D+

Bret Lunsford fronted the minimalist indie-pop outfit D+ on vocals and guitar. Previously he had played in Beat Happening, the hugely influential love-rock trio from Olympia, Washington. While still active in that group he launched Knw-Yr-Own, his own imprint devoted to capturing the sounds of the local scene in nearby Anacortes. After Beat Happening ended following the 1992 release You Turn Me On, Lunsford moved back to Anacortes, where he operated the Business, a combined store and café, and installed Knw-Yr-Own’s studio in its rear space. Around 1995 he met drummer Phil Elvrum, who joined the staff at the Business and revitalized the label by putting out a run of cassettes; Elvrum soon became Lunsford’s bandmate in D+, completing the trio when bassist/singer Karl Blau came aboard. The self-titled debut album arrived in 1997 as a co-release on Knw-Yr-Own and K Records, the imprint started by Lunsford’s former Beat Happening colleague Calvin Johnson. Dandelion Seeds, the follow-up, appeared the next year. Elvrum also recorded solo as the Microphones, while Blau led Captain Fathom.