Military duty sparks local band's reunion show

Local band Skintight definitely knew how to put on a quality rock and roll show when they were together.

From the twin-guitar assault of Jack Hunter and Collin Debruhl to the superb rhythm section of bassist Jesse Smith and drummer Eric Rickert and the charismatic appeal of singer Emily Richards, the hard-rocking band made a name for themselves up and down the East Coast, thanks to the band's great mix of pop and punk music, which was best heard in a live setting.

Almost four years have passed since the band played its final show, and while each member has moved on to other projects, it took a very serious and important life event to bring the five musicians back together for this Friday's much anticipated reunion at the Windjammer. Speaking by phone while relaxing on the roof of her Brooklyn apartment last week, Richards revealed the reason for the Skintight reunion. "Our bassist, Jesse, is now in the military, and he is being shipped out to Iraq in the next couple of months," she said. "He's a tank driver, and each one of us got a call from him, a pretty heart-wrenching voicemail, and he said that with us being as close as we were back in the day, that he would love to share the stage with us again before he goes halfway across the world."

Richards said that all of the former Skintight bandmates were more than happy to help make Smith's wish a reality. "I've known Jesse for a very long time. Jack and Eric, they went to high school with him. It was a shock for me to hear that Jesse had even gone into the military. I saw him when I was home a year or so ago, and he was in his dress greens, and the way I know Jesse is as a spiky-haired, vicious-looking punk rocker. Going into the military has definitely been good for him. He moved to North Carolina and got married. We are all very sad about (his being deployed), but we are all behind him, hoping he comes home very, very soon and very safe."

In the years since the demise of Skintight, Richards moved to New York and sings in a band called Action City Blackout, which includes Hunter and Debruhl, who also play in the popular local cover band Dante's Camaro with Rickert. Rickert has also been busy lately helping engineer albums for other bands at Ocean Industries with local musician/producer Eric Bass.

So what can fans of Skintight expect from tomorrow night's show? Richards advised that the set list would probably closely resemble that of the band's electrifying farewell show, which found the band running through its catalogue of songs. "It's been almost four years since we have all shared a stage together," said Richards. The choice of what venue to use to make the reunion a reality was apparently as important as the performance itself. "We went back and forth, trying to figure out where the ideal place would be to do the reunion," said Richards, "and when it came down to it (the Windjammer) was kind of our home base. Bobby (Ross) and all of those cats out at the Windjammer always treated us really nice, and we have had some amazing performances with some great crowds out there. We really felt like the Windjammer was home."

While Smith has signed up for military service, for at least one night in October he will have the chance to trade in his army uniform for the togs of a rock and roller as he joins his friends for this very special performance. That ought to give the guy some great memories to carry with him as he ships out to serve his country.

Contact Devin Grant at chucktowncritic@yahoo.com.