Still Jumpin'

Two Bloomington residents, Joshua Silbert and Dylan Wissing, formed a band in 1983, which later evolved into Johnny Socko. They have been enjoying a wild ride ever since.\nSilbert and Wissing were friends before they attended the IU School of Music where Siblert studied saxophone and Wissing was a Jazz Studies major. \nSiblert says Bloomington was a great place for a band to begin. \n"It is a great place for musicians because you get the formally educated musicians and the self-taught southern Indiana rockers," Silbert says. "Interesting things happen when you mix formally educated musicians and self-taught ones."\nJohnny Socko made its debut on Halloween in 1990 with Silbert playing saxophone and Wissing behind the band on the drums. The band has evolved a lot since then, but the commitment to putting on a good live show remains its focus. \n The show is always important for a band that has been known to open for themselves as a Journey cover band or as Auto Bon Jovi, a techno tribute band to Bon Jovi. Johnny Socko has also performed songs from the "Flash Gordon" movie soundtrack on stage.\n"I think some things have stayed the same, the energy of the live show is still the same," Wissing says. "We are always trying to have a lot of energy at the show."\nSince its debut, Johnny Socko has played over 2,000 live shows and sold 20,000 copies of its four studio albums. Johnny Socko is a traveling band whose fan base has evolved with near constant touring.\n"(We are) proud to make a living as original artists, making music has been our full- time living for a decade." Wissing says.\nThey are also proud of their roots as a Bloomington band. Some of their most memorable shows have been on the stage of the Bluebird. \n"The most fun show in Bloomington was last year; we were playing at the Bluebird when we recorded the show that became the first discs of our Double Live record," Wissing says. "It was amazing; we played three encores and were on stage past three in the morning." \nIn the midst of all its touring, the band has produced four studio albums, has been featured on the soundtrack to MTV's "Undressed" and released two live albums. With the latest being the 2000 release Quatro. The band is currently working with New Jersey based producer, Ken Lewis on its fifth studio album.\nLewis, the band's current producer is a veteran sound engineer. He has worked with many major recording artists ranging from Diana Ross to Public Enemy to Soul Asylum.\n"It has been an amazing experience working with him; he has 21 gold and platinum records, and four Grammy nominations." Wissing says about working with Lewis. "We can worry about being musicians and don't have to worry about producing the record. He is a sounding board for ideas and tells us what works and what doesn't. This is the most excited we have ever been as a band."\nWissing says the best part of working with a producer is having an outside, open ear for writing music.\nLewis is as excited about working with the band as the band is about working with him. \n"I think I can get them a record deal, if I didn't I wouldn't be involved with them." Lewis says. "The album should be out in late September. It will be far and away the best record they have ever done."\nLewis believes Socko achieves its own unique brand of music with its recent recordings. \n"I think they have crafted such an original sound," Lewis says. "The amount of sound these guys can produce and the berth of the style they can produce is amazing. It is a special thing and I don't think I have heard it in any other artist."\nThe band and their producer are expecting big things from there current venture, and Lewis is confident in Johnny Socko's ability. \n"This album is going to be big and as good as any big label produced album being made right now," Lewis says.\nThe album itself is a departure for the bands usual sound. \n"The style of the music is leaning a bit more rock and roll, there is a heavier side to this album," Lewis says. "The musicality is amazing with the band."\nSilbert says the new album further differentiates Socko from other bands.\n"I'm listening to the album for the first time, and I would not call us a regular rock 'n' roll band." Silbert says. "It is really dense, and takes in a lot of modern sounds and technology, but (with) some of the grooves you can tell we've been listening to music all our lives,"\nFor ten years, four albums and 2000 shows, Johnny Socko has continued to rock, and from the looks of things, the band won't soon stop.