I Voted for Kodos (often abbreviated IV4K) was an American
ska punk and
pop punk
Pop punk (or punk pop) is a rock music genre that combines elements of punk rock with power pop or pop. It is defined for its emphasis on classic pop songcraft, as well as adolescent and anti-suburbia themes, and is distinguished from other pu ...
band, signed to Snapdragon Records.
History
The band was founded in
Madison, Wisconsin
Madison is the county seat of Dane County and the capital city of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census the population was 269,840, making it the second-largest city in Wisconsin by population, after Milwaukee, and the 80th-lar ...
in 1999, after the singer-trombonist Rick Bisenius met the guitarist Chris Holdoya at a
Reel Big Fish
Reel Big Fish is an American ska punk band from Orange County, California. The band gained mainstream recognition in the mid-to-late 1990s during the third wave of ska with the release of the gold-certified album ''Turn the Radio Off''. Soon af ...
concert.
They began playing together when they were in high school and college. The band's name comes from ''
The Simpsons
''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical depiction of American life, epitomized by the Simpson family, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, ...
'' episode "
Treehouse of Horror VII
"Treehouse of Horror VII" is the first episode of the eighth season of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons''. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on October 27, 1996. In the seventh annual ''Treehouse of ...
", in which
Homer Simpson
Homer Jay Simpson is a fictional character and the main protagonist of the American animated sitcom ''The Simpsons''. He is voiced by Dan Castellaneta and first appeared, along with the rest of his family, in ''The Tracey Ullman Show'' short "G ...
says "Don't blame me — ''I'' voted for
Kodos." Although known for their tongue-in-cheek material (they have noted that celery is the band's official vegetable), their song lyrics have also tackled serious issues such as murder and teenage depression.
Their first album, ''
Close Enough for Ska'', is considered the success story of a small independent record label, Close to Nothing, which was founded by three teenagers. The band later signed with Snapdragon Records from
Milwaukee
Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at the 2020 census, Milwaukee is ...
and released ''My New Obsession''. Snapdragon Records later re-released all IV4K albums and a "compilation of unreleased and best of" songs.
The band members began shows with informal instruction on how to
skank so that the audience would appreciate the style of dance associated with ska music.
They toured nationally from 2003-2006, and were placed number 7 in
PureVolume
PureVolume (formerly Unborn Media) was a website for uploading and streaming of music files, the first independently run of its type. PureVolume was created by Unborn Media, Inc; Mitchell Pavao; Brett Woitunski; and Nate Hudson, all from the Univer ...
's top ten unsigned bands in the US. The band played the 2004–2006
Vans Warped Tour
The Warped Tour was a traveling rock tour that toured the United States plus three or four stops in Canada annually each summer from 1995 until 2019. It was the largest traveling music festival in the United States and the longest-running touring ...
s, and the music critic Joe Lynch described their 2006 performance as "freewheeling and energetic". During a separate national tour in early 2006, one music journalist wrote that the band "uses a hot horn section, plenty of guitar and on-the-mark lyrics to fuel a high-energy show."
The band stopped working together in 2007, although Bisenius and Holdoya continued to collaborate on a new band, Firefight, and Bisenius began a solo project, The Faster We Fall.
On Nov. 30th 2013, the band played in Madison, WI and released a
7" called "Dear Chris Demakes, I'm Also Never Going Back to New Jersey." I Voted for Kodos had a successfully funded
Kickstarter
Kickstarter is an American public benefit corporation based in Brooklyn, New York, that maintains a global crowdfunding platform focused on creativity. The company's stated mission is to "help bring creative projects to life". As of July 2021, ...
on July 31, 2014 to record an
E.P. called "Start Your Own Scene."
Also in 2014, the band played shows in New York and Madison, WI.
Line up
* Rick Bisenius (1999–2007) – lead vocals, trombone, alto saxophone (2005, 2013), tenor saxophone (2000), Moog, piano
* Lee Gordon (1999-2007) -
mellophone
The mellophone is a brass instrument typically pitched in the key of F, though models in E, D, C, and G (as a bugle) have also historically existed. It has a conical bore, like that of the euphonium and flugelhorn. The mellophone is used as the m ...
, backing vocals, rhythm guitar, French horn (2003-2007), synthesizer
* Nick Rydell (1999–2004, 2007) - alto saxophone, tenor saxophone (2003-2004)
* Tyler Christensen (2004-2007) - lead guitar, backing vocals
* Chris Holoyda (1999-2004, 2007) - lead guitar, synthesizer
* Ross Gilliland (1999-2005, 2007) - bass guitar, upright bass
* Troy Riechenberger (2004-2005, 2007) - drums
Past members
* Dave Bartov (2000–2003) - trumpet
* Tom Kaboski (2000–2003) - tenor saxophone
* Andrew "Dafe" Fenton (2000–2004) - lead guitar
* Calum Lugton (2004–2006) - lead guitar, alto saxophone, backing vocals
* Mo Ollig (2004-2005) - bass guitar
* Seamus Arena (2005-2006) - bass guitar
* Michael Pulling (2006–2007) - bass guitar, keyboards,
theremin
The theremin (; originally known as the ætherphone/etherphone, thereminophone or termenvox/thereminvox) is an electronic musical instrument controlled without physical contact by the performer (who is known as a thereminist). It is named afte ...
,
Mellotron
The Mellotron is an electro-mechanical musical instrument developed in Birmingham, England, in 1963. It is played by pressing its keys, each of which pushes a length of magnetic tape against a capstan, which pulls it across a playback head. A ...
* Andrew Anderson (1999–2003) - keyboards, piano, trumpet
* Paul Reinke (1999–2004) - drums
* David Gage (2005-2006) - drums
Touring members
* Brian Lee (1999) - alto saxophone
* Aaron Joneson (2000) - tenor saxophone
* Tim Ford (2000–2001) - drums
* Keith Cronin (2001–2002) - bass guitar
* Dustin Frost (2004) - trombone
* Andy Christoffersen (2004) - drums
* Adam Dettwiler (2004) - bass guitar
* Jim Bower (2005) - trombone
* Rick Reichenberger (2005) - bass guitar, keyboards
* Jeremy Braband (2005–2006) - bass guitar
* Tim Lappin (2006) - bass guitar
* Devin Munson (2005) - drums
* JT Turret (2005–2006) - keyboards
* Andrew Singer (2006) - bass guitar
Timeline
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Discography
Albums
* 2000: ''
Close Enough For Ska'' (Close to Nothing. Re-released on Snapdragon Records 2008)
* 2006: ''
My New Obsession'' (Snapdragon Records)
EPs
* 2003: ''
Not Penis Cream'' (Classic Filth. Re-released on Snapdragon Records 2008)
* 2013: ''Dear Chris Demakes, I'm Also Never Going Back to New Jersey''
* 2014: ''
Start Your Own Scene''
Compilations
* 2000: ''Wiskansin: Skankin' Til the Cows Come Home'' (Trapdoor Records)
* 2003: ''Kicked Squat in the Nuts'' (Danger Zone Records)
* 2006: ''Best of Minnesota Punk & Ska Compilation''
* 2007: ''If You Can't Make It Big.....Just Give Up!'' (Snapdragon Records)
References
External links
I Voted for Kodosofficial site
I Voted for Kodoson
MySpaceI Voted for Kodoson
Discogs
Discogs (short for discographies) is a database of information about audio recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. While the site was originally created with a goal of becoming the la ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:I Voted For Kodos
Post–third wave ska groups
Musical groups from Wisconsin
American ska musical groups
American ska punk musical groups