Sweep The Leg Johnny

Sweep the Leg Johnny was formed in Chicago by Chris Daly (guitar), Mitch Cheney (vocals and guitar), Matt Alicea (bass), Scott Anna (drums) and Steve Sostak (saxophone). They debuted with 4 9 21 30 (Divot, 1997) indulges in dissonance and in jazzy time signatures. The instrumental Shower Scene, the rugged The Thought Of One's Own Death, the deranged blues of In The Shade Of The House, and the eight-minute Inspection Area (which weds minimalist repetition with the frenzy of punk-rock before imploding in a mellow jazz jam) are promising, but too much is amateurish. The vocals are by far the weakest element.

Tomorrow We Will Run Faster (Southern, 1999) featured new bassist John Brady, who had been in San Diego's emo-core band Spanakorzo that released Drama (Wrenched, 1997). The eight-minute opener, Early October, is a good summary of their influences: Slint, Sonic Youth, Minutemen, and prog-rock of the Henry Cow school. The seven-minute Las Cruses offers an interesting take on minimalist repetition. The 15-minute Rest Stop is a suite in three parts: a very slow catatonic jamming, a noisy rave-up led by the sax and a crazed funeral march. The vocals are still a major distraction.

Sto Cazzo (2000) tried to bring some order to the proceedings, some method to the madness. The chaotic mayhem of The Fine Wrinkles; We Have All Of Them sounds like Borbetomagus jamming with a bad singer, the three-minute instrumental That Than Which Nothing Greater Can Be, enahanced by sound effects, summarizes their aesthetic better than the lengthy ten-minute Columbus Day, which has moments of pathos but wastes them in its up-and-down structure. The punk-ish energy Bloodlines is a welcome interlude. The seven-minute dirge The Blizzard Of 1999 manages well the transition from desolation to tragic tension.

The ambition of Going Down Swingin' (Southern, 2002) vastly exceeds the capabilities of the band. The 14-minute Sometimes My Balls Feel Like Tits doesn't justify its duration, and the singing here is almost reduced to spoken word. But that's nothing compared with the 15 minutes of Rest Stop, largely spent in an unmusical litany and in childish collective romps.

Cheney formed Rumah Sakit that released Rumah Sakit (Temporary Residence, 2000) and Obscured By Clowns (Sickroom, 2002). He later formed Hey!Tonal that released Hey!Tonal (Africantape, 2009).

Daly joined Haymarket Riot, founded by singer-guitarist Kevin Frank and bassist Fred Popolo that had debuted with Bloodshot Eyes (Thick, 2001). Daly was on their albums Mog (Thick, 2005) and Endless Bummer (Divot, 2009), the latter featuring new drummer Brian Wnukowski. Daly then formed the power-trio Just A Fire that released Light Up (Asian Man, 2004) and Spanish Time (Sickroom, 2006).