The 1900s

Chicago indie pop outfit the 1900s came together officially during spring 2004, although the musicians’ shared history stretched back well over ten years. Edward Anderson on vocals and guitar, guitarist Mike Jasinski, and drummer Tim Minnick had first played together while still in high school, performing experimental noise rock as Minotaurs of P. College obligations soon ended that project, yet Anderson moved back to Chicago in 2001 and briefly joined Minnick’s roots-rock group Forty Piece Choir. After leaving that band he next appeared with the post-punk outfit Plane. He kept in touch with both Minnick and Jasinski, and once bassist Charlie Ransford—formerly of power-pop combo Turner Joy—came aboard, the musicians began cutting early demo recordings under the 1900s name. Vocalists Jeannie O’Toole and Caroline Donovan entered the lineup during summer 2004; violinist Kristina Dutton followed shortly afterward, prompting the group’s sound to shift toward vintage sunshine pop and contemporary folk-pop. Their debut live performance supported Bobby Conn, after which the band signed with Urbana indie label Parasol Records and issued the well-received EP Plume Delivery in spring 2006. Strong reviews followed, and the remainder of the year was devoted to short tours plus the writing of new songs. Despite romantic relationships among members, the original lineup remained intact when the 1900s performed at Lollapalooza in summer 2007, attracting additional listeners. Parasol released the band’s first full-length album, Cold & Kind, the following autumn. In the three years leading to the next release the group put out the interim EP Medium High, Anderson and Donovan issued a Mazes side-project album, and Jasinski, Dutton, and Minnick departed. Violinist Andra Kulans replaced Dutton, and the reconfigured ensemble delivered its second album, Return of the Century, in November 2010.