The Voodoo Glow Skulls Promise To Hypnotize Audiences Again

It was a hot St. Patrick’s Day at the Mesa Amphitheater in 2007. The crowd was biding it’s time until the moment Flogging Molly would take the stage. Lounging in the unforgiving, sharp desert grass my brother and I watched opening band after opening band and were exponentially disappointed with each stage switch. With the exception of the boisterous Irish folk-punk band The Liar’s Handshake, the openers did little to distract our attention from the blazing sun.

Then, without warning, the lazy sun-soaked crowd rose to its feet and groggily headed toward the stage. The Voodoo Glow Skulls were up next and everyone seemed to awaken from their heat-induced coma. I had never heard of them before and, determined to save my last remaining bit of energy for Flogging Molly, I waited in the grass to see what the commotion was about. The band of brothers Frank, Eddie and Jorge Casillas, Jerry O’Neill, Brodie Johnson and Eric Fazzini took to the stage. The stage security fence was thick with people now. Layers of fans crammed against the chain links looking to catch a glimpse. Suddenly, I knew why. The band’s high powered guitar riffs and brass section blasted out into the amphitheater like a battle cry to ska fans everywhere. It was just the slap in the face my brother and I needed to rise to our feet and cram toward the stage. Their energy was contagious. More and more people flocked to the amp-laden set up. I looked over at my little brother, whose usual concert stance was a furrowed brow and crossed arms, only to find he was head banging and biting his lip with a wide smile.

That was my first memory of the Voodoo Glow Skulls.

"Bulletproof" by the Voodoo Glow Skulls provided by YouTube.
(***WARNING: The introduction to this song contains strong language***)


The ska-core punk band has been building momentum since 1988. Encompassing a wide array of almost contradictory musical elements, the Skulls combine upbeat ska rhythm and horns, heavy guitar, Mexican-American politics and forceful, edgy vocals. Their latest album is set to be released September 18 on Victory Records and has been in the works for nearly a year, according to the band’s official Web site at www.voodooglowskulls.com. The project, entitled “Southern California Street Music,” was largely the brainchild of guitarist Eddie Casillas. Recorded in installments inside Casillas’ Riverside, Calif., home production center Dog Run Studios, the project marks the band’s eighth full-length album. Soon after the launch, the band will set out for yet another exhaustive U.S./European tour.

I highly recommend checking out the show. The Skulls are going on 19 years now, so they must be doing something right.

Their scheduled stops according to the Web site are:
09-15 Simi Valley, CA
Venue: SIMI VALLEY MUSIC FESTIVAL
09-21 Apple Valley, CA
Venue: ANGEL’S ROADHOUSE2
09-22 Riverside, CA
Venue: TREMORS
09-29 Bullhead City, AZ
Venue: CORNFEST
10-01 ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.
Venue: LAUNCHPAD
10-02 Salt Lake City, UT
Venue: AVALON
10-03 Colorado Springs, CO
Venue: BLACK SHEEP
10-04 Oklahoma City, OK
Venue: THE BLUE NOTE
10-05 Tulsa, OK
Venue: MERCURY LOUNGE
10-06 Springfield, MO
Venue: REMINGTON’S
10-08 Chicago, IL
Venue: TBA
10-09 Detroit, MI
Venue: TBA
10-10 Cleveland, OH
Venue: AGORA BALLROOM
10-11 Pittsburgh, PA
Venue: MR. SMALL’S
10-12 Buffalo, NY
Venue: MOHAWK PLACE
10-13 NY, NY
Venue: TBA
10-14 Philadelphia, PA
Venue: TBA
10-15 Portland, MN
Venue: THE STATION
10-16 Hartford, CT
Venue: WEBSTER THEATRE
10-17 Boston, MA
Venue: HARPER’S FERRY
10-18 Albany, NY
Venue: VALENTINE’S
10-19 Syracuse, NY
Venue: CLUB POLSKI
10-20 Baltimore, MD
Venue: OTTO BAR
10-21 Pompton Lakes, NJ
Venue: MAIN STAGE
10-23 FT. Lauderdale, FL
Venue: STUDIO A
10-24 Orlando, FL
Venue: THE SOCIAL
10-25 St. Petersburgh, FL
Venue: STATE THEATRE
10-29 Tempe, AZ
Venue: THE CLUBHOUSE
10-30 San Fran, CA
Venue: BOTTOM OF THE HILL
10-31 Riverside, CA
Venue: ROMANO’S
11-02 Hollywood, CA
Venue: THE KNITTING FACTORY
11-03 Lancaster, CA
Venue: CEDAR CENTER