A lot has changed in the last decade for CKY, the skateboarding metal band hailing from West Chester, Pa.
After parting ways with original members to switch up its lineup, the group is currently on its third label, Roadrunner Records. As the band’s popularity has grown after its emergence in the early 2000s, so has its fan base and expectations. But even with a revolving door of band members and record labels, one thing remains the same. Camp Kill Yourself, better known as CKY, is still providing music for mischief and mayhem.
The band will stop by the Blue Moose Tap House, 211 Iowa Ave., at 5 p.m. Nov. 7 for an all-ages show.
University of Iowa junior and skateboarder Ryan Meighan has been a devoted CKY follower long before its glory days.
"I’m not sure what I got into first, CKY or skateboarding," he said. "But I remember all the older skater kids would blare CKY out of their car speakers, and we would rip up the half pipe. It’s good to see that they’re still going strong, and I can’t wait to catch them here."
CKY got its start in the ’90s, when band members Deron Miller and Jess Margera went to the same high school and began forming what would be the blueprint to CKY. After self-producing most of its first original material, the band began receiving a lot of attention when its music was featured in many underground skateboarding videos. CKY’s popularity skyrocketed after it provided music for the MTV series "Jackass," and it has continued to lend its music for various soundtracks including "Viva La Bam" and "Bam’s Unholy Reunion." It has also appeared on countless of video-game soundtracks.
2010 has been a strong year for the CKY family as a whole. Drummer Jess Margera is the brother of "Jackass" crew member Bam Margera, and both has prominent roles in the recent release of Jackass 3D. The film featured new material from CKY including the song "Afterworld." CKY also helped headline one of the world’s biggest touring music festivals, performing in the UK for the Sonisphere Festival, and is recording what will be the band’s fifth major-label studio album.
The name CKY spawned from a stunt-performing video group that featured the likes of future "Jackass" members Bam Margera, Ryan Dunn, and Raab Himself. CKY fan and YouTube stuntman John Meloy believes CKY’s music and immature stunts go hand in hand.
"I never listened to those warning disclaimers at the beginning of all their videos," he said. "My friends and I would go out with our parent’s video camera and shoot ourselves doing the dumbest things imaginable. Then we’d go back and edit in CKY songs with the footage. It was a match made in heaven."
