Biography

A new crop of US bands emerged during the late 90s that had studied the Seattle-based grunge movement from earlier in the decade, but added more melody and hooklines to the proceedings in the hope of enjoying immediate success on the mainstream charts. The Sacramento, California, USA-based Oleander joined Seven Mary Three, Creed, and Puddle Of Mudd in the new wave of post-grunge outfits, although they have failed to enjoy the same level of commercial acclaim as these other bands. Oleander was formed when vocalist/guitarist Thomas Flowers and bass player Doug Eldridge began playing together. The duo were joined a few years later by second guitarist Ric Ivanisevich and drummer Fred Nelson Jnr.
Taking their name from a poisonous wildflower of Northern California, the quartet soon amassed a loyal local following and released 1996's self-titled EP and the following year's Shrinking The Blob. A local radio disc jockey played Oleander's single, "Down When I'm Loaded', the result of which was a regional hit and a recording contract with Republic/Universal. The band reworked several tracks from their debut album for 1999"s February Son, which became a sizeable commercial success in the USA owing to the inclusion of the popular radio hit, "Why I'm Here'. Not everything was rosy in the Oleander camp, however, as Nelson Jnr. was replaced by newcomer Scott Devours in time for their second major label outing, 2001"s Unwind. The album failed to expand on the chart success of February Son, which resulted in the band splitting from Republic/Universal. The quartet returned in 2003 with Joyride, their first release for new label Sanctuary.
DISCOGRAPHY: Shrinking The Blob (Fine 1997)**, February Son (Republic/Universal 1999)***, Unwind (Republic/Universal 2001)***, Joyride (Sanctuary 2003)***.

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