musicians, spoken-word, visual and performance artists. All proceeds were donated to number of charities, including Lisa Merlin House, PACE Center for Girls, CENTAUR, and the local Sexual Assault Treatment Center. He was praised by featured articles in the Orlando Sentinel and Orlando Weekly as the only known male to have curated such an event as this. Ladyfest Orlando's plan was to "prop up female artists who (deserve) exposure while drawing attention to gender equality."

Discography

Dirty Barby

• • 1998: Demo, You Don't Want to See Me on a Bad Pill (Self-released) — songwriter, drums, bass, guitar, vocals
• 2000: Album, Sleep When I'm Dead (DB Records) — songwriter, drums, bass, guitar, vocals

Skeleteen

• 2003: Album, Sorry For Everything (DB Records) — songwriter, guitar, vocals
  • 2005: Demo, The Demos (Self-released) — songwriter, guitar, vocals
  • 2005: EP, Bury the Seasons (EP) (Self-released) — songwriter, guitar, vocals
• 2008: EP, Bury the Seasons (Remaster) (2008) (Future Static) — songwriter, guitar, vocals
• 2009: Album, No Fun Intended (Future Static) — songwriter, guitar, bass, vocals, noise
  • 2009: Single, Gone (Future Static) — songwriter, guitar, bass, vocals, noise

The Studdogs

• 2004: Album, The Gospel According to the Studdogs (Orange Recordings) — contributing writer

Soundtracks

Film	Song	Performer	Contribution	Year
Vampire Clan	"Nothing's Real"	Dirty Barby	songwriter, all instruments, vocals	2002
Grindhouse Massacre	"Falter"	Skeleteen	songwriter, guitars, vocals	2006

Compilations

• Speed Demon: Vol. 11 — Dirty Barby, "LA Mental" (CD, Speed Demon Queerzine, 2000)
• Under the Radar: Volume I — Skeleteen, "She Comes Out (Dead Romantic)" (CD, Antidote Records, 2006)
• The People In Your Neighborhood — Skeleteen, "Falter" (Digital, Sounds Like Tomorrow, 2008)

Filmography

• Devil Girl (2007), film appearance as The UV's drummer under the name Kyle DeFluzio

Television

• Q Television Network's The Queer Edge, special guest comedian Judy Tenuta, musical guest Skeleteen (aired July 21, 2005)

External links

Skeleteen

• Skeleteen's Official Site
• Future Static Records
• Skeleteen @ Last.fm

The Studdogs

• The Studdogs @ Orange Recordings

Other

• Archive of Ladyfest Orlando 2002
• Vampire Clan Sountrack @ Internet Movie Database