Just when you thought that this might end
It goes on and on and on...
All morals and good sense are gone.
—'Uncomfortably Numb’ (by Skyway)
When Buffalo punk band Skyway met Thursday night for rehearsal, it was supposed to be for a routine practice. But two days after the nation’s presidential election — the results of which will return Donald Trump to the White House — the band knew the emotions filling their practice space were anything but routine. So, they locked themselves away for more than five hours, anxious and seething, letting their rage guide them.
And when they finally emerged from their room at 2 a.m. Friday morning, they had a new song titled ‘Uncomfortably Numb,’ which they released late last night HERE and for which, in a spur of the moment decision, they filmed a video too. (See top of this page)
“We had other plans for Thursday night: the typical practice and prepare for an upcoming show. But we were all feeling unsettled and frankly, angry,” said John Mikulski, Skyway’s guitarist and vocalist. “It was cathartic to let raw emotion and instinct lead us and move at a frenzied pace. You feel it in the song, and it’s especially evident in the video.”
“Like so many Americans, we knew that we couldn’t keep quiet,” said Skyway bassist Andrew Burgess. “We’ve seen what four years of a Donald Trump presidency looks like: a daily barrage of xenophobia, homophobia, racism, and jackassery. And now we’re about to enter another four years in which a very dangerous man has his grubby little hands on the wheel, and the heels of his freshly shined shoes on the necks of so many of the people we call friends and family. We were intent on not leaving the room until we had something we could be proud of. And we’re proud of this song. It’s not perfect, and it doesn’t delve into any of the complexities that will come to a head in the coming months and years. But it captures a moment in time for us, and it gave us a chance to scream and yell and flail together.”
Given the urgency behind the song, Skyway’s drummer Brandon Kapral quickly edited and mixed the single, which the band then released late last night on Bandcamp.
“Twenty-four hours ago, this wasn’t even a song,” Mikulski said. “Brandon really outdid himself. Sometimes music is captured in a moment and that feeling can’t be manufactured.”
“’Uncomfortably Numb’,” added Burgess, “is our in-the-moment attempt to channel all of this uncertainty and angst into a punk anthem. We had to do it for ourselves, and we hope that someone out there can benefit from the cathartic release of singing along with us. We know that there are plenty of people out there who won’t like the message of this song, and that’s okay. But we also don’t want there to be any doubt: Skyway, as a band, stands for unity, togetherness, and inclusivity. We’re against racism, xenophobia, transphobia, homophobia, and totalitarianism. In this crucial moment, it’s important to us that we draw this line in the sand.”