| Johnny Socko | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Bloomington, Indiana, United States |
| Genres | Third wave ska, ska punk, indie rock |
| Years active | 1990 - 2002 |
| Labels | Triple R Records B.I.B., Asian Man Records, Scarab |
| Website | www.johnnysocko.com |
Johnny Socko was an American third wave ska band formed in Bloomington, Indiana in 1990.
The band used to be on Asian Man Records, but have since started their own record label, Triple R Records. They were known as a band that toured heavily, having performed over 2,000 shows since their inception, but are currently on hiatus. They performed their last concert on New Year's Eve 2002. One of their songs, "Full Trucker Effect" is used in its entirety as part of the introduction to the Bubba The Love Sponge show on Sirius Satellite Radio. The band takes its name from Johnny Sokko and his Flying Robot, a 1960s Japanese action television show.
Michael "Trout" Wiltrout, the group's former vocalist, has since formed The Leisure Kings with Sean Baker, as well as providing lead vocals for the bands Mr. Sparkle and The Impalas. Joey Welch, the group's former guitarist, has since formed the Born Again Floozies (Formerly including Charlie Krone as well) and continues to work with the Las Vegas Body Snatchers. Chris Smail, Charlie Krone, and Matt Wilson now play as a punk/powerpop band called Coolidge. Saxophonist Josh Silbert currently plays in the Impalas with Wiltrout and fronts the electronic/experimental band ESW. Eric Evans was the original trumpet player and toured and recorded with the band for the first four years. Before that, he toured internationally with Ringling Brother's Barnum Bailey Circus and on cruise ships. Eric currently plays with a number of current projects including funk/soul outfit The Hollywood Getdown and fronts his funk/jazz group The Raoul Duke Jazz All-Stars.
The original lineup of the band reunited for one night to open the 2009 Broad Ripple Music Fest on October 16, 2009. The performance was very well received and received the top honor in the Indianapolis Star's Metromix reader's poll: http://indianapolis.metromix.com/music/article/top-10-local-shows/1698142/content
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