Shimmer Kids Underpop Association

This group's six core members -- guitarist, main singer/songwriter, and producer Josh Babcock; bassist Adam Dobrer; theremin player Lorelei David; pianist Dave Isbister; saxophonist Dave Dunstan; and drummer Mike Evans -- were native Californians, most of whom met each other when they were attending classes at the University of California at Santa Cruz. They eventually formed Shimmer Kids Underpop Association in 1996 (Evans joined in 1997) after Babcock and Dobrer moved to the Potrero Hill section of San Francisco, CA. Over the next few years, when the group played live they were accompanied by various films loops and other visual stimulus, including toy props; they also added two additional players: backup singer, melodica player, and percussionist Robin Wageman and trumpeter Justin Walsh. The group sold homemade cassette tapes they'd recorded in Babcock's bedroom with an eight-track recorder. In 2000, they released their first full-length CD, Bury My Heart at Makeout Point. The album was immediately embraced by fans of the Elephant 6 label's roster, especially fans of bands like the Essex Green and the Olivia Tremor Control, as well as by the psych-pop contingent focusing on more-experimental guitar freakouts. The Shimmer Kids' self-released Bury My Heart at Makeout Point was manufactured in a limited pressing of 500 copies for their own Underpop label. These copies were later distributed through the indie distributor Parasol, which sold every copy in a matter of months. In 2002, they signed with Parasol's in-house Hidden Agenda imprint and released Natural Riot. ~ Bryan Thomas, All Music Guide