Starting with Sockeye

In 1992, Sockeye had already become the first noticeable band of Kent’s underground.

“Everyone would go to Sockeye shows, just to see what they would do,” says Derek Erdman, lead singer for bass heavy punk band The Kill City Babies and an English major of Kent State at the time, “They were the forefathers of the scene.”

With songs such as “Barf on a Globe,” “Pizza with Ulysses S. Grant on it” and cassette-only releases such as “Your Mother Downey Junior,” Sockeye became one of those rare bands to fuse sophistication with toilet humor.

Their lyrics, not to mention the music, were one big joke on themselves, society and their fans. Unfortunately, most of the more colorful Sockeye lyrics are unsuitable for publication, but a song such as “Wang Boutonnière” displays their mix of non-sequitur lyrics that would invade the Kent aesthetic for years to come, emphatically stating, “You’ve got a wang for a boutonnière! You’ve got a boutonnière…It’s your dork!”

“They were half man, half monkey, half robot. That’s 150 percent.”

Perhaps the most horrifying aspect of Sockeye’s history is that by 1995 some of the former members were educating America’s youth.

“By 1995 they were all done with school and teaching,” Joel McAdams, former singer/guitarist for Harriet the Spy says, “that was sort of the tail end of Sockeye. They would play in the basement of Mama Joe’s [on the corner of College and Willow streets] or at the Mantis.”

Cory Race of Party of Helicopters gives his favorite examples of Sockeye’s influence. “What do we do with the Drunken Sailor? by Party of Helicopters. Cum Stomache by Harriet the Spy. Those are classics. Can’t say a lot of them,” Race says. “The prospective album title for “New” Terror Class was ‘Cures for Lesbianism and Other Miracles’. To think that came from someone’s brain who I know just amazes me.”

Then there were the bizarre side projects such as the Mecha Mankees.

“They were half man, half monkey, half robot.” Race says. “That’s 150 percent.”

The creative process of Kent bands is unique to the area, as well.

“The song is never about what the title is.” Race says. “That’s sort of a Kent trademark. Not much has changed there.”

Derek Erdman of Kill City babies confirms. “There were always the best titles and band names. I don’t know if it had something to do with being from Kent, but how could a band like Sockeye come from Kent?”

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