Wow & Flutter

Originally viewed merely as a studio diversion for Cord Amato—the drummer from Her Number Thirteen who handled guitar, programming, and vocals—Wow & Flutter approached their work without much gravity until Amplified Recordings issued Guilty Pleasures in 1998, marking the group’s debut. The dissolution of Her Number Thirteen further motivated former guitarist Weigh Brown to enter the fold, where he was joined by Jack Houston on bass and guitar plus Michael Nelson on drums, thereby rounding out the initial configuration. After performing across their Portland, Oregon home base in the Northwest, the quartet earned frequent parallels to Sonic Youth and the Sea and Cake ahead of issuing their follow-up LP, Pounding the Pavement, via Jealous Butcher Records in 2000. That same year Brown and Nelson exited, prompting Donny Mishado (guitar/drums), Chris (guitar/farfisa), and Amy Turner (cello) to fill the roster; projectionist Joey Santana was also enlisted to support Wow & Flutter’s live presentations. Jealous Butcher then delivered the band’s third album, Better Today Then, in 2001.