Brown Eyed Susans

Brown Eyed Susans, a power pop quartet based in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, first assembled in 1997 once the members realized they shared a deep affinity for ornate baroque pop acts such as Jellyfish, Cardinal, and Jason Falkner, along with the Sgt. Pepper-era Beatles, Queen, and the lighter, more playful compositions of the Kinks. The original configuration of David Dattner on bass and vocals, Billy Zimmer on guitar, Rich Jochelson on guitar, and Troy Warkentin on drums quickly cultivated an audience that extended from their home province into the United States and Europe, forming a noticeable niche among pop enthusiasts by the close of the decade. Ahead of the March 1998 arrival of their Permanent Press debut album Afternoon Tea, produced by Steve Noftall and steeped in Kinks-inspired songcraft, the group journeyed to Los Angeles to appear at the Poptopia festival. Several months afterward they returned to the same city to play the inaugural International Pop Overthrow festival, and shortly after that their buoyant track “Sunday School” was featured on the first International Pop Overthrow compilation issued by Del-Fi, drawing further positive notices.

Not long after these events, Dattner, Zimmer, and Jochelson relocated from Calgary to Los Angeles to pursue additional opportunities, while Warkentin chose to stay in Canada. In their new base the remaining trio operated with a changing roster of drummers that shifted nearly every performance. Eventually the power pop trio began collaborating with Jason Falkner, who had become both an admirer and a personal acquaintance, on material for a follow-up record. Falkner participated in the early sessions for what became Afraid of Heights but had to withdraw partway through because of his own prior touring and recording obligations. The band completed the album without him, and the Canadian label 11 Records issued Afraid of Heights in 2000.