Rollerskate Skinny were an Irish band formed in 1992 by singer and guitarist Ken Griffin, guitarist Ger Griffin and bassist Stephen Murray, and were later joined by Jimmy Shields. They released two critically acclaimed albums, Shoulder Voices (1993) and Horsedrawn Wishes (1996).
History
Ken Griffin, Ger Griffin (no relation) and Steve Murray had been in The Hippyshakes in the 1980s. Later the band became "Shake" and was characterized by a strawberry logo. In 1991, Jimi Shields (younger brother of My Bloody Valentine's Kevin Shields) joined the band and suggested a name change to Rollerskate Skinny, chosen from a line in The Catcher in the Rye, by J. D. Salinger:
"She's quite skinny, like me, but nice skinny, rollerskate skinny."
The band relocated to London and released their debut EP Novice in September 1992. They were named in the NME's "Top Ten New Bands of the Year" in 1992. They were signed to Beggars Banquet offshoot label Placebo, who released their Trophy EP in April 1993: awarded single of the week in the NME. The following month, the band recorded a session for John Peel's BBC Radio 1 show, and their debut album Shoulder Voices (awarded CMJ Magazine's album of the month), was released in October that year. Another EP, Threshold, was issued in early 1994. The band toured with bands such as Mercury Rev, Smashing Pumpkins, Mazzy Star, Hole and Pavement. They were also invited by Perry Farrell to join the 1994 Lollapalooza tour. The increased media coverage as a result of the tour saw the band sign a major-label deal with WEA. In 2004 Ken, along with former members of Philadelphia band Aspera, formed Favourite Sons who signed to Vice Records.