Stiltskin
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Stiltskin is a post-grunge/rock band who first achieved widespread popularity in the mid-1990s. Currently, Stiltskin's only original member is vocalist Ray Wilson.
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[edit] Career
Stiltskin found fame through providing music to the British Levi's advert "Creek."[1] The resulting single, "Inside," topped the U.K. Singles Chart in 1994, but the band failed to produce further chart successes of the same kind with the follow-up single "Footsteps" reaching #34. Stiltskin split in 1996, during the recording of their uncompleted second album.
The original band released only one album, The Mind's Eye, which achieved "Silver Status" in the U.K., and sold in decent quantities throughout Europe. The band made significant critical inroads in the U.S. music scene, but little was to follow in the way of sales.
All instruments on the band's hit "Inside" were played by Peter Lawlor; this was also the case on the album track "An Illusion." Lawlor and bass player James Finnigan had worked together in various line-ups since the late 1980s, with Ross McFarlane on drums being drafted in later. Wilson went on to join Genesis, replacing Phil Collins as frontman and releasing the album Calling All Stations in 1997, which reached position two in the U.K. Albums Chart. Lawlor still works for Water Music Productions - he wrote the music for the BBC One 'Rhythm & Movement' idents and also the theme for the year 2000 Olympic games and the new theme for the English Premier League.
McFarlane went on to work with The Proclaimers and recently achieved another number one in the British Charts. The band later fired him because of his excessive football card collection habits.
At present, Ray Wilson is using the name "Ray Wilson and Stiltskin" for an entirely new band. He has released an album (through his own label) She. Ray Wilson's soi-disant "Stiltskin" were touring Europe during 2006 and 2007, and a live album entitled Stiltskin Live, recorded on October 25, 2006 with material from this tour, was released in April 2007. In 2008 Stiltskin will be touring again across Europe.
[edit] Line-up
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Stiltskin's original line-up included:
- Ray Wilson - Vocals
- Peter Lawlor - Guitar, mandolin, vocals, drums and bass
- James Finnigan - Bass, organ (Replaced by Aubrey Nunn, subsequently a member of Faithless)
- Ross McFarlane - Drums, handclaps
Stiltskin's reformed line-up included:
- Ray Wilson - Vocals, guitar and bass (track 10)
- Uwe Metzler - Lead guitar
- Irvin Duguid - Keyboards (Quit the band in September 2006)
- Alvin Mills - Bass guitar
- Nir Z - Drums
- Scott Spence - Lead guitar (tracks 2 & 11)
- Henrik Muller - Drums (track 10)
Although not a member of the original band, Duguid was a member of Stiltskin's original live line-up in 1994/1995.
Stiltskin's current line-up is:
- Ray Wilson - Vocals, guitar
- Uwe Metzler - Lead guitar (only on the She album, the 2006 tour and the Live album)
- Ali Ferguson - Lead guitar, backing vocals
- Lawrie MacMillan - Bass, backing vocals
- Ashley MacMillan - Drums, percussion
Many people were auditioned for the role of lead singer including, oddly, Naomi Cleaver, who is now a successful television presenter. In the region of forty people attended the various auditions at the Primrose Hill studios of Lawlor's company, Water Music Productions.
Wilson continues to re-record and release the song "Inside" on a regular basis. As of Summer 2007 he has released it on no less than six occasions:
1. Stiltskin "Inside" single and album "The Minds' Eye," 1994
2. Stiltskin acoustic version b-side of single "Rest in Peace," 1995
3. Ray Wilson album "Live and Acoustic," 2002
4. Ray Wilson album "The Next Best Thing," also released as a single 2004
5. Ray Wilson abum "An Audience with Ray Wilson," 2006
5. Ray Wilson and Stiltskin "Live," 2007
[edit] Footnotes
- ^ Directed by Vaughan Arnell and Anthea Benton
