"You forget you're listening to an Aerosmith or Ozzy Osbourne song and just appreciate the music," Harlow said.
The trio just began its first tour, which kicked off this week in Boston, Skolnick said. With only a few preliminary performances, Skolnick said he was unsure as to how most people will take to his brand of jazz, though responses have already been positive for him and the trio.
"I think the crowds are great," Skolnick said. "We're a new thing, so this is how we introduce ourselves to the crowds."
Skolnick said he was especially excited to bring the music to college campuses because of how open-minded and enthusiastic students are to hear new directions in music. Harlow agreed with this, adding Penn State has traditionally had a large amount of guitar fans that might recognize Skolnick from his former projects.
Though new to touring with the Trio, Skolnick is far from a newcomer to performing and being in a band. While still in high school, the budding guitarist joined the speed metal group Testament. Over a few years during the mid-1980s, the band recorded five albums and toured with some of the biggest names in metal at the time, such as Judas Priest and Slayer.
Amid the success of Testament though, Skolnick said he was still evolving as a guitar player. He discovered jazz music and began to stray from his rock roots.
"I realized I didn't want to just play heavy metal," Skolnick said.
That new drive motivated Skolnick to enroll at the New School University in New York and earn his degree in jazz performance. He also began playing in local clubs and obscure venues, he said, and would even occasionally find people who recognized him from his former projects.
"I found people that enjoyed me playing jazz, and they themselves were former metal-heads," Skolnick said. "That really inspired me."
Challenging the traditional jazz standards, Skolnick said he liked drawing from his metal background and using that to fuse a new technique. The energy between the two genres, though different, is still there and can be used to overlap the styles, Skolnick said.
His experience with both musical styles gives him an advantage, which he finds crucial to succeed at the conglomeration of the two sounds. "I like to think that this could only be done by someone who lived this music," Skolnick said.
