In Defence / Guns N' Rosa Parks

Minneapolis's In Defence and Colorado's Guns N' Rosa Parks are both attempting to keep the hardcore flag flying well into the '00s. This split 7" EP was released in 2006 on Give Praise Records and features a skeletal skater doing a pretty insane wallride considering there doesn't seem to be any apparent way to get up there. 

No Life

The No Life EP is a split 7" between No Reply and Lifes Halt, 2 bands that hail from Southern California. Both appear on the previously featured SK-8 or Die compilation 7" (as well as the Memories of Tomorrow compilation LP that will be featured here sometime in the future). Both bands play "bandana thrash," an now awkward sounding term for the thrash revival of the late '90s/early '00s. This record was released in 2000 on Indecision Records and features skeletal renditions of the bands in a tour bus, including a dude fist-pumping his deck out the window.

The Shrine

The Shrine are a contemporary hard rock band from Venice, California. This 7" EP came out in 2013 on Tym Records out of Australia. The band sound a little like Hot Lunch, and like Hot Lunch they have their own decks for sale. This cover features a skeletal rider on a deck made out of a guitar skating some volcanos on a distant planet. Check out some of their vids for some clips of them skating. One of the members used to be in Rabies, a skate punk band that was featured here last year.

Full Speed Ahead

Full Speed Ahead's debut 7" EP features one of the great live action skateboarding covers. Born and Bred was released in 1998 on Teamwork Records out of NJ (the band was also from NJ). The cover shot is credited as "Front side air at Gersche's" - 1983. This kid is riding a sweet Zorlac Craig Johnson Voodoo Doll model. This puts this release as an "honorable mention" on the list of Pushead cover art (their 2004 LP Born to Lose features commissioned Pushead artwork). Amidst the Indy stickers you can see homemade Suicidal Tendencies and Agression tags. The inner label features another skeletal skater.

Blank Expression

Blank Expression were a mid-'90s punk band from Orlando, FL. The Born to Skate 7" EP was released in 1995 on Bluntpunk Records. As far as I can ascertain it was their only release aside from 2 compilation appearances. The cover features a zombie pulling a nice sized frontside ollie in a crazy-8 pool with pretty tight hips. A Mohican skeleton watches from the side while a 2nd skeleton chills on the far side of the bowl. The music definitely sounds like mid-90s DIY punk and reminds me a lot of music I was discovering at that time as I started going to shows in Baltimore (it even includes a ska punk song).

Skeleton Figurine

I found this dude at my brother's house when I was trying (unsuccessfully) to fix his computer. He still gave him to me as payment. He's a pewter figurine who may have had a loop on his head for a necklace at one point but he now dangles from his back leg. He's in a rather awkward double grab position, but who am I to judge how the dead skate?

Bad Antics

Bad Antics' self-titled debut 7" EP features a rather crudely drawn skeletal invert.  It looks like he is riding an old Gator complete with tailbone. This EP was released on CD in 2006 and then on vinyl in 2007. It features 2 songs about skating: "Skate or Die" and "In the Deep End" (tracks 3 and 4 respectively). Bad Antics hail from Southern California and are still active.

Radical Discharge

Radical Discharge is a crossover band from Baltimore, MD. Imagine a thrash-influenced version of the Mean Jeans who are more inspired by Johnny Utah than Ted Theodore Logan and you get a little idea of what is going on. The above graphic was used to advertise their debut LP release party (which I attended last night). Unfortunately, this is not the cover of their record nor is it a t-shirt graphic (at least not yet or not one they had for sale last night). In addition to their new LP they also have a 7" out, both on Wallride Records. Check 'em out here.

50303Grind

Roskopp and Superbad released the 50303Grind split 7" EP in 2009. The split is a joint release by Ragerizer! Records and 303 Records. Roskopp hails from Denver, CO while Superbad are from Portland, OR. It's not hard to guess that the skating influence comes from Roskopp, they even used part of the Roskopp 5 graphic for their inner label. The cover looks like it is inspired by the "Pool Joust" section of Skate or Die!, with the creature wielding a dagger and the skeleton whipping some bone nunchuks above his head. Imagine watching that battle and you get an idea of how this record sounds. Roskopp's skate track "5-0 Pork Grind" is linked below.

NOFX

This 7" contains NOFX's first demo. It was recorded in 1984 but was not released on vinyl until 2012 as part of the 126 Inches Of NOFX 7" boxset. It's hard to understand why anyone would need 18 NOFX 7"s but I'm sure there are people out there who were excited about this. The demo features a different singer and does not really sound at all like NOFX. It actually has a pretty standard early '80s punk sound. I first came across this EP being sold by itself at a record shop in Philly and I passed on it thinking it was a little pricey. After realizing this was only sold as part of the boxset I thought I probably made a mistake since I probably wouldn't see it for sale by itself. I recently headed back up to Philly for a bowl crawl and swung by the same shop to see if it was still there. I think all 18 records were still there.

Tear It Up

Tear It Up were a hardcore/thrash band from New Jersey from the early '00s. This is the tour press of their debut 7" EP from 2000. Some of the members had been in the band Dead Nation, a band who did not have any skate-related covers but did have a song titled "Skate or Die" on their LP Dead End. Tear It Up came through around 2000 and stayed at our house. We assumed that they skated since they had been in Dead Nation so we were excited to take them to the local ditch. They drove out with us before admitting that they didn't skate. Apparently the guitarist in Dead Nation had written the skate song and he was not in Tear It Up (although the singer was the same). We were bummed but Tear It Up didn't have any skate songs or imagery at that time (they later appeared on the Wild in the Streets 7" compilation) so we just chalked it up to our overzealousness. Imagine my surprise and dismay when I stumbled across this 7" in the used bin yesterday.

The other main thing I remember about their stay was that they claimed their roadie could beat Marble Madness. They were probably not expecting us to have a set up and working NES at our house as well as a copy of Marble Madness. Dude beat it first try.

Mucky Pup

This mohican skeleton waving his deck high is found on the insert of Mucky Pup's Can't You Take a Joke? LP. He's rocking some Chucks and fingerless gloves but is otherwise naked. The album was released on Roadrunner in 1988. The band incorporates elements of crossover, NYHC and rap for a pretty ridiculous sound. I bet they were fun to see live in their prime though.

Vitamin X

Vitamin X are a thrash band from Amsterdam. Their We Came Here for Fun E.P. was released in 2001 by Underestimated Records for their U.S. Spring Tour. It features a straight edge skeleton pulling an air in front of the Capital Building which has been heavily fortified (most likely due to a skeletonized skate zombie invasion).

Gross Negligence

Death rides a skateboard. Gross Negligence is a contemporary punk band out of California. This EP came out in 2009 on Flat Black Records, which has a number of 7"s with skate covers, most of which I have found scrounging through the used bin at Celebrated Summer Records. Check out the first track "Skate the Apocalypse" below.

Skeleton Patch

I'm not quite sure where I picked this up. I think it was at an unusual store in DC that sold African trinkets as well as random old stock items including metal patches. This skeleton appears to riding one of those old Lonnie Toft 8-wheelers and grabbing frontside tuck-knee.

JFA

My friend hooked me up with a bootleg JFA "1985 Skate Tour Skeleton" shirt today. After looking for the graphic on the back and inserts of their records I finally found it in a Placebo Records catalog I had stuffed in the first LP. The shirt had a two color print (seen here) but the bootleg version just has the single color graphic above and omits the "'85 Skate Tour" print at the bottom. Other awesome graphics include a "Blatant Localism '88" poster where they reenact the cover of the first 7" seven years later. There is also a Placebo shirt with a skeletal invert. Other not so awesome graphics include a "tie die" plain or JFA shirt and a Placebo rollerskating skeleton.

Stalag 13

This ripper appears on the back cover of Nardcore band Stalag 13's one and only release - In Control (Upstart Records 1984). This drawing is uncredited on the original release but later versions attribute it to Jaime Hernandez (who also drew the front cover).