Sandy McKnight and The Idea began when Sandy had an idea: the idea was to make accessible pop music with lots of harmonies and great songs (similar to The Beatles). The band is unabashedly fun and melodic and all the unhip things a band can be. Sandy McKnight and The Idea is a power pop trio which is blowing minds with super memorable, hook-laden tunes, and a dynamic stage presence that takes one back to the sweat-soaked nights at the Marquee Club in 1960s London. This an exciting pop band with memorable tunes, great harmonies, and a dynamic stage presentation. If you like bands like The Who, The Raspberries, Badfinger or The Kinks, you get the idea! Dave Michaels of EXIT 97.7 says: "It was great rock n' roll! Loved the set! You guys really sounded hot!"
Sandy McKnight has been writing and performing his own songs since 1968. Critics have finally begun discovering his work, and are saying things like "maybe a tribute album is in order", "should have topped the charts in a just and perfect world", "chances are good that you'll find yourself singing along with the first song that you hear, and then you'll be hooked.', and "McKnight has a big power-pop heart". His live shows have been wowing old fans and making new ones.
Sandy's notable projects have included: 1976 - Free N Easy, a dance funk band with the soon-to-be world renowned trombonist, Ray Anderson; 1978 - The Coupons, the New Jersey-based group that eventually became The Smithereens, with drummer Dennis Diken and Peter Dibella of Bell Sound; 1979-80 - Numbers, a NYC pop new wave band that made waves at CBGBs when that meant something; 1981-83 - Hard Knox, a hard pop band managed by Joel Diamond; 1982 - recording with producer Todd Rundgren at his studio, for the Jean-Yves Labatt (M. Frog) album; and, 1983-90 - The Truants, the Sandy-fronted legendary punk pop outfit whose recordings are still fresh today. In the 90s and 2000s, Sandy has been making great solo recordings, and producing projects for various bands and singer-songwriters. His recent box set, a 66-song retrospective of his career as a performer and songwriter over the last 30+ years, called "How I Changed the World", has received rave notices. Sandy also writes comedy for live and TV shows, and his musical, "The Big One", co-written with Liv Cummins, is performed often.