Comprised of vocalist/guitarist Ryan Tyler, guitarist Shawn Shultz, bassist Chris McConnell and drummer T.J. Lipple, the group honed its muscular sound on the Altoona club circuit before graduating to Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and eventually New York; during a performance at CBGB's, the band came to the attention of Kinetic Records founder Steve Lau, who signed Edison to the label a short time later. After cutting a pair of singles in the fall of 1996 with producer Wharton Tiers, the band teamed with Jawbox's J. Robbins to record their 1997 full-length debut Picture Postcard. ~ Jason Ankeny