CodeName: Rocky “Killing The Chemist”

Orange County, CA – SoCal Ska-Punk vets Codename: Rocky have announced a new album titled “Foundation” due to arrive on all streaming platforms on Friday July 19th via Wiretap Records. Until then, the band has graced us with the 2nd single off the upcoming album, a track called “Killing The Chemist” featuring Brenna Red of the Last Gang that hits all streaming platforms Friday June 7th.

Justin Picon of Codename: Rocky says “The song was inspired by my sister-in-law (Christina) & her husband (Jeff). Jeff is a Marine that served in Desert Shield & Desert Storm in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait under the first Bush. I actually wrote the song in 2016 when I found out Christina was diagnosed with breast cancer… I used Jeff’s actual war experience to create the metaphor for Christina’s upcoming cancer battle & the fight she was about to face. Couldn’t be happier that Christina has since kicked cancers ass & is now in remission.

When we were demoing the song, I felt like it was missing something… then I thought, “What better way to honor a strong, badass woman than to add a strong, badass woman to the track”, and instantly Brenna came to mind. Working with her was great & when she showed up to record, she absolutely crushed it.

Fun fact: Brenna is also on all the background tracks on the new EP. We were fortunate to have not only her doing backgrounds, but Bruce Zebal from Empired as well. Oh, and the guitar solo on the track… that’s my dad!!”

Codename: Rocky released the single “Little Devil” in March of this year, that also featured guest vocals, that one from Tahlena Chikami, lead singer of Bite Me Bambi. “Little Devil” will also appear on the band’s upcoming album “Foundation”.

Birthed from a garage in Pico Rivera in 1998, Codename: Rocky sought to bring their sing-along, heavily punk-influenced ska to as many people as they possibly could, as often as they could. Through playing countless live shows with some of the ska scene’s biggest and best bands, they quickly became a household name in the Southern California punk-ska scene.

Comprised of ex-members of notable ska & punk bands such as, Channel Six, Low Pressure, Grovers, Exit Smiling, and Cry Havoc, to name a few, Codename: Rocky played relentlessly until their break up in 2005. During that period, they released two records: NO TIME TO WASTE and INFINITY, which have since become Southern California punk-ska classics.

Fast forward to 2012: Codename: Rocky’s original singer / songwriter, Daniel Torres, brought the gang back together with a creation of a new single, “Mile Markers”. The sheer catchiness of the song reminded the guys how much they loved jamming together and hanging out, inspiring them to reunite, write and release a new record entitled Reboot in 2016.

To everyone’s chagrin, Torres exited the band IN 2017, for personal reasons and Codename: Rocky was fortunate enough to bring in longtime friend and fan of the band, Justin Picon, formerly of Eve of Destruction, as the new front man. Along with the addition of Picon, the band scored by bringing Matthew Montoya, formerly of Cry Havoc, into the fold on guitar. The line-up was set.

When the world had stopped due to COVID-19 IN 2020, Codename: Rocky seized the opportunity to write a new album’s worth of material. With rhythm tracks being created by Montoya and bassist, Matt Fitzgerald, Picon and drummer, Drew Baker, worked tirelessly in their rehearsal space / studio to put words and melodies to the constant influx of new jams. The collaborative effort continued as Ivan Ibarra (Sax), Phil Larra (Trombone), Bill Adams (Trumpet), and Rich Iwason (Trumpet) worked together to create some sweet-ass horn licks for the new material.

Amalgamated as a unit, Codename: Rocky stepped into the studio in 2021 to begin tracking the first portion of their new material with producer, Paul Miner. In 2022, the band signed with LA based label Wiretap Records, to release their EP “Blueprint”, marking their first new music in over 6 years, following 2016’s album Reboot.

Codename Rocky will release a follow up EP “Foundation” out Friday July 19th on Wiretap Records.

-Official bio