Biography
Live Skull formed in downtown New York City in 1982, founded by the guitar/bandleader tandem of Mark C. and Tom Paine. The earliest line-up included Julie Hair on vocals and Dan Braun on drums. They were soon joined by drummer James Lo and Marnie Greenholz (Paine's then-girlfriend), on bass guitar. In 1984, a self-titled debut 12" EP saw release on the tiny Massive label. They soon signed with indie label Homestead Records, which released their 1985 debut full-length Bringing Home the Bait. On this LP, vocal duties were shared by Greenholz, Paine, and C. 1986 album Cloud One featured slightly more accessible song structures. A live album called Don't Get Any on You was recorded at CBGB later that year.
Thalia Zedek joined the band as lead singer in 1987, taking over most of the vocal duties so that the other members could concentrate on their instruments. Zedek had previously played in the Boston-area post-punk outfits White Women, Dangerous Birds, and Uzi. The band also replaced Lo with ex-Ruin drummer Rich Hutchins . Zedek and Hutchins debuted on 1987's Dusted, which spawned a black-and-white music video for the song "5-D," likely filmed in the same abandoned warehouse featured in the album's cover art. (This video later appeared on the Twelve O'Clock High video compilation.)
The group signed to the larger Caroline Records label, debuting with 1988's six-song Snuffer 12". Hutchins was by then also playing with the band Of Cabbages and Kings. Greenholz subsequently left and was replaced by Sonda Andersson, a former member of Rat at Rat R and cousin of avant-garde composer Glenn Branca. Released in 1989, Positraction was a more accessible, song-oriented effort that maintained the generally positive critical reaction. Live Skull disbanded in 1990 due to sustained lack of commercial success, with Paine deciding to focus on an alternate career.
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“Just how difficult it is to write biography can be reckoned by anybody who sits down and considers just how many people know the real truth about his or her love affairs.”
—Rebecca West (1892–1983)