Tasteless

Swiss quintet Tasteless was formed in Domdidier, Switzerland, in 1997 by vocalist/guitarist Mario Weiss, bassist François Maillard, and drummer Jerôme Szmoniewsky. Although the three held close ties with each other since childhood, the group would go through several lineup changes over the following four years, with Weiss remaining as the only original member. In the early days, the trio was mostly a cover band, with the bandmembers performing songs by various grunge and post-grunge groups while simultaneously honing their songwriting skills. It didn't take long for the group to add a second guitar player; before the end of 1997 another childhood friend, Sami Isoz, filled that slot, but vacated it almost as quickly when he left in 1998 for a yearlong sabbatical in Canada. Tasteless recruited guitarist Alexandre Rossier to fill the vacancy until Isoz returned, and in 1999 this new quartet went into the studio to record its debut EP, Broken Wing, which helped the band secure some higher-profile gigs.

As the group began to gather some local attention, Weiss and Maillard decided that it would be in the band's best interest to replace Szmoniewsky with Stéphane Eichenberger, a more accomplished drummer. Very soon after this change, Isoz returned from Canada to reclaim his position in the group, and Tasteless headed back into the studio to record their first full-length. The bandmembers called upon sound engineer Sacha Ruffieux, whom they had met while performing at the Rock Oz'Arènes festival, to help them mix the newly laid tracks, and Ruffieux, unmoved by the quality of the recording, invited them to re-record the songs at his studio. They agreed, but instead of re-recording the same material, they showed up with an album's worth of new material and a fifth member, cellist Camille Burgy. Ruffieux, impressed with the group's new direction, joined Tasteless by replacing Maillard on bass duties in 2001. At the completion of their full-length, self-titled debut, Tasteless signed with Swiss indie Saiko Records, which released the album in the fall of 2003. ~ Gregory McIntosh, Rovi