Biography
Formed in Nashville, Tennessee during 1984, the quartet assembled around Joe Blanton on vocals and rhythm guitar, Chris Mekow on drums, Robert Logue on bass and Oscar Rice on guitar. Their moniker derived from a term for premium Chinese opium, the same phrase Jimmy Page and Paul Rodgers had once earmarked for the group that ultimately became the Firm. Strong regional performances and the independently funded Off The Beat ‘n’ Path EP secured a deal with A&M Records. Logue and Rice, however, steered the material toward an R.E.M.-leaning approach rather than the harder rock favored by the other pair, and after supporting REO Speedwagon the original lineup dissolved. Blanton and Mekow kept the name and the contract, bringing in Drew Cornutt on bass and Josh Weinberg on guitar; Weinberg was soon supplanted by Jeff Mays when his studio work proved inadequate. Produced by Vic Maile, Geared And Primed mixed heavier textures with the rootsier guitar flavors of the earlier recording, particularly on its softer tracks, yet the collection ultimately fell short on consistently strong songs and the band slipped from view.