Biography
The Datura Seeds took shape under the direction of singer and guitarist Paul Mahern, emerging as a continuation of Indianapolis hardcore heroes the Zero Boys, whose understated role helped shape American punk-pop throughout the 1980s. The Zero Boys delivered their sole album, Vicious Circle, in 1982; although no further recordings followed, the band reconvened at intervals across the decade for live engagements. By 1989 Mahern, the former frontman, had shifted focus to the Datura Seeds, whose approach favored straightforward power pop over punk. The lineup supporting Mahern featured Lee Cuthbert, Vess Ruhtenberg, Tom Downs, and Jonee Quest. The band’s only album, Who Do You Want It to Be?, appeared on the Toxic Shock label in 1990; positive reviews greeted the release, yet an audience proved elusive in part because of the imprint’s links to more aggressive hardcore acts. Mahern subsequently built an extensive body of work as a producer and studio engineer, collaborating with the Blake Babies, Lisa Germano, and John Mellencamp among many others. Cuthbert settled in Atlanta and joined Susan Fitzsimmons (ex-Vulgar Boatmen) to form the Gentle Readers. Ruhtenberg handled guitar duties in Antenna, the project that followed the Blake Babies, and later led the United States 3, whose members included ex-Zero Boys drummer Mark Cutsinger; he also served briefly as bassist in the Gentle Readers and in the Mahern-produced Mysteries of Life.
Albums