Compound Red

In Milwaukee, Wisconsin—a Midwestern hub best known for cheese, beer, and the Promise Ring—Compound Red originated. The lineup included Andy Reis on bass, Mike Allen on guitar, Dave Henderleiter on drums, and John Lyman handling vocals. Their approach centered on melodic guitars, intricate rhythms, and raw vocal delivery in the vein of Drive Like Jehu, Fugazi, and Cap’n Jazz. Those qualities surfaced on the 1995 album Mr. Microcosm and a split EP with Sandbox released the same year. The group dissolved after Lyman relocated to Minneapolis, though the remaining members kept developing new songs. The addition of second guitarist Jim Minor brought Lyman back to Milwaukee and revived Compound Red in 1996. That year saw the release of the single “Now I'm an Anchor” b/w “Angel Danced Away” along with a split record featuring Chicago’s Sidekick Kato. DeSoto Records followed with the 1997 single “Peter Pan's Shadow” b/w “20 Miles Up There Is No Air.” After a U.S. tour with the Promise Ring and the arrival of Greg Steffke in Lyman’s place, the band ended its run in early 1999.