Something Involving A Monkey

SOMETHING INVOLVING A MONKEY was started as a concept ironic group back in the summer months of 2010 when veteran Cleveland musicians, Todd Ankrom, Joe Petrich & Brian (BeZo) Zorich joined forces. The main focus was to write creative, unique, genre crossing music, with a dash of sarcastic humor, that would send the listener all over the map of ear entertainment. Vanilla is for ice cream, not for music, was and still is their motto. Gigging for this band started in 2011 and the band experienced success as they traveled throughout Ohio and western PA. Live shows showcased the members multi-tasking talents as crowds watched them juggle multiple instruments at once. Songs ranged in topic about gaudy star-lights to pudding on ones face. Often describe as Primus mashed with System of a Down, this does not completely encompass the group.

Unfortunately, on a December 30th, 2011 show opening for Cleveland’s own Mushroomhead, tragedy struck the band when drummer Todd Ankrom collapsed suffering a massive cardiac arrest due to an unbeknownst enlarged heart. This shelved the band and the recording of their first full length album, as they collected themselves and pursued filling the very big shoes of their fallen bandmate. By summer of 2012, they had recruited Nick Ritz onto drums, immediately relearning the tunes and recording, that fall, their debut full-length “The Wasteland”. This album would end up being a concept disc poking fun of the obscure nature of television play and media propaganda. It also served as a memorial to the bands fallen drummer.

Over the course of the next couple years, Something Involving A Monkey would reach out regionally, touring in all the neighboring states of Ohio. Some of the groups SIAM have had the esteemed honor of opening and performing with have included Polkadot Cadaver, Psychostick, Green Jelly, Between the Buried and Me, Stolen Babies, Dog Fashion Disco and Downtown Brown as well as many other regional and local acts. Their knack at tailoring each of their live sets to the audience, while still maintaining their humor and spastic showmanship, often would set them apart from many of the groups they performed with. It wasn’t long until they had enough support to endeavor onto their second full-length.

At the end of 2014, and with much crowdfunding support, Something Involving A Monkey began recording their sophomore release “Dive Into the Great Blue Waffle”. A hyper, high anxiety recording that received high marks in the underground community, especially for being self-promoted through their new label, Misfit Toy Records. The album was released in May of 2015 and extensive live performances would follow over the summer. Unfortunately, as 2015 closed, Nick Ritz left the band and SIAM was once again left finding a new drummer.

A couple of shows were played with fill ins, as SIAM began its search for a new skinsmen. Ultimately, Scott Benedict would join the fold in the fall of 2016, hailing from past local and national groups, such as Madman Mundt, The Vivians and Pere Ubu. Once again fully armed, SIAM immediately went to task in writing new music, and most importantly, gigging out. Quickly they found themselves stretching even further, regionally. October 2017 brought the band to another milestone, as they released their 3rd album, a Halloween themed gem “Trick or Treat”. Once again, unashamed to experiment with new sounds, humor and irony, Something Involving A Monkey has once again started to thrill audiences with their live shows, multi-instrumental approach and driving, experimental sound.