Ethel Meserve

Ethel Meserve derived their name from an older merchant in State College, Pennsylvania, the town where the group was formed. Their layered compositions, built on jagged guitar textures and raw, shouted vocals, played a formative role in math rock, the style first shaped by Fugazi, Kerosene 454, Slint, and June of 44.

The band issued their debut single, “Pierman” / “Paladin Time,” on Tree Records in 1996, two years after forming; a split release with Giant’s Chair followed on the same label the next year. That association continued when the quartet delivered its debut album, The Milton Abandonment, in 1997. After touring alongside The Get Up Kids and Braid, Ethel Meserve disbanded in 1998. Their second album, Spelling the Names, appeared in mid-2000.