tundra survey: five piece-- viola, cello, flute/xylophone, electric bass, electric guitar; we all sing some. We are unsigned. We live in Chicago. We started playing about two years ago.

We spent the first nine months figuring out how to play our instruments together. Then we recorded a real bad demo, wrote a sets worth of decent songs and started playing out come summer (2000). We played round our neighborhood (No Exit, Morseland) first and then throughout Chicago (Schubas, Empty Bottle, Beat Kitchen, Big Horse, etc.). We have a small following around here-- kids are nice to us. This summer (2001), we got our debut full-length out, and we're touring the midwest/east-coast.

We write our songs, practice, record, distribute, hand package our records, make dinner, etc. in mine and Tom's apartment on Albion Street. We just kind of think its important to participate in all aspects of the music. Don't know how to explain this real well, but its a big deal to us that every record has our actual fingerprints on it. The songs are all written collectively, structure, melodies, lyrics, the whole bag. That's a big deal to us too. None of us have any real formal training.

We have 3 releases-- one self-released 7inch; one CD single on Day Release Records; one self-released full-length called Cracked Radiator, Bum Transmission.

thanks.

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band photo: by Nora McComiskey | high-resolution jpeg (316k) | high-resolution tiff (1.7mb)