Since 2004 Plastic Crimewave (aka Steve Krakow) has used the Secret History of Chicago Music to shine a light on worthy artists with Chicago ties who’ve been forgotten, underrated, or never noticed in the first place.
“We didn’t even have a name at the time,” Lery says. The club promoted the show in the Reader with an ad that simply said “Reggae band playing.” Lery claims they were the first band to ever play at the Cubby Bear, and that hundreds of people showed up.
In the 1980s, Skanking Lizard became one of Chicago’s most beloved festival bands and played tour dates with reggae legends such as Toots & the Maytals, the Mighty Diamonds, and Steel Pulse. Their appeal wasn’t limited to reggae fans either: they also opened for the likes of Koko Taylor, the Neville Brothers, Gil Scott-Heron, and the B-52s. Lery fondly recalls playing at the Riviera with the B-52s: “I remember the singer-guitarist saying, ‘I like you guys, and so must our fans. You’re the first band they haven’t thrown stuff on the stage at, and they let you play your whole set.’ They were young—it was the ‘Rock Lobster’ days—and the girls wore beehives.”
In the late 80s, drummer Harris Edelson replaced Tom Sarelas, and Skanking Lizard kept gigging—albeit at a slower pace as members started families—till Lery moved to the Phoenix area for a new job in 1996. “The night before I left, Skanking Lizard played their last gig—just like their first gig, at the Cubby Bear,” Lery says. “Many hundreds bid us farewell.” As satisfying as that full-circle ending is, it’s of course not the end of the Skanking Lizard tale.
