Jump to content

Sweep the Leg Johnny

From Alfawiki
Adapted from the English Wikipedia article Sweep the Leg Johnny, available under CC BY-SA 4.0Updated 30 November 202514 sources
Sweep the Leg Johnny
Company typeIndie rock group
IndustryMusic
Founded1996
Defunct2002
Headquarters
Chicago
,
United States
ProductsMusic albums and singles

Sweep the Leg Johnny was an American indie rock group established in 1996 and dissolved in 2002. Their sound was a distinctive amalgamation of various musical styles, making it difficult to classify within a single genre.[1][2]

History

Steve Sostak, who played alto saxophone and provided vocals, met guitarist Chris Daly while attending the University of Notre Dame. They previously collaborated in the band Check Engine (1993–1994). After completing their studies, they relocated to Chicago and assembled drummer Scott Anna and bassist Matt Alicea to create Sweep the Leg Johnny; the band's name is inspired by a famous line from The Karate Kid.[3][4] Their earliest releases featured a split single with Streganona and the "New Buffalo" single on Divot Records.[1]

In 1997, they launched 4.9.21.30 through Divot Records.[1] Following this, John Brady, who had been part of Spanakorzo and Swing Kids, replaced Matt Alicea on bass. The band then signed with Southern Records, releasing their sophomore album Tomorrow We Will Run Faster in 1999, which was mastered at London's renowned Abbey Road Studios.[1] In 2000, Sostak and Daly briefly revived Check Engine but soon returned focus to Sweep the Leg Johnny for their third album, Sto Cazzo!, before entering another hiatus.[1][5]

Guitarist Mitch Cheney from Rumah Sakit joined the lineup in 2001,[6] contributing to their final record, Going Down Swingin' (2002). This album combined newly recorded material with reimagined versions of earlier songs.[1][7] Additionally, the original Check Engine debut album was released in January 2002.[8] Throughout their initial active years, Sweep the Leg Johnny performed more than 725 concerts.[7]

After disbanding, Sostak and Brady formed ZZZZ, which issued the album Palm Reader in 2005.[9][10] Chris Daly went on to join Just A Fire and later Haymarket Riot; meanwhile, Mitch Cheney took leadership of GREENESS. The band briefly reunited for a benefit show in Chicago towards the end of 2005.[9] Subsequently, Steve Sostak moved to Peru where he pursued a career in education.[9]

Vocalist Steve Sostak passed away in February 2023 at age 49.[11]

Musical style

According to Allmusic, Sweep the Leg Johnny's music represented a blend of "dissonant rock, progressive music, jazz, noise and punk." The Chicago Tribune described them as "art-punk," highlighting their fusion of art rock intricacy with punk's raw energy and dynamic shifts.[1][6] The Stranger praised their innovative combination of saxophone alongside post-punk guitar work and vocals.[12] The Riverfront Times characterized their sound as indie rock infused with jazz elements featuring complex rhythmic structures.[13] Rick Anderson of Allmusic likened their album Tomorrow We Will Run Faster to a hybrid between the precise musicianship of 1980s King Crimson and the art-punk vigor of Mission of Burma.[14]

Zac Crain from the Dallas Observer underscored the band's reluctance to be boxed into any genre category, emphasizing their unique role within Chicago’s musical landscape.[3]

Discography

Albums

  • 4.9.21.30 (1997), Divot
  • Tomorrow We Will Run Faster (1999), Southern
  • Sto Cazzo! (2000), Southern
  • Live September 9, 2000 (2000), Sickroom – live split with Rumah Sakit
  • Going Down Swingin' (2002), Southern

Singles

  • "Similarities" (1995), The Estate – split with Streganona
  • "New Buffalo" (1996), Divot – b/w "Insomnia Pays"/"In the Shade of the House"
  • "Mental Vehn Diagram" (1998), Choke/Divot – split with Cowpers
  • "Walking Home On The Emergency Bed" (1998), Tree – split with A Minor Forest
  • "Synchronicity I" (2002), Makoto Recordings – split with Haymarket Riot
  • "Transit Must Suffer" on Quarters vol. 2 (2002) – EP featuring Biddy Biddy Biddy, Casket Lottery, and Trocar

External links

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named Howell
  2. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named Franklin
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named Crain
  4. ↑ "South Bend Power Nineties: Sweep the Leg Johnny - Circles All Around".
  5. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named Pace-sc
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named Keough
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named Reid
  8. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named Thompson
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named AP
  10. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named Sterzinger
  11. ↑ "Sweep The Leg Johnny's Steve Sostak Dead At 49". Stereogum. 7 February 2023. Retrieved 7 February 2023.
  12. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named Shepherd
  13. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named Gray
  14. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named Anderson

Related profiles

CCompany of Thieves (band)FFarmer's Daughter (band)LLife Without BuildingsLLove Battery
Retrieved from "https://www.alfawiki.org/index.php?title=Sweep_the_Leg_Johnny&oldid=83634"