Deep Reduction

In 1999, the Harrisburg, Pennsylvania outfit the Stump Wizards recruited Deniz Tek, the ex-frontman of the trailblazing Australian punk act Radio Birdman, to produce their third album, Contains Lead. Tek agreed to the assignment, yet internal friction inside the Stump Wizards ultimately scuttled that project. During the sessions, however, Tek bonded with guitarist Jack Chiara and drummer Clyde McGeary, and the three spent their idle hours shaping new material that merged punk, hard rock, and power pop. The material coalesced into a distinct album, which Tek, Chiara, and McGeary chose to issue under the name Deep Reduction. After an advance single appeared, the Deep Reduction album reached stores in early 2000, leading the band to regroup for a brief European tour that spring. In 2001 they reconvened in the studio for a second album titled simply 2; Tek brought in fellow Radio Birdman veteran Rob Younger to serve as vocalist.