by Tom Galaraga
Staff Writer
While writing and performing music heavily influenced by ska and its emphasis on the offbeats, seven close friends demonstrate the philosophy that the whole is greater than its parts.
Individually, each member of the band comes from a different background, and carries with him his own respective influences.
However, collectively these seven individuals are known as CodeName: Rocky. “It’s pretty much ska-core, rock with horns backed with a Ska influence,” Bill Adams, trumpet player for CodeName: Rocky said of the sound.
Having been created from the remnants of previous bands, CodeName: Rocky formed in the summer of 1998. Currently the lineup for CodeName: Rocky is: Dan Torres, Matt Fitzgerald, Andrew Baker, Ivan Ibarra, Rich Iwason, Mikey Hamada, and Adams.
The band was originally formed with Torres, Fitzgerald and Iwason, who were previously members of the band Low Pressure, but were looking to start a new side project.
Ibarra, who had no previous experience in a band, soon joined the three of them and began jamming as a four piece, solidifying his status as a founding member.
As they progressed as a band, they took on the name CodeName: Rocky, which was originally taken from the name of a horse at the Santa Anita racetrack.
Looking to expand, they searched for a trombone player and a permanent drummer.
Their drummer would eventually come in the form of Baker, the previous drummer for Grover’s Headache.
Baker, who had originally joined the band as a temporary member, soon had full time status when Grover’s Headache disbanded.
This left CodeName: Rocky without the trombone player that they still wanted.
As a result of their search, they came upon Adams, who had previously played trombone for the band Channel Six. Although they had originally asked him to play trombone, Adams decided to play the trumpet instead.
After playing shows for about a year without a trombone player, the band went into the recording studio and asked longtime friend and trombone player Hamada to lay down a few tracks.
“After recording with Mikey, it was the engineer of the studio who told us we should ask him to join our band, and that we would be stupid if we didn’t,” said Adams.
Although hesitant at first, the members of CodeName: Rocky soon courted Hamada into joining their band, thus completing their lineup.
Having released three previous demo’s and a full length album on Microcosm records entitled “No Time to Waste,” the band quickly began earning recognition for its energy filled live performances.
“If I weren’t a member of CodeName: Rocky and had to choose between listening to our CD or the live show, I would definitely go for the live show,” said Adams. “Our live show has a lot more energy as far as what’s coming out, and it’s orchestrated very well.”
While typically being labeled as “just another ska band,” Adams reports that CodeName: Rocky attempts to play to diverse crowds by playing shows with bands outside of the ska genre.
Codename: Rocky has opened for acts such as Save Ferris, Jughead’s Revenge, Reel Big Fish, Buck-O-Nine and Guttermouth. The group has also performed at Phi Delta Theta Fraternity’s “Survive This” party.
For more information about CodeName: Rocky, visit their official web site at http://codenamerocky.hypermart.net.
