Jesse Sykes & The Sweet Hereafter

Emerging in the wake of the alt-country groups Whiskeytown and Hominy, Jesse Sykes and Phil Wandscher first crossed paths in 1999 inside Seattle’s Hattie Hat bar. Fresh from the close of her partnership with Jim Sykes, with whom she had played in Hominy, Sykes had curtailed her songwriting until the encounter with Wandscher sparked fresh momentum. The two began appearing together, drawing favorable notice and a gradual swell of interest. In time they expanded the lineup with drummer Kevin Warner, bassist Bill Herzog, and violinist Anne Marie Ruljancich. Once in the studio they cut their first album, Reckless Burning, issued in April 2002 on Barsuk Records under the name Jesse Sykes & the Sweet Hereafter. During the following years the ensemble appeared alongside Neko Case, Richard Buckner, and Mark Olson. Their next record, Oh, My Girl, arrived two years afterward. The third album, 2007’s Like, Love, Lust and the Open Halls of the Soul, marked the arrival of Eric Eagle on drums in place of Kevin Warner. Marble Son, jointly produced by Sykes and Wandscher and tracked throughout the Seattle area, surfaced in 2011; it also served as the band’s debut on their own Parisian Records following the departure from Barsuk.