Criteria is an

indie rock Indie rock is a Music subgenre, subgenre of rock music that originated in the United Kingdom, United States and New Zealand in the early to mid-1980s. Although the term was originally used to describe rock music released through independent reco ...

band from

Omaha, Nebraska Omaha ( ) is the List of cities in Nebraska, most populous city in the U.S. state of Nebraska. It is located in the Midwestern United States along the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's List of United S ...

, formed in 2003 when ex-

Cursive Cursive (also known as joined-up writing) is any style of penmanship in which characters are written joined in a flowing manner, generally for the purpose of making writing faster, in contrast to block letters. It varies in functionality and m ...

founding member Steve Pedersen returned to his hometown after graduating from the

Duke University School of Law The Duke University School of Law is the law school of Duke University, a private research university in Durham, North Carolina. One of Duke's 10 schools and colleges, the School of Law is a constituent academic unit that began in 1868 as the ...

. He spent six months in a friend's basement where he wrote all ten songs for his new project's debut

album An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track cartridge, 8-track or Cassette tape, cassette), or digital distribution, dig ...

. He recruited the help of some old friends, A.J. Mogis (of Presto! Recording Studios and Lullaby for the Working Class) on bass guitar, Aaron Druery on guitar, and Mike Sweeney of Beep Beep on drums. Their first album, '' En Garde'', was released on his previous band's

label A label (as distinct from signage) is a piece of paper, plastic film, cloth, metal, or other material affixed to a container or product. Labels are most often affixed to packaging and containers using an adhesive, or sewing when affix ...

, Initial Records. Steve Pedersen worked as a

lawyer A lawyer is a person who is qualified to offer advice about the law, draft legal documents, or represent individuals in legal matters. The exact nature of a lawyer's work varies depending on the legal jurisdiction and the legal system, as w ...

, making it hard for the band to promote their album. Initial Records went bankrupt about a year after, leaving Criteria without a label.

Saddle Creek Records Saddle Creek Records is an American record label based in Omaha, Nebraska. Started as a college class project on entrepreneurship, the label was founded by Mike Mogis and Justin Oberst in 1993 (as Lumberjack Records). Mogis soon turned over his ...

took their longtime friend in and put out three releases in 2005. The first was a re-release of the LP '' En Garde'', their new single, "Prevent the World," and their second full-length, '' When We Break''. After signing with

Saddle Creek Saddle Creek Records is an American record label based in Omaha, Nebraska. Started as a college class project on entrepreneurship, the label was founded by Mike Mogis and Justin Oberst in 1993 (as Lumberjack Records). Mogis soon turned over his ...

, Pedersen quit his day job to spend full-time making music and touring. Criteria has performed with bands such as

, The Fall of Troy,

Thunderbirds Are Now! Thunderbirds are Now! were an American, Livonia, Michigan-based post-punk revival band, whose sound used a mix of traditional post-punk, new wave and noise rock. The band was heavily influenced by 1980s new wave and other post-punk revival ac ...

Statistics Statistics (from German language, German: ', "description of a State (polity), state, a country") is the discipline that concerns the collection, organization, analysis, interpretation, and presentation of data. In applying statistics to a s ...

, Poison the Well, Rahim (band), and

Minus the Bear Minus the Bear are an American indie rock band formed in Seattle, Washington, in 2001, and comprising members of Botch, Kill Sadie, and Sharks Keep Moving. Their sound has been described as " Pele-esque guitar-taps and electronics with sophi ...

. The band performed at the Maha Musical Festival on August 17, 2013 in Omaha, Nebraska. Criteria's most recent performance took place on December 12, 2013 at the Waiting Room Lounge in Omaha, during which Pedersen mentioned the band was working on a new album. On 2020, Criteria released they latest album to date, Years.

Band members

* Steve Pedersen - vocals, guitar * A.J. Mogis - backup vocals, bass guitar * Aaron Druery - backup vocals, guitar *Mike Sweeney - drums

Discography

Albums

* ''En Garde'' (2003 · Initial Records) re-released 2005 on

*'' When We Break'' (2005 ·

) *
Years
' (2020 �
15 Passenger

Singles and EPs

*" Prevent the World" single (2005 ·

)

Compilations

* ''Lagniappe: A Saddle Creek Benefit for Hurricane Katrina'' (2005 ·

) ::song: "Booketa"

Videography

*'' Prevent the World'' (2 versions, August 2005, directed by Jason Kulbel) *''Good Luck'' (March 2006), directed by Shafei and Levitz *''Kiss the Wake'' (March 2006, directed by Jaime O’Bradovich
Saddle Creek Music Video Competition at the Hot Shops Film Festival
winner, runners-up: Luke Rustermier and Michael McClendon)

References

External links

15 PassengerCriteria official website (site now down)
*
Criteria on MySpaceSaddle Creek RecordsVideo Interview with Steve Pedersen of CriteriaInterview from ''Alternative Press'' 184
(2003)
Interview from ''Alternative Press'' 207
(2005)
Soundcrank Podcast Hosted by Criteria
{{DEFAULTSORT:Criteria Indie rock musical groups from Nebraska Musical groups from Omaha, Nebraska Musical groups established in 2003 Saddle Creek Records artists 2003 establishments in Nebraska