Poor Old Lu

Emerging from Seattle, Poor Old Lu drew inspiration from acts such as All and Screeching Weasel at the precise moment Nirvana and Pearl Jam first began generating national attention. Bypassing the dominant grunge sound completely, the group fused its punk approach with explicit Christian themes. This aligned them with MxPx and a handful of peers as early trailblazers of the style, an alignment that later proved advantageous once punk-pop broke into the mainstream. The band secured a contract with Alarma in the mid-1990s and issued several influential albums before reaching a creative standstill in 1996. Opting against manufacturing new songs under pressure, the members instead took an extended break to focus on separate endeavors. When they reconvened in 2001 to develop fresh material, Tooth and Nail signed them, resulting in the release of The Waiting Room in 2002.