In February 1976, a tremendously innovative and pioneering artist began shaking things up in the Chicago club scene. Skafish (Jim Skafish) and his band hurled a never-before heard or seen sensibility at an unsuspecting public. Skafish's appearance alone--a huge hook nose, meaty 6 foot 3 frame, and the suggestion of breasts that was underscored and emphasized by degradingly gender-bending clothing, stunned audiences. The lyrics and music were equally overwhelming. Autobiographical experiences of childhood abuse, rejection, alienation, and sacrilegious themes were rebelliously flaunted and acted out on stage. A combination of atonal jazz improvisation, 20th century avant-garde, classic pop melody and high-speed frenetic rock, the music was overpowering and disorienting. The reactions were immediate, extreme and violent--and the press took notice. By the summer of 1977, Skafish and his music began to find an audience.

Acknowledged as the sole originator and Godfather of Chicago’s punk, new wave, alternative and indie rock movements, Skafish also co-created these art forms on a worldwide level. Skafish was a pioneer decades ahead of his time, irrevocably changing the face of Chicago music and culture, opening the door for all punk, new wave, alternative and indie rock artists to have their voices heard worldwide.

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