After exhaustive research of the very crowded field of contenders, Skate And Annoy is finally able to give you the definitive top 2 record covers featuring violinists playing while riding a skateboard. In the interest of fairness, I’m going to list them in chronological order. Drumroll please… First there was the country, rock, Cajun and calypso sounds of Steamin´ Freeman, a guy who once hailed from Bellingham, Washington. Who knows, maybe he can be found lurking at the Bellingham skatepark. Then in 1979, Rounder Records released Mark O’Connor’s “On the Rampage,” which he recorded at the ripe young age of 17! So it likely wasn’t the record company’s idea that he pose on a skateboard. According to this review, he was an excellent bluegrass player.
UPDATE: Added videos of Mark O’Connor concert performed on skateboards.
The cover art on Mark O’Connor’s “On the Rampage” is pretty dark in person. It’s pretty much a silhouette. He’s still performing, and won a Grammy as recently as 2011.
Mark O’Connor skateboarding and fidlin, on Mark’s YouTube channel.
For over 20 years rumor has it that Mark O’Connor performed an entire concert while riding a skateboard. After 20 years, the rumors have become legend. But still people have wondered; was it true? Did it take place, where, and with who?
A video has now surfaced from the audience of 2,000 people circling a blocked off street in downtown Nashville capturing the events of this musical-skateboarding adventure. The Skateboarding Extravaganza was an idea that Mark O’Connor put together with some of his good friends who were musicians and skateboarders. Together, they would often ride their boards in empty parking garages in the middle of the night (even during the period they were releasing Grammy winning albums!) The Extravaganza was an official scheduled event at the Summer Lights Festival.
Even while Mark O’Connor and Victor Wooten ride a skateboard, one gets the distinct feeling that they are still playing the electric violin and bass guitar better than anyone else on the planet!
Mark O’Connor – Violin
Victor Wooten – Bass
“Future Man” Roy Wooten – Drumitar
Michael Kott – Cello
The video was uploaded in 2011, which would place this video somewhere around the mid to late 80’s. Curiously, the date isn’t mentioned in the description. Thanks to reader Adam Croft for finding this.
Here’s Steamin’ Freeman’s 1976 release “Full Steam Ahead.” I’m not sure if this is the same Steamin’ Freeman that makes BBQ sauce.
8 comments
Jason
It is possible to play fiddle music on the sound system at a skatepark without causing a riot, fwiw. Never actually heard any complaints about Allison Krause’s version of John Denver’s “Steel Rails”, from her teenage, pre-bleached Rounder days, (cuz they didn’t get that it was about train tracks?)… nor, any complaints about ol’ Earl and Lester’s “Foggy Mountain Breakdown”… but, a friend did loudly question the skateability of David Grisman’s trippy Newgrass version of “Cheyenne” (another Rounder product) once. (So, I told him, Dude, it’s Country Dub.) No idea how “Steel Rails”, with it’s ‘a-young-Dolly-Parton-like’ vocals, would’ve gone over had it not been immediately followed by “Walk in Cold”, however.
Kilwag
Allison Krause’s dad was my landlord in college. We built a mini ramp in our front yard, he made us tear it down because the city was going to fine him if we didn’t. It made logical sense but I was still pissed off.
Not really Jason
Yeah well, I’ve never had any use for Allison’s recordings after her pre-bleached, rounder, teenaged days. I was opining to someone a while ago that it’s not surprising that her and Jason Ringingburger are from Illinois, though [the only thing I remember about southern Illinois, from passing through a corner of it, was some guys who looked very much as if they were in town for a rodeo walking by in a parking lot with some local-hotpants-hooker looking types]… cuz, well, it is very “country”… and the person, who was from Chicago, said something to the effect of “Absolutely… one time while I was down there I saw a bear ride by, in the back of a pickup.”
And, well, I guess that, being from the land of Lincoln, it makes sense that Jason’s song “Bible and a Gun” is about terrorism for a good cause, in Missouri. (Whoops, now you’re on a government watchlist… shit, they may confiscate all your skate gewgaws!)
Kilwag
That was a “scorcher” of a comment.
talentlessquitter
Hah, I get that one.
Adam Crofts
Mark O’ Connor can actually skate pretty well, and has used it a number of times in his concerts as an encore. This vid also features Flecktones bassist Victor Wooten grooving on some slappy funk while riding around, and a mongo-pushing skating electric cellist named Michael Kott.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mujTVTrSBw0
Dig Mark’s carving 70’s style, and his daffy around 2:20.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gHkBpjbzBuA
Kilwag
Thanks Adam, I added those videos to the main body of the post.
Adam Crofts
Mark O’Connor is a genius. My dad (who is a talented fiddler himself) saw him perform several years ago, and Mark came out on stage on a skateboard and rode around the stage and up and down the isles while playing some Hendrix-flavored stuff on an electric violin. Dad said he had loose trucks and actually pumped around getting quite a bit of speed while never missing a note. So according to my dad, he actually can skate as well as being one of the best musicians on the planet. Some of his more recent work includes some prety hot Django Reinhardt-esque gypsy swing.