Sweep the Leg Johnny does not run this page. I do.
Sweep the Leg Johnny were a Chicago-based post rock band from the late 1990s. The name comes from a line in the film Karate Kid.
Sweep the Leg Johnny were fronted by saxophonist and vocalist Steve Sostak, who decided to from the band after meeting Chris Daly at the University of Notre Dame. They moved to Chicago after graduating (Steve is originally from the Chicago area, Chris is from Portland). Steve tried out many different instruments to accompany Chris's guitar, eventually settling reluctantly on the saxophone. When they returned to America, they tried to recruit other members for the band and found drummer Scott Anna, whose open and free-sounding drum technique went well with Chris's convoluted guitar work, which was based mainly on melodies rather than chords. Sweep acquired Matt Alicea, who played bass on the first record. John Brady was recruited to play bass in late 1998 right after he moved to Chicago from San Diego, just before Sweep went into the studio to record 'Tomorrow We Will Run Faster'. The bass playing is often simplistic in melody, but serves excellently as a pulsing rhythmic accompaniment where otherwise the beat might have been lost in the chaos. Allegedly, the group would rehearse up to 25 hours a week to graft their seamless synchronization in songs, which paid off. Apparently it started when John the band. It started because John had to learn all of the Sweep songs that were already written up to that point in less than two months. . .which wasn't an easy task. They continued on with the heavy practice schedule because it just seemed to fit. .
In 1997 the band released 4.9.21.30 on Divot Records, which was a clean and open sounding album that had a sound similar perhaps to Yes or Slint, but really captured a style of its own encompassing brash speeding rock with much more sensitive slow-paced rock, within songs. The band took individual riffs and developed them within songs, looking at them in different lights, sometimes with vocals and sometimes without. Steve Sostak has said he writes lyrics when things in his life change; in other words he does not write lyrics for songs, as a lot of lyricists in rock bands do, to complete the sound. This relaxed attitude towards music-making allows a lot more freedom than the traditional rock formula, and sometimes requires more attention.
The band's second LP, Tomorrow We Will Run Faster, and subsequent albums, were released on Southern Records. Tomorrow... was mastered at Abbey Road Studios in London. Its five songs are all lengthy progressive songs that develop slowly, maturing, and climaxing fantastically, reminiscent of Godspeed You Black Emperor. Conversely, their third album Sto Cazzo (which means something akin to "f-ck you" in Italian) is a hectically-paced and chaotic frenzy of music which contrasts completely with Tomorrow. The two albums were released very close together, and Tomorrow 's dark navy cover and Sto Cazzo 's deep red one obviously portray the styles performed within. Sto Cazzo contains some of the most engaging rock music produced; furiously fast-paced, constantly changing, angry, and amazingly tight and synchronised, with songs flowing into one another seamlessly, this captures the essence of Sweep.
After Sto Cazzo, guitarist Mitch Cheney of Rumah Sakit joined the band. He played in a dissonant and wandering style that constrasted well with the clean-cut interplay of the sax and guitar already there, to produce a very epic sound for their final LP, Goin' Down Swinging. The album's opening sax riff leads into the epic "Sometimes My Balls Feel Like Tits", which combines the chaotic rollercoaster variety of Sto Cazzo with the slowly maturing progressive sound of Tomorrow, and to some, it is the height of Sweep's career. With the addition of Cheney, the group also decided to repair and modernise two of their older songs, "Rest Stop" and "The Blizzard of 99", which are both made the more stunning with the addition of guitar, and the added energy they receive. Mitch also did the artwork for their last album, which features a bloodthirsty knight on horseback being lowered into some unseen battlefield.
As of Late:
The band broke up some time after making their last album, having toured to excruciating lengths, and to some extent, made a conquest of the genre. Steve Sostak and Chris Daly collaborated on a short lived band called Check Engine. Steve Sostak and John Brady created ZZZZ, a mystical musical group that carries some of the open-ended experimentation of Sweep, but with keys rather than guitars. ZZZZ is no longer a functioning band. John quit the band when he became too busy with work and school. ZZZZ continued on briefly with another bass player, but ultimately called it quits shortly before Steve moved to Lima, Peru. He flew south at the beginning of 2006 with his wife. The two of them are teaching at a school down there. Chris Daly was in a group with members of June of 44 and Hoover called Just A Fire, and Mitch Cheney is in a project called GREENESS; find out more on his Myspace page.
Sweep briefly reformed for a benefit gig in Chicago near the end of 2005, but have no immediate plans to make any more music together.
Mrs. Gowanus, the line between us is so fine
What makes people act the way they do?
Mrs. Gowanus, this bar will be forever ours
Why did you have to leave us so soon?
It couldn’t have been the right time
It couldn’t have been so soon
Mrs. Gowanus, the lines between us are so fine
What secrets do you hide?
What futures can you tell me?
Looking into the cup you hold
Mrs. Gowanus, are you really so old,
That you alone know,
When the truth becomes lies,
Through the passage of time?
Mrs. Gowanus, why are you singing to the stones?
Do they tell you what you need to know?
Our seats are so far away
Mrs. Gowanus, the line between us is so fine
What makes people act the way they do?
Mrs. Gowanus, are we really losing you?
Continued gigantic thanks for maintaining this tribute page.
Look. I'm staring down the barrel at 50 years old and have actively searched out music that tickles my guts forever.
STLJ is a band I missed during their heyday go-round, and if my old limbs could reach it, I'd kick myself in the forehead for missing seeing them live.
HOLY COUSIN OF CREPES CORVETTE!!! These MTHRFKRS kick the ass of the universe.
If I was a rich man, I'd pay 50,000 American dollahs to have them reunite and play a gig in my awesomely gigantic (104.335 acres) back yard.
Thanks for keeping this page going. I send friends—old and new—here all the time.
Back int the mid-late 90's, my bandmate Ed and I stumbled into Cheers in Miami on a slow sunday night to see who was there, and this band with the funniest name, Sweep The Leg Johnny was playing the only saxophone drenched hardcore around. We hung out with you guys after your set and y'all were really cool guys. You gave us t-shirts, posters and a seven inch. That show was the subject of some hot talk here in SoFla for some time after that. Though you guys are no more, I still think you're tunes are the stuff of legends. Much love and good luck in whatever y'all do! Tony
there are very few things i miss about one of my exes, one of them being i never got my sweep shirt back from him... spite!!!! even after all these years one would figure that i would take better care of my shat!!!! i also miss his dog, and my copies of a simian cd and the little prince...
We had nothing else, standing in circles Left battlements growing in the dirt Drawing lines between us Tracing ellipses and squares And yet we convinced ourselves That there was nothing wrong We put up divisions to the sky Whispered from one ear to another That there was no other But knew it was all a lie And for that the blame is on you It was the trust laid out between us We believed in you
Sultry goddess, you spin the stars above us Bring questions to our answers Your prophesies sealing fates for use at a better time And no one is left alone By the cool grey cloth that fall between us Charts telling truths only you could see The patterns in the sky weaving A taste of clouds building, dangerous Vigil candles burning through the night We believed in you
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