Absolute Grey

Formed in Rochester, New York in September 1983, the darkly melodic jangle pop quartet Absolute Grey first made a name for themselves performing at local clubs such as Schatzee's, Scorgies, and the Snake Sister's Cafe. The group's commitment to an updated psychedelic sound caught the attention of listeners who compared the band to R.E.M., Dream Syndicate, and Rain Parade, as well as Jefferson Airplane. With two of the members still attending Sutherland High School, the group released a six-song cassette in 1984, and later that same year they recorded and self-released their first full-length album, Green House, which was soon reissued by East Coast indie label Midnight Records. In 1986, the band recorded their second album, What Remains, which was produced by Tim Lee of the Windbreakers, but not long after the LP was released, percussionist Pat Thomas and guitarist Matt Kitchen left the group. Guitarist/vocalist Beth Brown and bassist Mitchell Rasor continued on as a two-piece, using the group's name for an acoustic EP, 1987's Painted Post. Thomas and Kitchen rejoined the band in time to record the 1989 album Sand Down the Moon, which was issued only by a small Greek label, Di Di Records; the same company also released A Journey Through the Past, a live album which focused on material which hadn't appeared on the group's studio sets. By 1990, the band had quietly parted ways, though a small trickle of posthumous releases continued to emerge -- a two-CD retrospective Broken Promise in 1993, an expanded reissue of A Journey Through the Past in 2002, and in late 2003 a remixed edition of Green House: 20th Anniversary Edition augmented with a bonus disc of live recordings. The new edition of Green House was released as the band announced they were at work on a new album,...