Matt Skiba
Matthew Thomas Skiba (born February 24, 1976) is an American musician, singer and songwriter. He is best known as the co-lead vocalist and guitarist of the punk rock band Alkaline Trio, and served as the co-lead vocalist and guitarist of Blink-182 from 2015 to 2022.[1] Skiba's lyrical content commonly involves dark romantic themes.
Matt Skiba
Matthew Thomas Skiba
McHenry, Illinois, U.S.
- Musician
- singer
- songwriter
- Guitar
- vocals
1992–present
- Alkaline Trio
- Lektron
Alkaline Trio formed in 1996 with Skiba as the frontman. Since then, the band has released nine full-length albums over two decades. Skiba also recorded albums with side projects including Heavens and the Hell, as well as two full-length solo albums with his backing band, the Sekrets.
Following Tom DeLonge's second departure from Blink-182 in early 2015, Skiba was brought on to fill in for three shows before becoming an official member later that year. He recorded two albums with the band, California (2016) and Nine (2019), before DeLonge returned in 2022.
Early life and family[edit]
Matthew Thomas Skiba was born on February 24, 1976, in Chicago, Illinois,[2] and grew up in McHenry, Illinois. He began playing piano and drums at an early age. His first concert was Public Image Ltd.[3] In 1996, while working as a bike messenger delivering beepers, he decided to switch from drums to guitar. Prior to that he played in bands including Blunt, Jerkwater, and the Traitors.
Skiba has 2 siblings and is of Ukrainian descent. His mother, Joan Skiba, is a fourth and fifth grade teacher at Woods Creek Elementary School in Crystal Lake, Illinois. His father, Thomas Skiba (1942–2022), was an oral surgeon in Crystal Lake who served in the Vietnam War.[4][3]
Career[edit]
Alkaline Trio[edit]
Skiba studied design at Chicago's Columbia College but left in 1996 to form Alkaline Trio with drummer Glenn Porter and bassist Rob Doran.
After the group recorded their demo and the single "Sundials", they recorded the For Your Lungs Only EP, during which Doran left the group. Dan Andriano joined and played bass on the EP. The band released their debut full-length Goddamnit on Asian Man Records in 1998, followed by Maybe I'll Catch Fire and the compilation Alkaline Trio in 2000.
The group's lineup changed again in 2000 when Porter left and former Smoking Popes drummer Mike Felumlee joined. From Here to Infirmary, released by Vagrant Records in the spring of 2001. In 2002 Jade Tree Records released a Hot Water Music/Alkaline Trio split EP which was well received. Both bands contributed original tracks and covers of each other's songs. Good Mourning followed in 2003, marking the band's first album with drummer Derek Grant, formerly of Suicide Machines and Thoughts of Ionesco. While recording Good Mourning, Skiba suffered from vocal problems due to acid reflux, lack of vocal warmups, and earlier use of alcohol and drugs.
Following a tour and throat surgery, the band recorded and released Crimson in 2005 and the compilation Remains in 2007. Agony & Irony, their first and only record on Epic Records, was released in July 2008. In January 2010 they released This Addiction on their own Heart & Skull label in partnership with Epitaph Records. In July 2011, they released a semi-acoustic LP called Damnesia to commemorate 15 years as a band. Their eighth album, My Shame Is True was released on April 21, 2013.
In 2014, the band underwent an anthology tour known as the "Past Live Tour", in which they performed their first eight studio albums in their entirety across four dates. Following a five-year hiatus from the studio and a second throat surgery for Skiba,[5][6] the band released their ninth album, Is This Thing Cursed?, on August 31, 2018. The band released an EP titled E.P. on March 19, 2020. The band's tenth studio album, Blood, Hair, and Eyeballs, came out on January 26, 2024.
Equipment[edit]
Guitars[edit]
Although he started out as an avid player of Gibson Les Pauls, Skiba currently plays Fender Jaguar HH's. He has also played Gibson Les Paul Juniors, Gibson SGs, Fender Stratocasters and Fender Jazzmasters in the past.
He has had two signature instruments made:
Personal life[edit]
Skiba is a vegan and practices Transcendental Meditation according to an interview with AOL Interface. He said that the clear and calm state of mind it provides has greatly helped his creative process, though initially he believed the "tortured soul" mindset was more beneficial. The book Catching the Big Fish by David Lynch caused him to change his mind and he now believes a calm state is more artistically helpful.[23][24][25] Matt purchased a membership in The Church of Satan organization back in the early days of Alkaline Trio, saying, "to me Anton LaVey was...very punk rock".[26]
Skiba moved to the San Francisco Bay Area in 2001, though he currently lives in Los Angeles.[3][27] He has "Love Song" tattooed on his knuckles. He is a "big Cure fan," a "huge Damned fan," "an enormous David Lynch fan", a "big Green Day fan" and a "really big Nirvana fan." Skiba is divorced.[28] He is a close friend of NOFX frontman Fat Mike, and served as the best man at his wedding.[29]