Sixteen Deluxe

Austin, Texas-based noise-pop outfit Sixteen Deluxe emerged in mid-1994 after the dissolution of local outfits Swingset and Warm Jets, with its original lineup featuring vocalists and guitarists Carrie Clark and Chris Smith alongside bassist Jeff Copas and drummer Lyman Hardy. The ensemble quickly earned recognition as the Austin scene’s most intense act, drawing a devoted audience through its strongly psychedelic performances. When Hardy departed to devote himself entirely to Ed Hall, Bryan Bowden took over the drum chair for the band’s 1995 debut album Backfeed Magnet Babe; after Bowden’s exit, K.C. Rhodes filled the role temporarily until Steven Hall joined as permanent drummer in 1996. During the sessions for the EP Pilot Knob on the L.A.-based indie Genius, the group secured a deal with Warner Bros. and delivered its major-label debut Emits Showers of Sparks in 1998. The Warner Bros. association lasted only briefly, prompting a move to Sugar Fix for the next release, The Moonman Is Blue, which appeared in late 1999. In July of the following year Carrie Clark exited, bringing Sixteen Deluxe to an end.