a track like the recently reissued
“Tell Me Your Heart” and you can
hear influences like a Duane Eddy
rockabilly twang guitar blending
with the ebullience of the sixties
British invasion acts. The indie
label Mint 400 Records reissued
that track in late June in honor of
Skuller receiving The Holly Prize
— an award that clearly resonates
with the young artist.
“It’s incredible to be recognized
like this, in honor of such a legendary man--especially someone
who has influenced me so much,”
said Skuller. “I’ll have this with
me for the rest of my life, and I’m
New Jersey Stage
grateful beyond description.
“Some of the most important
influences to me would be Little
Walter, The Everly Brothers, and
Buddy Holly,” he continued. “By
studying them and their music as I
got into this business, I picked up
so many aspects of melody, feeling, and performance. It has really
shaped me a lot. I like to go for
both classic and contemporary. I
would never make an artistic decision to sound exactly like one of
my heroes or the music of a certain
time period. But when I emulate,
rather than imitate, that sound that
I love so much and blend it with
July 2014
pg 6