Biography
Pell Mell stood out as an uncommon case among instrumental groups, securing a contract with a major label amid the alternative rock surge ignited by Nirvana. Its leading figures earned greater renown for their work behind the console, and because of an extremely irregular release pattern the band required almost ten years before delivering an album with broad distribution. On certain levels their sound anticipated post-rock through its wide-ranging tastes and blend of acoustic and electronic elements, yet it steered clear of that style’s more deliberate experimental leanings and unstructured tendencies. Rather than matching their name, Pell Mell favored melody and compact arrangements reminiscent of instrumentals from rock & roll’s earliest period. Surf guitar in particular, along with its foundational sources such as Link Wray and Duane Eddy, left a clear mark on the quartet. To avoid being confined to revival territory, they incorporated elements of funk, punk, Krautrock, dub, and vintage ambient music, among other strains, producing an atmospheric texture heavy with effects that benefited directly from the members’ production expertise.
The group originated in Portland, OR, in 1980 and spent the ensuing four years performing throughout the Northwest. Multiple personnel changes occurred during that span, although founding drummer Bob Beerman remained a constant. In 1982 the band released its first EP, Rhyming Guitars, on the small Indoor label and also put out a self-released cassette-only live recording, It Was a Live Cassette, captured as a trio. Keyboardist and effects specialist Steve Fisk, who would later become the band’s most commercially successful outside producer, came aboard in 1983; the following year the members chose to move to San Francisco. The lineup stabilized around Beerman, Fisk, bassist and guitarist Greg Freeman (who departed his primary role with the Call in 1984), and guitarist Bill Owen. Owen was subsequently succeeded by David Spalding, previously the Call’s guitar technician. A second cassette-only album, For Years We Stood Clearly as One Thing, appeared on the then-new K Records in 1985. Fisk meanwhile began issuing the first of several solo cassettes that continued into the 1990s.
Pell Mell gained broader national notice through its connection with the influential SST label, which put out the group’s first widely available full-length, The Bumper Crop, in 1988. The set drew on material recorded during the first half of the decade; although some tracks overlapped with For Years, the versions on The Bumper Crop were typically shorter and more focused. By then Fisk was producing acts including Screaming Trees (also on SST), Beat Happening, and Soundgarden; he soon handled several cuts on Nirvana’s Blew EP. Freeman simultaneously began working as a producer and engineer, starting with Bay Area eccentrics Thinking Fellers Union Local 282 and singer-songwriter Barbara Manning before later collaborating with Royal Trux.
Because the members had dispersed to separate cities, Pell Mell did not regroup until the early 1990s; SST had by that point reissued Rhyming Guitars. The 1992 album Flow marked the first occasion on which David Spalding participated as a fully integrated member and also represented the band’s most concise work to date. Microsoft licensed one track for a television commercial, which drew Geffen Records’ attention. After signing to the label’s DGC imprint, Pell Mell finished its improbable major-label debut, Interstate, in 1995. Meanwhile Fisk had joined two actively recording side projects, Pigeonhed and the Northwest indie all-star band the Halo Benders, the latter also featuring Beat Happening’s Calvin Johnson and Built to Spill’s Doug Martsch. He additionally produced newer artists such as Unwound, Some Velvet Sidewalk, the Geraldine Fibbers, and Boss Hog. Exchanging song ideas by mail, the band completed a follow-up to Interstate in 1997, yet DGC dropped them shortly before the planned release. Matador stepped in to issue the record, titled Star City, which was produced and engineered by cult favorite Tchad Blake.
Pell Mell afterward went separate ways. Fisk and Freeman each sustained their expanding careers as engineers and producers, while Spalding joined the reunited Love Tractor. Fisk and Beerman later formed the more electronic-oriented Cut-Out, which delivered its debut album in 2003.
The group originated in Portland, OR, in 1980 and spent the ensuing four years performing throughout the Northwest. Multiple personnel changes occurred during that span, although founding drummer Bob Beerman remained a constant. In 1982 the band released its first EP, Rhyming Guitars, on the small Indoor label and also put out a self-released cassette-only live recording, It Was a Live Cassette, captured as a trio. Keyboardist and effects specialist Steve Fisk, who would later become the band’s most commercially successful outside producer, came aboard in 1983; the following year the members chose to move to San Francisco. The lineup stabilized around Beerman, Fisk, bassist and guitarist Greg Freeman (who departed his primary role with the Call in 1984), and guitarist Bill Owen. Owen was subsequently succeeded by David Spalding, previously the Call’s guitar technician. A second cassette-only album, For Years We Stood Clearly as One Thing, appeared on the then-new K Records in 1985. Fisk meanwhile began issuing the first of several solo cassettes that continued into the 1990s.
Pell Mell gained broader national notice through its connection with the influential SST label, which put out the group’s first widely available full-length, The Bumper Crop, in 1988. The set drew on material recorded during the first half of the decade; although some tracks overlapped with For Years, the versions on The Bumper Crop were typically shorter and more focused. By then Fisk was producing acts including Screaming Trees (also on SST), Beat Happening, and Soundgarden; he soon handled several cuts on Nirvana’s Blew EP. Freeman simultaneously began working as a producer and engineer, starting with Bay Area eccentrics Thinking Fellers Union Local 282 and singer-songwriter Barbara Manning before later collaborating with Royal Trux.
Because the members had dispersed to separate cities, Pell Mell did not regroup until the early 1990s; SST had by that point reissued Rhyming Guitars. The 1992 album Flow marked the first occasion on which David Spalding participated as a fully integrated member and also represented the band’s most concise work to date. Microsoft licensed one track for a television commercial, which drew Geffen Records’ attention. After signing to the label’s DGC imprint, Pell Mell finished its improbable major-label debut, Interstate, in 1995. Meanwhile Fisk had joined two actively recording side projects, Pigeonhed and the Northwest indie all-star band the Halo Benders, the latter also featuring Beat Happening’s Calvin Johnson and Built to Spill’s Doug Martsch. He additionally produced newer artists such as Unwound, Some Velvet Sidewalk, the Geraldine Fibbers, and Boss Hog. Exchanging song ideas by mail, the band completed a follow-up to Interstate in 1997, yet DGC dropped them shortly before the planned release. Matador stepped in to issue the record, titled Star City, which was produced and engineered by cult favorite Tchad Blake.
Pell Mell afterward went separate ways. Fisk and Freeman each sustained their expanding careers as engineers and producers, while Spalding joined the reunited Love Tractor. Fisk and Beerman later formed the more electronic-oriented Cut-Out, which delivered its debut album in 2003.
Albums
