Album Notes

The Pinecones hail from Oakland, California, where hail is rare. Over the years, their eclecticism and near-competence have won them a legion of indifferent listeners around the world.

The core of the band coalesced at KZSC-FM in Santa Cruz, California during the heyday of college rock. Andy, Phil and Michael were lucky enough to enjoy shows by local phenoms like Camper Van Beethoven, Spot 1019 and Drew Waegel and His Amazing Sta-Puff Dream Weasels. Then there were the trips to San Francisco to see the legendary Voice Farm and such out-of-towners as They Might Be Giants and The Pixies.

It was such a great time. Better than now, that's for sure. Now the Cones are all jaded, bitter malcontents with adult responsibilities like day jobs, mortgages and kids. Unable to appreciate the sublimities of nu-metal and britney spears, every day they grow more despondent about the state of music. "In *my* day," they'll try to tell you as you back slowly away, "music *meant* something. It was smart, weird, politically engaged and catchy."

In a futile attempt to bring back the feeling of quirky fun and camaraderie they enjoyed in the golden days of the late 80's, the Pinecones cobbled together a bunch of originals and a Flaming Lips song and went into the studio to record their masterpiece, "Shirley Kramer."

Relentless touring to promote the album throughout 2001 has kept the band out of the studio for over a year, and if they ever finish responding personally to each and every piece of fan mail they receive, they may write some new songs. In the meantime, we're stuck with Shirley, and for that we can be eternally grateful.