Crown Jewels

Crown Jewels took shape in New York City during 1995, although its central figures—the brothers John on bass and Steve Conte handling vocals and guitar—had already begun tracking material together at ages nine and ten inside their family living room. Following the 1994 breakup of their nationally recognized blues-rock band Company of Wolves, the siblings continued their work with drummer Paul Garisto, formerly of Psychedelic Furs and Iggy Pop. Already established through session contributions to David Bowie and Peter Wolf, the Contes sought an outlet for their own pop-rooted songwriting, which they found in Crown Jewels; the group has issued two albums since 1996. While signed to Mercury Records with Company of Wolves in the early 1990s, the brothers launched their own imprint, Thunderdog Music, once that earlier band dissolved and Crown Jewels launched. Their debut, Spitshine, appeared in 1996 and blended folk, pop, rock, and blues colors. The second album, Linoleum, followed in 1999 and revisited many of the same stylistic traits.