Biography
Milwaukee's Lackloves draw on the singing and songwriting abilities of Mike Jarvis, who previously co-led the beloved Blow Pops, a band whose pair of early-1990s albums earned recognition as minor classics among the power pop underground. Jarvis, in contrast to his one-time partner Tim Buckley—who relocated to Virginia and formed the space rock experimentalists Maki—has stayed faithful to power pop foundations with the Lackloves, delivering catchy guitar pop songs marked by straightforward allegiance to the British Invasion, late-1970s new wave, and the spectrum between them.
The Lackloves came together in 1996, two years after the Blow Pops disbanded, with Jarvis, fellow ex-Blow Pop drummer Nick Randazzo, and guitarist Bob Eickhoff at the core. Following a stretch of rehearsal and scattered performances, the band cut its debut album, As Far As You Know, issued by the North Carolina indie Endora's Box in early 2000. Bassist Jack Rice, another former Blow Pops member, came aboard soon afterward, coinciding with Randazzo's departure and the arrival of replacement drummer Nick Verban. The refreshed lineup secured a deal with Rainbow Quartz Records at the moment the established U.K. garage pop label launched its New York office, and the group tracked its second album, Star City Baby, throughout the second half of 2001. Release of that album encountered a brief postponement because of another lineup change, as Eickhoff exited and Milwaukee pop veteran Don Moore stepped in. The Beat and the Time appeared in 2004 as the band's second Rainbow Quartz outing, after which both Rice and Moore departed on friendly terms two years later. The Lackloves persisted as a power trio once bassist Kevin Ponec joined, resulting in the early-2008 arrival of Cathedral Square Park.
The Lackloves came together in 1996, two years after the Blow Pops disbanded, with Jarvis, fellow ex-Blow Pop drummer Nick Randazzo, and guitarist Bob Eickhoff at the core. Following a stretch of rehearsal and scattered performances, the band cut its debut album, As Far As You Know, issued by the North Carolina indie Endora's Box in early 2000. Bassist Jack Rice, another former Blow Pops member, came aboard soon afterward, coinciding with Randazzo's departure and the arrival of replacement drummer Nick Verban. The refreshed lineup secured a deal with Rainbow Quartz Records at the moment the established U.K. garage pop label launched its New York office, and the group tracked its second album, Star City Baby, throughout the second half of 2001. Release of that album encountered a brief postponement because of another lineup change, as Eickhoff exited and Milwaukee pop veteran Don Moore stepped in. The Beat and the Time appeared in 2004 as the band's second Rainbow Quartz outing, after which both Rice and Moore departed on friendly terms two years later. The Lackloves persisted as a power trio once bassist Kevin Ponec joined, resulting in the early-2008 arrival of Cathedral Square Park.