Album Notes

Upon the breakup of the Boise, Idaho punk band State of Confusion, several members elected to head west to the thriving then-underground scene in Seattle, and so guitarist/vocalist Doug Martsch, guitarist/vocalist Scott Schmaljohn, bassist Pat Brown, and drummer Wayne Rhino Flower became the Treepeople.

An often melodic cross between punk and grunge highlighted by Martsch and Schmaljohn's guitar interplay, the Treepeople's sound was never really altered to fit the post-Nirvana Seattle formula, and perhaps consequently, the group never attracted as much attention outside the local scene as many of their contemporaries.

Treepeople debuted on the Toxic Shock label in 1989 with Guilt Regret Embarrassment, switching to C/Z for Something Vicious for Tomorrow, which did not appear until 1992 but also included the out-of-print EP Time Whore.

By this time, Tony Dallas Reed had taken over the drum seat; for the next album, 1993's Just Kidding, Reed switched to bass (taking over for new father Brown) and Eric Akre (Carrie Akre’s brother) took his position behind the drum set.

Claiming he was tired of touring, Martsch then quit the band himself, leaving Schmaljohn as the only remaining original member. On the Treepeople's final album, 1994's Actual Re-Enactment, the lineup featured Schmaljohn, Akre, guitarist John Polle, and bassist Eric Carnell.

Martsch continued after Treepeople with BUILT TO SPILL, and Schmaljohn continues to play music in Boise where he returned after Treepeople called it quits in 1995.