Chocolate USA was an American

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 from

Tampa Bay, Florida Tampa Bay is a large natural harbor and shallow estuary connected to the Gulf of Mexico on the west-central coast of Florida, comprising Hillsborough Bay, McKay Bay, Old Tampa Bay, Middle Tampa Bay, and Lower Tampa Bay. The largest freshwater in ...

, formed in 1989 as Miss America. The band featured

Julian Koster Julian Koster (born July 26, 1972) is an American multidisciplinary artist. As a musician he is a member of the Elephant 6 Collective, the leader of The Music Tapes, and a member of Neutral Milk Hotel. He is known for writing, directing, and act ...

who went on to form The Music Tapes and join

Neutral Milk Hotel Neutral Milk Hotel was an American band formed in Ruston, Louisiana, by musician Jeff Mangum. They were active from 1989 to 1998, and again from 2013 to 2015. The band's music featured a deliberately low-quality sound, influenced by indie rock ...

History

The band formed as Miss America in 1989 with Koster as singer, guitarist, and principal songwriter, Liza Wakeman (violin) and Keith Block (drums). Soon joined by a succession of bassists, they released debut album ''All Jets Are Gonna Fall Today'' themselves in 1992 with input and performances from engineer George Harris as well as a long list of guests. It was reissued later in 1992 by Bar/None Records. The

lo-fi Lo-fi (also typeset as lofi or low-fi; short for low fidelity) is a music or production quality in which elements usually regarded as imperfections in the context of a recording or performance are present, sometimes as a deliberate choice. The ...

band released a second album under Bar/None entitled ''Smoke Machine'' in 1994, this time with core members Koster, Wakeman, and Block joined by Paul Wells, Alan Edwards, Bill Doss, Eric Harris, and Jesse Rogers, before disbanding for other, ultimately more successful, projects. Their sound can be described as quirky, and containing many different sorts of instrumentation, which is a trait that went with Koster into The Music Tapes and

; present in their releases are Guitars, Bass Guitars, Standup Basses, Accordions, Concertinas, Rattles, drums, robot sound effects pecifically on ''Smoke Machine'' organs, toy pianos, banjos, and numerous other instruments. Member Bill Doss was announced dead on July 31, 2012, with the cause of death being a brain hemmorage.Best Fit News: ''Bill Doss of The Olivia Tremor Control reported dead''
The Line Of Best Fit, July 31, 2012

Releases

* ''

All Jets Are Gonna Fall Today ''All Jets Are Gonna Fall Today'' is the debut full-length album by the American band Chocolate USA. Released in 1992, it was their first album for Bar/None Records. It was recorded under the band's former name, Miss America. Critical reception ...

'' (1992),

Bar/None Bar/None Records is an independent record label based in Hoboken, New Jersey. Early history Tom Prendergast started Bar/None in early 1986 in Hoboken, New Jersey. Having previously worked in pirate radio and booked and promoted bands in his na ...

–

Cassette Cassette may refer to: Technology * Cassette tape (or ''musicassette'', ''audio cassette'', ''cassette tape'', or ''tape''), a worldwide standard for analog audio recording and playback ** Cassette single (or "Cassingle"), a music single in the ...

/ CD * '' Smoke Machine'' (1994), Bar/None – CD/cassette

References

External links

Chocolate USA's Bar/None Profile
{{Authority control The Elephant 6 Recording Company artists Indie rock musical groups from Florida Bar/None Records artists