I once saw tenor saxophonist Skerik rock a Black Sabbath cover harder than a guitar player.  I’ve never met a musician that played concurrently in so many bands, that played back-to-back consecutive domestic and international tours and simultaneously continued to write new music that defies emulation.

To name a few, Skerik plays sax for Skerik and the Syncopated Taint Septet, Critters Buggin, Garage A Trios, the Illuminasty Trio, Dead Kenny Gs and the Beta Popes. He’s from Seattle.

I asked him what music he had been listening to lately. Here was his response, via email:

“I’ve been listening to a lot of Gypsy bras band music, African Soukous (Vintage Verckys, Franco, etc.), Messiaen, Deerhoof, Lightning Bolt, Dub Trio, Vincent and Mr. Green, Joe Henderson, John Coltrane, Wayne Shorter, Jimmy Smith, Jack McDuff, Nels Cline (The Giant Pin), Bad Brains, James Brown, Cannonball Adderley, Parliament-Funkadelic, early Black Sabbath, a lot of bands that are on Southern Lord records..

As usual, it is important to vex those within earshot at all times, blending Captain Beefheart with the spiritual side of John Coltrane, and the anarchy and terror of punk rock and REAL hard rock. Helping people to become less submissive thru autophysiopsychic music!!!”

As a horn player myself, I’m amazed at this guy’s chops. He can play for days and still keep blowing that tenor and be louder and more off the cuff than anyone else in the room. Even if you don’t like jazz, rock, punk rock, blues or funk, I would go to a music store (Not Virgin) that lets you listen to cds, and check out his work. Even if you hate it, you can’t listen and not have a reaction.