To play this game of Band Bios, read the snippet from each band’s Pandora bio below.
Can you figure out which band the bio is describing (no cheating / Google searches allowed).
1. “Founders [name redacted] and [name redacted] were longtime school friends, having studied together at the Lycée Français de New York in Upper Manhattan…In 2012, this band celebrated their 20th anniversary with The Stars Are Indifferent to Astronomy, the band’s seventh studio album and first collection of original material since 2008’s Lucky.”
2. “Specializing in an evocative mix of pop, folk, indie rock, and electronic music, this band formed in 2002 as a solo vehicle for prolific East Coast singer/songwriter [name redacted]. Simultaneously introspective and quirky, the band released its 2002 debut long-player, Star Lit Sunken Ship, through the Orange Twin label.”
3. “This alternative pop band emerged from San Francisco in 1994…Debuting in 1996 with the critical favorite Seasick, this band resurfaced in early 1999 with What Is Not to Love.”
4. “The duo endured several failed experiments in both band lineups and musical styles…Though [name redacted] was only 12 when she performed her first song for them, they both recognized her potential. After recruiting [name redacted], this band spent five years writing, performing, and touring before coming to the attention of label reps and tour managers in the summer of 2004.”
5. “Vocalist [name redacted] makes atmospheric, orchestral, retro-’60s-sounding pop…It would be a few years before Grant would undergo a complete transformation into her alter ego.”
6. “Fresh out of high school, this band toured with the likes of Maroon 5, Rooney, and Phantom Planet while writing and recording material for their debut album, 2005’s Are You Thinking What I’m Thinking?”
7. “The band’s first single was “I Wish I Was Him,” a satirical tribute to the Lemonheads’ Evan Dando that inspired Dando to record his own cover version…yet touring was limited because of the group’s commitments to school.”
8. “Within months, the two met Parisian-born Dominique Durand. Durand had come to New York in 1989 to learn English, not join a band…She’d never sung before, but Chase and Schlesinger encouraged her to sing on the demo…and [this band] was born.”
9. “Led by former child actors [name redacted] and [name redacted], the L.A.-based quartet held its first practice in 1998…Although the exclusive label had rarely opened its doors to bands outside of Omaha’s city limits, they nevertheless signed this band and released the band’s twangy sophomore effort, The Execution of All Things, in October 2002.”
10. “This Toronto-based five-piece combine their fuzzy, jangly, indie pop with infectious, sugary melodies…Lead vocalist [name redacted] — the daughter of [name redacted] from the popular Canadian folk family group the Rankin Family — was joined by childhood next-door neighbor [name redacted] on keyboards, and met guitarist [name redacted] at a show as a teenager before they proceeded to write music together.”
11. “[Name redacted] set her sights on a solo career in the late ’90s. While gigging in and around Ontario and Quebec, she met bassist Blake Markle and his friend, drummer Bucky Wheaton, with whom she formed this band in 2005.”
12. “Celebrating a bratty, tongue-in-cheek viewpoint and a spunky indie punk style…this seven-piece group formed in 2006 in Cardiff, Wales. The lineup took shape around Cardiff University students Aleksandra (keyboard, horn), Ellen (bass), Gareth (glockenspiel), Harriet (violin, keyboard), Neil (guitar), Ollie (drums), and Tom (guitar), all of whom began sharing vocals.”
