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The Skylarks were formed in 1992 by guitarist Michael Hunter and drummer Megan Sexton, a couple with a lot of free time on their hands since Twin Peaks was cancelled. The duo searched out like–minded souls to fill out the line-up and began playing anywhere that would have them in the Atlanta/Athens area. Along the way they picked up a few fans and played shows from Savannah to Nashville with folks like Cracker, Alex Chilton, The Bottle Rockets and such local stalwarts as The Swimming Pool Q's and The Cigar Store Indians.

In 1993, they were joined by legendary local guitarist Greg Smalley and bassist Trey Hollingsworth and they played at the first Bubbapalooza in Atlanta. In November of 1994, they hosted Beat the Retreat, a tribute show of local musicians playing Richard Thompson songs that was recorded by Capitol Records. In 1997, they were joined by guitarist Michael Goldman and bassist/vocalist Jim Johnson (The Chant/Vidalias). In July 1999, they released their debut CD, Suitcase City, produced by Rob Gal (Kelly Hogan, Shawn Mullins) that Stomp & Stammer magazine called “majestic guitar pop.”

The Skylarks are once again travelling down the highway with the windows down and a well-worn eight-track of Let It Bleed blasting, heading for your town.

Press:

The Skylarks
Blind Willie’s
Atlanta, GA
May 27, 2008

Calling venerable Atlanta band The Skylarks a “fun” band would not be inaccurate, yet it would in no way come close to covering the many musical facets of this group of seemingly everlasting rockers. The band might comfortably be categorized as Americana or pop/rock or even roots/ rock. Blues, however, is one genre where you’d probably never find The Skylarks, yet here they were on a warm Tuesday evening playing one of Atlanta’s most well-known blues venues, Blind Willie’s in the Virginia-Highland neighborhood. A respectable-for-a-weeknight crowd was on hand as The ‘Larks launched into their opening number, the Television-esque “Dreams and Saturday Night,” the first of a rollicking 13-song set consisting mostly of songs from their one and only CD, 1999’s Suitcase City.

Led by affable singer/ songwriter/guitarist Mike Hunter (looking dapper in a well-worn Big Star t-shirt) and augmented by longtime collaborator Megan Sexton on drums (collaborating both on and off the stage; Hunter and Sexton are married), Atlanta music scene veterans Jim Johnson on bass, Jonny D. on guitar and Alabama veteran Russ Still ..boards, The Skylarks moved seamlessly between shimmering, catchy pop (“Summer Girls”) to swampy, swaggering rock (“(You’re Not My) Guru”) and several points in between. For good measure, the band added a couple of choice, albeit relatively unknown covers: “Take It Up” by 1980s Florida legend Charlie Pickett (one of two songs sung by bassist Johnson), and “Everything is Broken” by Bob Dylan, humorously introduced by Hunter as “a tune by Blind Boy Grunt,” an obscure reference to a pseudonym used by Dylan on some early recording sessions. This band has obviously done their rock ‘n’ roll homework, and in both cases managed to make these distinctive songwriters’ works sound like their own.

Each member contributes mightily to the overall Skylarks sound, be it the effortlessly powerful drumming of Sexton, the solidly unassuming bass playing of Johnson, the multi-textured keyboard work of Still or the understated singing of Hunter. But the true musical weapon of the band has to be Jonny D. With his coolly confident licks, musically tasteful yet never bombastic, and his impeccable tone, Jonny D. is the quintessential rock guitarist (he even looks the part, sort of resembling a healthier, more compact Lenny Kaye) and his presence elevates this already excellent band. Atlanta music fans can only hope that these ageless wonders will find time to play out a little more often (this was their first show in over more than six months) and hopefully record another CD. Solid, timeless rock bands like The Skylarks will always be a welcome sight on any stage, regardless of the venue.

—Review by Scott Roberts, Performer magazine, August 2008

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