The Interpreters were a

power pop Power pop (also typeset as powerpop) is a form of pop rock based on the early music of bands such as the Who, the Beatles, the Beach Boys, and the Byrds. It typically incorporates melodic hooks, vocal harmonies, an energetic performance, and ch ...

band formed in

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

in 1996. They were composed of singer and bassist Herschel Gaer, guitarist Patsy (Paul) Palladino and drummer Branko Jakominich.

History

The band was formed in 1996 and signed with Volcano/

Freeworld Entertainment Freeworld Entertainment was a record label formed in 1997 by Dallas Austin and Kevin Czinger. History Inception (1996-1998) The history of Freeworld begins with Kevin Czinger's purchase of Zoo Entertainment from BMG in 1996 with the support of f ...

, releasing their first EP, ''In of That Fine, Fine Evening'', in 1997. The recording was produced by

Shel Talmy Sheldon Talmy (born August 11, 1937) is an American record producer, songwriter and arranger, best known for his work in the UK in the 1960s with the Who, the Kinks and many others. Talmy arranged and produced hits such as "You Really Got Me" ...

and

Eric Erlandson Eric Theodore Erlandson (born January 9, 1963) is an American musician, guitarist, and writer, primarily known as founding member, songwriter and lead guitarist of alternative rock band Hole from 1989 to 2002. He has also had several musical si ...

. Later that year, the band released the full-length album ''Back in the U.S.S.A.'' on Freeworld/BMG. Following Freeworld's demise, a revised version of the record that included the newer track "Shout" was released on

RCA Records RCA Records is an American record label currently owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside RCA's former long-time rival Columbia Records; also A ...

in 1998. The band performed at that year's

Reading Festival The Reading and Leeds Festivals are a pair of annual music festivals that take place in Reading and Leeds in England. The events take place simultaneously on the Friday, Saturday and Sunday of the August bank holiday weekend. The Reading Festiv ...

. Gaer continued, relocating to New York, and performed at the

2000 Republican National Convention The 2000 Republican National Convention convened at the First Union Center (now the Wells Fargo Center) in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, from July 31 to August 3, 2000. The 2000 delegates assembled at the convention nominated Texas Governor George ...

in Philadelphia, despite claiming not to be Republicans. As depicted in the documentary ''The Last Party'', the Interpreters were invited to perform by Donovan Lietch, as part of the ongoing political project started by Robert Downey, and later continued by Robert Downey, Jr., and Phillip Seymor Hoffman. Their appearance was harshly criticized and lampooned by

Jello Biafra Eric Reed Boucher (born June 17, 1958), known professionally as Jello Biafra, is an American singer, spoken word artist and politician. He is the former lead singer and songwriter for the San Francisco punk rock band Dead Kennedys. Initially ac ...

on his album ''

Become the Media ''Become the Media'' is the sixth spoken word album by Jello Biafra. Topics covered include the WTO Meeting of 1999, the 2000 presidential election, the Green Party, the International Monetary Fund, the Columbine High School massacre, and the ...

''.The Temple News , Weekly in print. Daily online
/ref> The band suffered derision from the convention appearance, which, combined with inactivity, line-up changes, and the loss of momentum due to the legal morass surrounding the collapse of Freeworld Entertainment and the records' re-release on RCA, who all but ignored its existence, led to the eventual breakup of the band.

References

American power pop groups Musical groups from Philadelphia American musical trios Musical groups from Pennsylvania {{US-rock-band-stub