764-Hero

764-Hero emerged from Seattle, Washington, as an emo-core trio whose sound paired understated guitar, bass, and drums with intensely emotional, deeply affecting lyrics. The project began as a duo in 1995 when John Atkins, handling guitars, keyboard, and lead vocals, joined forces with Polly Johnson-Dickinson on drums and percussion; the pair had previously crossed paths in separate local outfits, Atkins with Hush Harbor and Johnson-Dickinson with Bell Jar. A name remained undecided until their debut performance, at which point a friend proposed 764-Hero, the telephone number assigned to Washington drivers caught violating carpool lanes. Their first full-length, Salt Sinks & Sugar Floats, appeared in 1996, and the combination of that recording with commanding stage shows quickly built a national audience. When a 1998 live radio session called for a bassist, the duo reached out to James Bertram of Red Stars Theory; the collaboration proved so seamless that Bertram joined permanently in time to record Get Here and Stay later that year. A period of heavy touring ensued, along with the split EP Whenever You See Fit alongside Modest Mouse. The group returned to the studio in 1999 to complete its third album, Weekends of Sound, issued in the middle of 2000. Strong reviews sustained momentum even after Bertram departed in the ensuing months, and by 2002 the band had prepared another collection, Nobody Knows This Is Everywhere.