Lisa Mychols

For an artist without a great many credits to her name, Lisa Mychols made an impressive splash on the Los Angeles pop underground of the 1990s, especially with her band the Masticators. Once the new millennium had dawned and that vibrant musical community had begun to emerge aboveground, Mychols had developed into one of its most accomplished songwriters, taking an obsession with the 1960s and 1970s AM dial and updating the sound for a new generation of pop/rock addicts. Aside from tapping out Gene Pitney songs on her junior high school desk, Lisa Mychols didn't pick up an instrument until she was in her early teens, teaching herself to play the bass guitar by parking herself in front of MTV. Her new skill soon led to a spot in the all-girl band the Mozells, which landed a gig playing on popular cable-access show It's Happening, a dance program on which Mychols, now going by starry-eyed pseudonym Jasmine Wilde, also spent some time as a dancer. (It's Happening was created by Domenic Priore, writer and critic of later Look! Listen! Vibrate! Smile! fame, and featured obscure '60s tunes and combos out of the city's Paisley Underground.) Through the show, Mychols also met Darian Sahanaja, and the two became friends over the next few years, occasionally making home recordings together (some of which would eventually end up on Mychols' first solo album). While it would be a several years before she would put all her energies into a musical career, Mychols, now proficient on guitar as well, began teaching herself to write songs. This led directly to her entry into the world of recording via Lost Winter's Dream, a collection of Christmas songs inspired by the old-fashion seasonal pop albums put out by artists like Peggy Lee and Lou Rawls. With help from Sahanaja and Nick...