Scared of Chaka is an American

punk rock Punk rock (also known as simply punk) is a rock music genre that emerged in the mid-1970s. Rooted in 1950s rock and roll and 1960s garage rock, punk bands rejected the corporate nature of mainstream 1970s rock music. They typically produced sh ...

band based in

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, that was formed in 1993 by guitarist/vocalist David Yanul Hernandez, bass guitarist Dameon Waggoner and drummer Jeff Jones. Jones was later replaced by Ron Skrasek. The band played a

Dickies Williamson-Dickie Mfg. Co. is an American apparel manufacturing company primarily known for its largest brand, Dickies. Williamson-Dickie Europe, originally called Clares, was founded in 1900 in Wells, Somerset, U.K. to provide the agricultural ...

-inspired mix of garage and pop-punk, following in the footsteps of local Albuquerque act the Drags. The band released a number of full lengths, 7-inch EPs, and split records throughout its career for labels including 702 Records, Empty Records, Dirtnap Records and Hopeless spin off Sub City Records. Following the 2001 release of ''Crossing with Switchblades'', the band dissolved. The band played a number of reunion shows in 2008, including Music Fest NW in Portland, Oregon, and FunFunFunFest in Austin, Texas. On September 20, 2008, they performed with Dillinger Four as part of the inaugural year of Forward Music Fest in

Madison, Wisconsin Madison is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. It is the List of municipalities in Wisconsin by population, second-most populous city in the state, with a population of 269,840 at the 2020 Uni ...

. In 2024, the band released the single "Bated Breath", their first recording in more than twenty years, along with a live performance on

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Legacy

Following the breakup of Scared of Chaka, Hernandez formed Broadcast Oblivion in 2002 with Coady Willis (of Murder City Devils, Dead Low Tide and Big Business) and Andrew Church (of The Droo Church and Supersuckers). Hernandez had previously performed in projects with James Mercer, who went on to form the popular

indie rock Indie rock is a Music subgenre, subgenre of rock music that originated in the United Kingdom, United States and New Zealand in the early to mid-1980s. Although the term was originally used to describe rock music released through independent reco ...

act The Shins (Scared of Chaka also released a split 7-inch with the pre-Shins act Flake Music). The original line-up of The Shins featured Hernandez on bass guitar. After a year, however, he left the band to pursue a personal relationship in New York. In 2003, when Shins bass guitarist Neal Langford left the group, Hernandez re-joined the Shins as a bass guitarist. He currently lives in

Seattle Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...

. Skrasek lives in

Portland, Oregon Portland ( ) is the List of cities in Oregon, most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon, located in the Pacific Northwest region. Situated close to northwest Oregon at the confluence of the Willamette River, Willamette and Columbia River, ...

, and Waggoner lives in Los Angeles. Scared of Chaka's music was influential in the U.S. garage / punk rock scene. Current bands which have continued similar musical threads, such as the Riverboat Gamblers, and The Robits from Milwaukee, WI have cited Scared of Chaka as an influenc

Discography

Main albums

* ''Hutch Brown Sayngwich'' (702, 1995) - LP * ''Scared of Chaka'' (702) - LP * ''Masonic Youth'' (Empty, 1996) - LP * ''How to Lose'' (702 / Empty, 1998) - EP * ''Tired of You'' (Hopeless / Sub City, 1999) - LP * ''Crossing with Switchblades'' (Hopeless / Sub City, 2001) - LP

Collections

* ''Seven Stories Tall: Singles '94-'99 (702) - LP

Singles/EPs and splits

* Scared of Chaka / The Gain - split 7-inch (702 Records) - EP * Scared of Chaka / Flake Music - split 7-inch (702 Records / Science Project) - EP * Scared of Chaka / Fatal Flyin' Guilloteens - split 7-inch (Dirtnap Records) * Scared Of Chaka / Real Swinger - split 7-inch (Ballroom Blitz Records) * Scared of Chaka / The Traitors - split 7-inch (Johanns Face Records) * "live at Jay's" (Bad Man Records, 2002) - 7-inch EP - ltd 200 - white marble vinyl * Scared of Chaka / Word Salad - split 7-inch (Science Project) * Scared of Chaka "Automatic" 7-inch (eMpTy) * Scared of Chaka "Bated Breath" b/w "Nobody" (Slovenly Recordings)

References

External links

Scared of Chaka at Empty Records
{{Authority control American pop punk groups Musical groups from New Mexico Sub City Records artists