San Diego Reader

Tony De Locht: Bass guitar | William Riley: Guitar (acoustic), Guitar (electric) | Ernie Longoria: Drums, Percussion | Steve Summers: Vocals | Mike Summers: Guitar (acoustic), Guitar (electric) | Frank Melendez: Guitar (acoustic), Guitar (electric)

Genre: Alternative, Pop, Rock

Sound description: Alternative pop rock.

RIYL: Incubus, Accident Experiment, Kemistry

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Related Links

• Sprung Monkey website

• "Harley-Davidson's Patriotic Parking Lot Party" · Oct. 18, 2012

• Of Note · Sept. 24, 2008

• "Big Label Blues" · Aug. 20, 2008

• "Resprung Monkeys" · June 2, 2005

Synoposis

Inception: San Diego, 1991

Influences: Sublime, Everclear, Incubus, Accident Experiment, MediaLab, Unwritten Law, Sator Square, Mower, Psychotic Waltz, Kemistry

Background:

Sprung Monkey have been hittin' it hard for a decade. From the early days of selling CDs (over 30,000) out of their trunk to their breakout success on MTV, Sprung has kept true to their sound -- melodic yet crunchy, poppy yet kick-ass. Through the years, Sprung has become a staple in the Xtreme arena -- appearing on the Vans Warped Tour, ESPN's X-Games, and contributing tunes to many surf, skate, and snowboarding films.

"We sold around 350,000 albums [worldwide]," says Sprung Monkey drummer and cofounder Ernie Longoria. "We cracked the Top 20 on Billboard's Modern Rock chart. We got MTV play."

Originally active from 1991 to 2002, Sprung Monkey scored radio hits like "Get 'em Outta Here," "Naked," and "What's That You Say," before disbanding for several years.

"I guess we were missing something," says bassist Longoria. "Maybe it was the timing factor. We ran out of juice. We needed a break." Longoria and bassist Tony De Locht have been active with former P.O.D. guitarist Marco Curiel in Accident Experiment. Longoria says Accident Experiment is "...still on full force."

Sprung Monkey reunited for a few shows in 2005, with new recordings in 2006. They remain extant, if somewhat inactive. Besides Accident Experiment, members and ex-members of Sprung Monkey have also played with Unwritten Law and Media Lab.

Steve Summers (vocals) and Mike Summers (guitar) and Tony De Locht also play in Kemistry, formed in late 2006. Frank Melendez (guitar) formed the experimental noise band Riververb. The band reunited to play with P.O.D. and Jon Goodhue on October 13, 2012, at San Diego Harley-Davidson in Kearny Mesa.

Discography