Liar's Club

As with the Posies, Liar's Club barely resembled much of the metal-fueled rage rock that sprouted from the Pacific Northwest in the late '80s and early '90s. It would be almost accurate to say that Liar's Club epitomized the friendlier, more melodic side of Seattle music; the only problem with that description would be that Liar's Club was from nearby Tacoma and not Seattle, which is probably why the group was often ignored when any artist emanating from the Emerald City was considered to be a potential Buzz Bin video on MTV. Liar's Club was formed near the end of the '80s by three musicians who all attended the same Tacoma high school: Jayson Jarmon (vocals, guitar, piano), Scott McPherson (vocals, guitars, piano, keyboards, bass), and Kevo X. Thompson (bass). (Drummer John Vangen was eventually added.) In love with the British pop of Elvis Costello, XTC, and Prefab Sprout, Liar's Club was quite different than many of its guitar-thrashing local peers; if given a chance, the band could've showed the world that Washington State's music scene was far more wide-ranging than it was on the surface. The coy "Espresso Girl" -- with its charming "Thanks a-latte" line -- gave the band a brief taste of regional success. However, none of the group's independently released albums acquired much recognition and Liar's Club broke up in 1994. In 2000, Jarmon and McPherson recorded another album as Liar's Club with new members Dana Simms (drums) and Sean Gaffney (bass). ~ Michael Sutton, All Music Guide