indie rock
Indie rock is a Music subgenre, subgenre of rock music that originated in the United States, United Kingdom and New Zealand from the 1970s to the 1980s. Originally used to describe independent record labels, the term became associated with the mu ...
band that was formed in 1993 in the
Dallas
Dallas () is the List of municipalities in Texas, third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of metropolitan statistical areas, fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 ...
,
Texas
Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...
suburb of Mesquite. Described as an enigmatic noise pop outfit brought together by a common love of the Beatles, the original lineup of singer/guitarist Jim Stone, his bassist-brother Neil Stone, guitarist Daniel Huffman, and percussionist
Josh Garza
Josh Garza is an American musician and drummer for the New York City–based rock band The Secret Machines, as well as the Los Angeles–based rock band EFG. Originally from the Dallas, Texas area, Garza formed the Secret Machines with brothers ...
entered the studio later that year to cut their debut single "Portrait," produced by
Mercury Rev
Mercury Rev is an American indie rock band formed in 1989 in Buffalo, New York. Original personnel were David Baker. A deal with the Arista subsidiary Dedicated label followed, they became label mates with
Spiritualized
Spiritualized (stylised as Spiritualized®) are an English rock band formed in 1990 in Rugby, Warwickshire, by Jason Pierce (often known as J. Spaceman), formerly of Spacemen 3. After several line up-changes, in 1999, the band centered on Pie ...
,
Beth Orton
Elizabeth Caroline Orton (born 14 December 1970) is an English musician, known for her " folktronica" sound, which mixes elements of folk and electronica. She was initially recognised for her collaborations with William Orbit, Andrew Weather ...
and the
Cranes
Crane or cranes may refer to:
Common meanings
* Crane (bird), a large, long-necked bird
* Crane (machine), industrial machinery for lifting
** Crane (rail), a crane suited for use on railroads
People and fictional characters
* Crane (surname), ...
and with Baker again at the helm, Comet recorded their LP bow ''Chandelier Musings'', issued in late 1996. The band toured throughout much of 1995 and 1996 and into early 1997 when fallout from a tour-van accident led to the eventual break up of the original line-up.
Early history
PARK Sooyoung of Chicago-based band Seam was instrumental in connecting the band with their future producer David Baker. in 1994 Baker came to Texas and produced the band's first single Rocket Flare for Last Beat Records. Although the band was from suburban Dallas they made their home in
Denton, TX
Denton is a city in and the county seat of Denton County, Texas, United States. With a population of 139,869 as of 2020, it is the 27th-most populous city in Texas, the 197th-most populous city in the United States, and the 12th-most populous ...
and its underground music scene that centered on Denton's Melodica Festival. The band also opened regional shows for bands such as
Bedhead
BedHead is a comedy web series created by Jon Dalgaard, Claire Phillips, Tom Keele, Reece A. Jones & Benjamin Mathews. Filmed in Sydney, Australia, the series allows the audience to hear the thoughts of two old friends, Paul and Sarah, who end u ...
,
Tripping Daisy
Tripping Daisy is a neo-psychedelic pop rock band that was formed in Dallas, Texas, by lead singer/guitarist Tim DeLaughter in 1990 along with Jeff Bouck (drums), Wes Berggren (guitar) and Mark Pirro (bass).
The group disbanded in 1999 foll ...
Mercury Rev
Mercury Rev is an American indie rock band formed in 1989 in Buffalo, New York. Original personnel were Low where the band played New York City for the first time gaining larger exposure that led to a deal with UK based
Dedicated Records
Dedicated was a British independent record label that released music between 1990 and 1998 by Spiritualized, Spacemen 3, Global Communication, Beth Orton (in the U.S.), Chapterhouse, Cranes and others. It was based in London and founded by D ...
. In early 1996 the band recorded ''Chandelier Musings'' at OZ Studios in Baltimore, MD. Comet continued to tour with bands such as
Acetone
Acetone (2-propanone or dimethyl ketone), is an organic compound with the formula . It is the simplest and smallest ketone (). It is a colorless, highly volatile and flammable liquid with a characteristic pungent odour.
Acetone is miscible wi ...
,
Apples in Stereo
The Apples in Stereo, styled as The Apples in stereo, are an American pop/rock band associated with Elephant 6 Collective, a group of bands also including Neutral Milk Hotel, The Olivia Tremor Control, Elf Power, Of Montreal, and Circulatory Sy ...
and the
Lilys
Lilys are an American indie rock band formed in Washington, D.C in 1988. The only constant member is Kurt Heasley, with the line-up changing regularly. Several of the band's tracks have been used in television advertisements, including the ba ...
making appearances at
SXSW
South by Southwest, abbreviated as SXSW and colloquially referred to as South By, is an annual conglomeration of parallel film, interactive media, and music festivals and conferences organized jointly that take place in mid-March in Austin, ...
and
CMJ
CMJ Holdings Corp. is a music events and online media company, originally founded in 1978, which ran a website, hosted an annual festival in New York City, and published two magazines, ''CMJ New Music Monthly'' and ''CMJ New Music Report''. Th ...
. But fallout from an unfortunate tour-van accident on an icy interstate outside of Minneapolis, MN led ultimately to their breakup in 1997.
''Feathers from the Wing'' and hiatus
After a seven-year period of inactivity, brothers Jim and Neil Stone along with Michael Castillo on drums and J.D. Wittwer on bass assembled and released the lo-fi ''Feathers from the Wing'' EP on Spune Records in 2005. The band made a handful of appearances in and around Texas and then went on an indefinite hiatus in 2006.
Discography
;Albums
*''Chandelier Musings'' (1997, Dedicated)
;EPs and singles
*"Portrait" / "Rocket Flare" (1994, Last Beat)
*''Comet EP'' (1995, Atomic Sound)
*''Feathers from the Wing'' (2005, Spune)