Timbuk 3

Timbuk 3 blended alternative pop sensibilities with folk and country influences, yet the husband-and-wife team of Pat and Barbara K. MacDonald leaned heavily on synthesizers and drum machines even during live performances. Although the pair composed numerous stronger tracks, their unexpected 1986 single “The Future’s So Bright, I Gotta Wear Shades” overshadowed much of the catalog. The two first crossed paths while Barbara studied at the University of Wisconsin and soon began crafting and performing original material together. A short stay in New York followed, during which they busked on sidewalks for spare change, before the couple relocated to Austin, Texas, and became fixtures at venues including the Hole in the Wall and the Austin Outhouse. A self-produced demo plus an appearance on MTV’s The Cutting Edge secured them a deal with I.R.S. Records. Performing with a boom box supplying the beat, the MacDonalds showcased acoustic and electric guitars on various television programs and cut their debut album, Greetings from Timbuk 3, in 1986. The record peaked at number 50 on the album charts, propelled chiefly by the buoyant novelty track “The Future’s So Bright, I Gotta Wear Shades,” which reached number 19 on the singles survey. That first release balanced breezy numbers against weightier, introspective material, a contrast that carried over to the 1988 follow-up Eden Alley. Drummer Wally Ingram joined after the release of Edge of Allegiance, and by the time Big Shot in the Dark appeared the group had expanded into a quartet with the addition of bassist Courtney Audain. Timbuk 3 disbanded in the mid-’90s once the MacDonalds’ marriage ended. In 1997 Pat launched the Ark 21 label and launched a solo career.