alternative rock
Alternative rock, or alt-rock, is a category of rock music that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1970s and became widely popular in the 1990s. "Alternative" refers to the genre's distinction from Popular culture, mainstre ...
band from
Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
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Illinois
Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...
. The band was created around 1999 by vocalist/guitarist Blake Smith and bassist Mike Willison after the breakup of their previous band
Fig Dish
Fig Dish was a 1990s rock band based in Chicago. The band signed to PolyGram Records in 1995 and released two full-length albums before becoming inactive in 1998.
Description
Fig Dish's sound was influenced by 80s college rock and indie bands suc ...
, due to disputes with their label. After visiting
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
,
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
, Smith and Willison took an interest in electronica's rise in popularity, deciding to implement this to their more guitar-driven sound. Lead guitarist Dave Suh and drummer Jason Batchko were added to complete the lineup. The band released their debut self titled album in 2000, under major label
Island Records
Island Records is a multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It was founded in 1959 by Chris Blackwell, Graeme Goodall, and Leslie Kong in Jamaica, and was eventually sold to PolyGram in 1989. Island and A&M Records, anoth ...
, but only received modest success. They would release their second album, The Thin Mercury Sound in 2004, under smaller label Aezra. Smith and Willison later performed with Scott Lucas of
Local H
Local H is an American rock band originally formed by guitarist and vocalist Scott Lucas, bassist Matt Garcia, drummer Joe Daniels, and lead guitarist John Sparkman in Zion, Illinois in 1990. The members all met in high school in 1987 and founde ...
in the electronica project
The Prairie Cartel
The Prairie Cartel is an American rock music band from Chicago, Illinois, United States, whose music and name is featured in a radio station in ''Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars'' and a song in ''Grand Theft Auto IV''. The band consists of forme ...
. Smith later performed with Chicago
noise pop
Noise pop is a subgenre of alternative and indie rock that developed in the mid-1980s in the United Kingdom and United States. It is defined by its mixture of dissonant noise or feedback with the songcraft more often found in pop music. Shoegazi ...
band Forgotten Species. Willison was in the Portland pop solo project Merit Badge, and has also been in the wine industry. Guitarist Suh has remained active and is currently the lead vocalist and guitarist of Chicago band
The Assembly
The Assembly were a British synth-pop project formed in 1983 in Basildon, England, by Vince Clarke (songwriting, keyboards, backing vocals) and Eric Radcliffe (songwriting, production).
Feargal Sharkey was hired as a guest vocalist for the A- ...
, along with his multi-instrumentalist brother, Nathan Suh.
Caviar has had several songs played on the radio. The songs "Tangerine Speedo" and "On the DL" were their biggest hits. "Tangerine Speedo" was featured in the first ''
Charlie's Angels
''Charlie's Angels'' is an American crime drama television series that aired on ABC from September 22, 1976, to June 24, 1981, producing five seasons and 115 episodes. The series was created by Ivan Goff and Ben Roberts and was produced by Aa ...
'' movie and "Sugarless" was featured on the soundtrack of '' Gone in 60 Seconds''.
Safeway
Safeway is an American supermarket chain founded by Marion Barton Skaggs in April 1915 in American Falls, Idaho. The chain provides grocery items, food and general merchandise and features a variety of specialty departments, such as bakery, d ...
has featured in its TV commercials two songs from ''Thin Mercury Sound'', including "Clean Getaway" in the summer of 2005 and "Lioness" in 2004. "Tangerine Speedo" was also featured in the ending of the 2003 film ''
The Cat in the Hat
''The Cat in the Hat'' is a 1957 children's book written and illustrated by the American author Theodor Geisel, using the pen name Dr. Seuss. The story centers on a tall anthropomorphic cat who wears a red and white-striped top hat and a red bow ...
'', a movie adaptation of the
Dr. Seuss
Theodor Seuss Geisel (;"Seuss" '' of the same name, as an instrumental. The track samples "El Bossa Nova" by Los Bucaneros.
A snippet of their song "The Good Times Are Over" was used in one of the final scenes in the DragonBall Z television special, "Bardock: The Father of Goku".
Discography
Albums
*''
Caviar
Caviar (also known as caviare; from fa, خاویار, khâvyâr, egg-bearing) is a food consisting of salt-cured roe of the family Acipenseridae. Caviar is considered a delicacy and is eaten as a garnish or a spread. Traditionally, the ter ...
Hot Modern Rock Tracks
Alternative Airplay (formerly known as Modern Rock Tracks (1988–2009) and Alternative Songs (2009–2020)) is a music chart in the United States that has appeared in ''Billboard'' magazine since September 10, 1988. It ranks the 40 most-played ...