Busytoby

Mid-1996 saw the initial formation of Busytoby, an indie pop group operating as a side project for Wolfie singer/bassist Joe Ziemba and singer/keyboardist Amanda Lyons. The act began under the name Stereotomy and issued copies of its opening cassette release, The Human Is the Keyboard's Motor, throughout 1997. Even as Wolfie continued to serve as Ziemba and Lyons' main focus, the pair—who had by then obtained a vintage Wurlitzer organ—soon captured a follow-up cassette titled You Love the Crickets, at which point they recruited then-Sarge bassist Rachel Switzky and adopted the Busytoby moniker. Parasol issued the single "Me, My Drums and You" in 1998; keyboardist Jenny Mangun joined shortly afterward, enabling the group to schedule its earliest performances. When grad school obligations compelled Switzky to step away, the remaining trio delivered its debut full-length album, It's Good to Be Alive, during fall 1999.