During a trip to Sicily meant for catching up with the Manges, punk multi-hyphenate John "Jughead" Pierson opted to lease an apartment so he could wrap up work on a novel. Before long the former Screeching Weasel guitarist found himself craving the act of making music once more. After acquiring a used acoustic guitar from an acquaintance, Pierson reflected on how much he preferred its unamplified character to electric performance. He valued the instrument’s directness and its power to deliver songs without depending on the electrical systems that govern most clubs and bars. Those circumstances and reflections gave rise to Even in Blackouts, the first punk-pop group to operate entirely without amplification.
Drawing on his veteran status in the scene, Pierson recruited a circle of younger players that included vocalist Liz Eldredge, who had never performed in a band. Relying on his own knowledge of the industry, he issued the debut Myths & Imaginary Magicians under his own imprint, capping the pressing at 2,000 copies and routing sales exclusively through the independent online outlet Interpunk. The record quickly became the site’s top seller, prompting Berkeley’s Lookout! Records—longtime associates from Pierson’s Screeching Weasel era—to step in. In late March of 2003 the label placed the album into broader circulation. The track list incorporated renditions of the Screeching Weasel standard “Hey Suburbia,” Operation Ivy’s “Knowledge,” and Yaz’s “Only You.” Even in Blackouts backed the release with a tour spanning spring and summer 2003.
