Hazel

In the early 1990s, as grunge reached its height in Seattle, Portland, Oregon witnessed the rise of multiple bands, Hazel among them alongside Elliott Smith's Heatmiser. The indie-pop trio featured vocalist-guitarist Pete Krebs, bassist Brady Smith, and drummer-vocalist Jody Bleyle. Performances regularly incorporated dancer and spirit man Fred Nemo, whose presence paralleled that of Bez from Happy Mondays and Black Grape. Under contract with Sub Pop records, the group issued its debut album, Toreador of Love, in 1993. The punk-pop recording distinguished itself through the singular blending of Krebs' and Bleyle's voices. Foundations within Hazel had already grown unstable by the arrival of the band's second album, Are You Going to Eat That?, in 1995. Krebs was gradually stepping forward as a solo performer with occasional acoustic sets, while Bleyle took part in Team Dresch and served as co-owner of the Candy-Ass record label. Much like his friend and occasional collaborator Elliott Smith, Krebs soon moved beyond the group toward a career as an introspective and critically acclaimed singer/songwriter. He launched his independent work with the defiantly acoustic Brigadier in 1995, and the highly lauded follow-up Western Electric confirmed his status outside the band.