If Guided by Voices embodied the Beatles for the mid-'90s lo-fi movement, the Grifters' expansive, blues-inflected clamor might just as readily stand in for the Stones. The Memphis-based quartet cultivated a sound that was intentionally raucous, imprecise, and detuned, burying its melodic content beneath layers of crackling distortion and static. Their surroundings left a clear imprint, and the group also echoed the early lo-fi explorations of Royal Trux and Half Japanese, differing sharply from Guided by Voices, who reached the same aesthetic simply by capturing pop-oriented material at home on inferior gear.
The band coalesced in the late '80s under the name A Band Called Bud, featuring vocalist and guitarist Scott Taylor, bassist Tripp Lamkins, and drummer Dave Shouse. Their sole output in that configuration consisted of a lone single and a little-known cassette of living-room recordings. Around the start of the following decade, Shouse began splitting songwriting and guitar duties with Taylor, while Stan Gallimore took over the drum chair. The revamped lineup made its first appearance on wax with the 1990 single "Disfigurehead," issued by Doink Records.
Their full-length debut, So Happy Together, arrived in 1992 on the kindred Sonic Noise imprint and extended the Sonic Youth-derived brand of punk heard on the earlier releases. The next year brought One Sock Missing, which revealed a more seasoned Grifters whose tempos had slowed without any reduction in the amount of distortion and tape edits applied. The album marked the first release on the band's own Shangri-La label, an outlet that subsequently put out a single by A Band Called Bud as well as material from Taylor's side project Hot Monkey.
Once Pavement and Guided by Voices helped establish lo-fi as a viable indie-rock proposition by 1994, the Grifters' third album, Crappin' You Negative, brought the bluesy bravado that had previously remained subdued into sharper focus. The addition of comparatively straightforward melodies—largely achieved through the reiteration of angular guitar figures—helped turn the record into an underground success. The group signed with Sub Pop later that year. Following the 1995 Eureka EP, they delivered Ain't My Lookout in 1996 and Full Blown Possession in 1997.
