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David Skene (NICHOLAS FRIESEN)

With three bands on the go, plus other artistic pursuits, David Skene could be called a rock ’n’ roll Renaissance man.  
   
The 29-year-old pop music polymath performs in improvisational music collective Ex Modern Teen, is one-half of lo-fi pop duo Mary Jane Stole My Girl and fronts "disaster rock" band The Manic Shakes. The latter is inspired by deranged defunct Winnipeg groups such as Hot Live Guys, The Squareheads and The Quiffs.
   
"When I moved to Winnipeg, I saw a bunch of bands and everything was either post-hardcore, like a Refused rip-off, or Creed-style post-grunge," says Skene, who is originally from Dryden, Ont. "There wasn’t any music I liked. Meghan (Flett, The Quiffs’ bassist) was in an acting class with me and she said, ‘You have to see my band.’ I did and they were amazing.
   
"It was a Renaissance of rock ’n’ roll in Winnipeg. I feel I was too young to realize how lucky I was until all those bands broke up. They were my touchstones. I thought I could count on them to always be there, so I guess in a lot of ways The Manic Shakes are a reaction to that. If I can’t see those bands anymore, I’ll start a band inspired by them."
   
Skene says The Manic Shakes — which also includes lead guitarist/vocalist David Van Den Bossche, bassist Paul Shirtliffe and drummer Billy Elias — will release a three-song seven-inch this spring. Speaking of releases, Mary Jane Stole My Girl put its self-titled debut out earlier this month and will release its sophomore album, Welcome to the Cassette Nation, in March. Helping Skene forge this flurry of lo-fi pop is Mary Jane’s other half, drummer and super nice guy Jimmy Shand.
   
"I didn’t want to be onstage by myself, it’s really lonely, so I thought maybe Jimmy would do it with me. He’s like, ‘Yeah sure, just tell me when and where,’" Skene says of Shand, who also plays in local rockers Kato Destroy. "Not only will he show up and be awesome at playing drums, but he’ll also give me a ride to and from the show. It doesn’t matter what happens during the set, when I look back at him he’s got a big grin on his face."
   
Shand also plays with Skene — aka Afro Starchild, the intergalactic traveler — in Ex Modern Teen.
   
"I’m kind of an indie rock Flava Flav," Skene says of his hype man role in the collective. "The job is to hype up the audience, play some tambourine and work myself up into a hysterical state of rock ’n’ roll."
   
The brainchild of musician/filmmaker Charles Granger, Ex Modern Teen plays weird, wonderful and completely unrehearsed psychedelic pop. Skene says he tries to bring that spirit of spontaneity to all of his projects. (In addition to music, Skene is a filmmaker/actor and member of Cinematic/Scars productions.)
   
"When I talk about being influenced by bands like Hot Live Guys and The Quiffs, it’s the suspense that was most inspiring," Skene says. "You didn’t know what would happen at those shows. Sure, you knew Joe (Warkentin, HLG guitarist) would fly off the stage or Anthony (Bueno, The Squareheads vocalist) was going to smash something, but you never knew what Anthony would smash or when Joe would fly off the stage. If we can create something with these bands where people are surprised, then we’re really succeeding."
   
Ex Modern Teen plays a show in benefit of Craig Street Cats, a non-profit feral cat management organization, Feb. 4 at 85 Albert St. Get the skinny on Skene’s multiple musical endeavours at www.facebook.com/maryjanestolemygirl, www.facebook.com/themanicshakes and www.facebook.com/exmodernteen.
   
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