Description

Active in the 1990s and early 2000s, these Modesto, California natives specialized in alternative rock that was paradoxically electronic and futuristic while remaining strangely organic and rustic. Their farmhand look indicated that they lean towards the latter, but their knack for computer-based sounds, particularly on their acclaimed SOPHTWARE SLUMP, revealed that they drew as much influence from Radiohead as from Neil Young. Led by singer-songwriter Jason Lytle, the band built a large fan base through endless touring and consistently engaging albums.

Biography

Based in songwriter Jason Lytle's hometown of Modesto, California, USA, Grandaddy's lo-fi slacker rock insidiously worked its way into the heart of the alternative music press during the late 90s. Lytle was a former skateboarder whose employment record boasted a spell in a hazardous waste treatment plant. Around 1992, he formed Grandaddy with Kevin Garcia (bass) and Aaron Burtch (drums). The band spent several uneventful years putting together demo tapes recorded in Lytle's home studio, and playing bars and coffee shops in Modesto. Jim Fairchild (guitar) and Tim Dryden (keyboards) swelled the band's ranks for 1995's seven track cassette debut, A Pretty Mess By This One Band. A haphazard mix of lo-fi and college rock, the band only managed to rise above the sum of their influences on the standout track "Taster". The record attracted enough attention, however, for the band to be able to record a full-length album. Under The Western Freeway was another home-produced recording. Fleshing out their lo-fi production with some odd sound effects, songs such as the single "Summer Here Kids" and "A.M. 180" built around simple but winning melodies, at odds with Lytle's relentlessly downbeat lyrics. The band's excellent major label debut, The Sophtware Slump, followed three years later.
DISCOGRAPHY: A Pretty Mess By This One Band mini-album (Will 1995)**, Under The Western Freeway (Will 1997)****, The Sophtware Slump (V2 2000)****, Sumday (V2 2003)***.
COMPILATIONS: The Broken Down Comforter Collection (Big Cat 1999)***, Below The Radio (Ultra 2004)***.

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