In recent years the band plays a casual show here and there with the '2000-2003' lineup of Billy Bones, James Harding, Sean Antillon and Kevin Preston.
The original line up of The Skulls formed in late 1976 and consisted of Danny Death on guitar, Framin'J on bass, Victor Bissetti on drums, and Mick "Sten Gun" Wallace on vocals.
This band practiced by covering Skulls songs among others and was to be called the DB5's, apparently after Bones's favorite automobile and interest in old James Bond movies.
Strange Records containing mostly re-recorded Skulls songs written by the original members of 77, with the notable exceptions of: 'Gold and Ruby Red', a song written by Bones years earlier and subsequently rehashed, rearranged and 'punked-up' by Bones and Hardslug; 'Life Ain't So Pretty', another older composition given some Bones/Hardslug treatment and brought up to speed; 'Girlfriend, Shower, Sleep', a slice of fun by the new 4-piece; and finally a cover of The Saints' 'Erotic Neurotic'.
In addition, The Skulls appeared on three separate tribute compilation CDs released by Cleopatra Records performing covers of AC/DC, Weezer and NOFX tunes.
On realizing this surge of interest, The Skulls did some soul searching, wondering if their recent offerings were valid, bearing in mind they were mostly penned by past members of the band from nearly a quarter of a century before.
Garnering 5 star reviews across the board, it contained 14 completely original songs and captured the energy the band was becoming renowned for in its live performances.
Just as things seemed to be going full tilt, Kevin Preston decided to quit the band to pursue a new project for which he would be front man, called Prima Donna.
Almost immediately, Antillon also quit to pursue projects with The Weirdos, the Generators and other L.A. punk rock outfits with whom he had been filling in over previous months, leaving a big void in the band just prior to another US and European tour.
Guitar duties were filled by Orange County resident Skot Snot and the band embarked on the US leg of their tour, however he was subsequently replaced by L.A. musician Nate Shaw (Duane Peters & The Hunns, etc.)
In 2008, Billy's new band The Billybones released a 7-inch EP, We're Selfish, produced by Kevin Preston, and featuring Prima Donna's Aaron Minton on saxophone on a cover of Roxy Music's Editions of You.
The re-union show was to be at the Galaxy Theatre in Santa Ana California in November but had to be postponed until January 9, 2010, due to Kevin's commitments with Prima Donna on the Green Day tour.
In 2014 The Skulls announced a long-awaited reunion show to feature Billy Bones, Sean Antillon, Kevin Preston and James 'Hardslug' Harding, taking place in Burbank on November 16, 2014.
[1] The movie follows the life of Steven William "Billy Bones" Fortuna and details both the formation and reformation of The Skulls, as well as the band's place in the Los Angeles punk scene.