Allmusic described their sound as a combination of "dissonant rock, progressive music, jazz, noise and punk", while the Chicago Tribune described the band as " art-punk", stating that the band "combines the complexity of art rock, the sledgehammer forcefulness of punk, brooding melodies and countless hours of toil into one of the city's most distinctive sounds", describing their music as "a roller-coaster ride of jarring guitar riffs and blaring free jazz saxophone, abruptly changing time signatures and dramatic, dynamic shifts". Sweep the Leg Johnny combined elements of a number of styles and genres into a sound that was not easily categorized. Sostak subsequently relocated to Peru where he worked as a teacher. Sweep the Leg Johnny also reformed for a benefit gig in Chicago near the end of 2005. Mitch Cheney is in a project called GREENESS. Chris Daly joined a group with members of June of 44 and Hoover called Just A Fire, and currently plays in Haymarket Riot. Īfter the band split up, Steve Sostak and John Brady also played in the band ZZZZ, which released one album in 2005, Palm Reader. The band played over 725 shows during their original time together.
The debut Check Engine album, meanwhile, was released in January 2002. The album featured re-recordings of older songs as well as new material. Guitarist Mitch Cheney of Rumah Sakit joined the band in 2001, appearing on their final album Going Down Swingin', released in 2002.
The band again went on hiatus as Stosak and Daly concentrated on Check Engine. Stosak and Daly re-formed Check Engine in 2000 but returned to Sweep the Leg Johnny with their third album Sto Cazzo! (the title an obscenity in Italian) which followed later that year. was mastered at Abbey Road Studios in London. The band then signed to Southern Records for their second album Tomorrow We Will Run Faster, released in 1999. Following this, Matt Alicea left and was replaced by John Brady, formerly of Spanakorzo and Swing Kids. In 1997, the band released 4.9.21.30 on Divot Records. Their first releases were a split single with Streganona and the "New Buffalo" single, released on Divot Records. The two relocated to Chicago after graduating, where they recruited drummer Scott Anna and bass guitarist Matt Alicea, forming Sweep the Leg Johnny. Alto saxophonist and vocalist Steve Sostak and guitarist Chris Daly met while attending the University of Notre Dame, where they played together in Check Engine between 19.