Peter Parker

Formed in the summer of 1997, Seattle's Peter Parker was another in a long line of distinguished groups whose members adopted their band name as their surname. Peter Parker's initial lineup gelled when college buddies Matthew and Jason Parker began collaborating on guitar and bass (respectively); they found drummer Steve Parker by placing a classified ad in a local magazine, and the trio began playing their first basement shows. That winter, Jason left the band to pursue other interests. Enter Mona Parker, the new bass player who was also found via the classified ads. A mere two weeks after Mona joined the band, Peter Parker played their first show at Seattle's auspicious Crocodile Café. As a trio who, admittedly, didn't really know how to play their instruments, 1998 was peppered with "dozens upon dozens of terrible live shows," which proved to be valuable experiences for the young band. However, 1998 ended on an up note for the group as they recorded their first LP, Migliore!, in producer John Goodmanson's Seattle studio, and played the CMJ New Music Festival in New York City. In August of the following year, Magic Palace records released Migliore! to favorable reviews, while college radio picked up the album and ran with it. The band had also honed its performance skills, and was seen opening for bands like the Fastbacks, Versus, and Death Cab for Cutie. After playing the 2000 Noise Pop Festival in San Francisco, Peter Parker convened in Tacoma, WA, for a luckless shot at a sophomore album, the recordings of which were shelved and subsequently abandoned. Adding a second guitarist, Josh Parker, the band moved operations back to Seattle and Spectre studio, for much more successful sessions. Their second album, Semiautobiographical, was released on the group's own label, Recurving Recordings, in August of 2001, and was received with even more enthusiasm than Migliore!. ~ Bryan Carroll, Rovi