Biography
Stephen Gardner, bassist in Lorelei, first launched Chessie simply as a vehicle for guitar exploration fueled by his longstanding interest in trains. Beginning in 1994 he captured tracks by layering his six-string with assorted loops, shaping an idiosyncratic strain of instrumental noise-pop. When Lorelei disbanded in 1996, Gardner turned greater focus toward Chessie, leading Drop Beat Records to issue his debut full-length Single Series in 1998. He sustained the association with the imprint for the follow-up album Meet, which surfaced in 1999. The next year Ben Bailes joined the project, and the resulting duo delivered Overnight in 2001, an album that ranked prominently on numerous critics’ year-end lists. Several years elapsed before the next release, Manifest, finally reached listeners in winter 2008 through Plug Research.
Albums
