Artist description High-steppin' brass riffs, funk bass lines and classic punk guitar fused with mezmorizing percussion, Idiot Box's energetic songs are inspirational, entertaining, and genuine. They appeal to many musically diverse crowds.

Music Style Ska fused with funk, punk, rock, reggae, and a touch of swing

Musical Influences rock, punk, funk, reggae, ska, rock-a-billy, swing

Similar Artists Mighty Mighty Bosstones, No Doubt, Squirrel Nut Zippers, Save Ferris, Reel Big Fish, Less Than Jake

Artist History Idiot Box began as a vague, ill-formed idea of Patrick Gary in the fall of 1998. As an accomplished brass musician, rock stardom seemed an impossible undertaking. When the Ska phenomenon swept the country, Pat swept through the SMU Mustang Band Hall in search of muscians with a palette for punk and an appetite for lunacy. Originally formed as "Sock", the eight piece band began to fuse their wide-variety of musical talent into their own stereophonic interpretation of new-wave-punk-a-billy-swingin' Ska.

Group Members Current members: Patrick Gary (trombone); Ryan Hughes (guitar); Blake McElroy (drums); Travis Baker (bass); Scott Bellina (vocals); Charles Jones (bari-sax); Michael Capps (tenor sax); Former members: Chris Simms (vocals); Scott Langley (trumpet); Jessica Walker (trumpet); John Calixto (sax); Josh Estes (trumpet)

Instruments vocals, guitar, bass, drums, trumpet, trombone, bari-sax, tenor sax

Albums Lime Green El Camino

Press Reviews Dallas GuideLive Review: "Idiot Box, Dallas' sons of ska, hits the stage with a strong horn section, talented strings, a drummer with style and a singer whose vocals can turn heads. This high energy group keeps the crowd pleased with an eclectic selection of covers and original works. The twist – all covers are converted into ska, and only one of their original songs, because of its funk feel, falls outside of the ska realm in which the band excels. Lots of energy combined with excellent musicianship makes this band a must see." Dallas Music Review: "Was it raining Friday night? I could have sworn it was clear and even a little breezy, but you couldn’t tell from the crowds in Deep Ellum. Why, you ask? Because there were no crowds. The place was as dead as I have ever seen it. That said, I still enjoyed myself and got a kick out of seeing a cool local band. Idiot Box is difficult to classify; they play cover songs, and their original music is very ska in feeling. These boys put on a good show. Their sound is unique and familiar all at the same time. From "Video Killed the Radio Star" to "I Think We’re Alone Now", you will be singing along and kicking yourself for wanting to. Idiot Box even does a cover of "Amie" by Pure Prairie League – just a bit faster than you might be used to from the original version.My personal favorite is their cover of "Can You Picture That?" Yes, that’s right, from The Muppet Movie. It is by far the most original cover going, probably anywhere. Aside from their cover tunes, the band also performed some original music that really highlighted the talents of the brass section. Idiot Box’s sound reminds me a lot of the Mighty Mighty Bosstones, so if you love that band, you will really, really enjoy listening to Idiot Box. Unfortunately, the show was plagued with a cheap PA, and the sound was not always good - the background vocals were almost completely inaudible.  Still, they put on a great show, and Fat Ted’s is such a fun place to hang out. If you can catch Idiot Box some weekend, I highly recommend it."  - Rebecca Stuart, dallasmusic.com Reviewer

Location Dallas, TX - USA

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