Bio

In the year 2357, Humans are fighting a war for their very survival. Jake Skum was born to a tribe of nomadic scavengers on the outskirts of Fairfax, Virginia, and it was decided that he would be sent back in time to warn their ancestors of the terrible fate that was awaiting them in hopes of creating a brighter future… then he found out what beer was and totally forgot what he was supposed to be doing. He ended up living in King George, Virginia, and playing drums in a local bar band, but quickly became disgruntled with their direction. He quit the group, and took with him the group’s Guitarist, Julius, and Bassist, Kris, to start Skumboyz. Somehow, he moved from drums to being the front-man, and no one is really sure how that happened, but it did. Just roll with it. On stage, he usually isn’t, but you’ll remember him anyways because he’ll be slamming against you in the pit when he’s supposed to be singing. Off-stage, he writes a significant portion of the band’s music.

Skumboyz is a Virginia-based hardcore punk/crossover thrash band which features Jake Skum on vocals, Julius Seizure on guitar, Kris Dickless on bass, and Maxwell Murder on drums. Originally from Fredericksburg, Skumboyz currently rehearses in Richmond.

The band was formed in November 2015 by Jake, Julius, and Kris after a falling out with members of their previous group. Upon their departure, Jake, who had been the previous project’s drummer, took on the mantle of vocalist, and the search began for someone to fill the void of percussion. The trio quickly recruited Ty Die, who had previously played in other local bands (such as Banned Class and Model Train Wreck), as their drummer, and in December 2015 they had booked their first show at an underground art showcase. By March 2016 they had recorded and released their first demo, “8 Demos And A Basement” and contributed a track to Richmond-based DIY label Tired And Pissed records first compilation.

The group quickly built up a local following and strengthened relationships with other regional bands; beginning to play shows from DC to Virginia Beach, and always returning the favor and booking their compatriots in their hometown of Fredericksburg. However, many of these shows failed to continue past the first set as they were often shut down by the local police. Not even a year after their initial formation, Jake had joined another project: a DC-based band featuring members of now-disbanded DC Punk stalwarts Bust Off known as BBC. From this close relationship with Bust Off and BBC, a new regional festival was born, bringing in bands from across the mid-Atlantic, known as Snot Fest. However, immediately after the first Snot Fest, in June 2016, Ty Die left the band.

The final missing piece of Skumboyz was found in Richmond drummer Maxwell Murder, who also performed in the punk band Pissing Contest and the goth rock/black metal project Aural Exile. With Maxwell, the band quickly resumed playing shows across the region, contributed a track to Tired And Pissed Records second compilation, and in February 2017 released their second demo titled “Get Over It!”. As the months went on, the four decided that it was time to to record their debut LP. Work on the LP officially began in June of 2017, and during the production period, Skumboyz hit several milestones. These include opening up for DRI on their Summer 2017 tour, performing at the final Bust Off show alongside Mike of Doom and Misled Youth, playing the second annual Snot Fest, contributing an exclusive track to the “Domestic Terror: Volume 1” compilation album (released December 2017), and opening up for the Cro Mags and Beyond in March of 2018.

Influences: Bad Brains, Black Sabbath, Black Flag, Children of October, D.R.I., Dead Kennedys, Descendents, G.G. Allin, GBH, The Germs, Misfits, Mötley Crüe, Municipal Waste, The Ramones, T.S.O.L.