Uncle Green

by Steve HueyA jangly Southern power pop band in the classic mold, Atlanta-based Uncle Green featured vocalists/guitarists/songwriters Matt Brown and Jeff Jensen, bassist Bill Decker, and drummer Pete McDade. Naturally, Uncle Green looked to R.E.M. as a chief influence, but also drew from less elliptical power pop influences both classic (the Beatles, Squeeze) and contemporary (Trip Shakespeare, the Posies, Matthew Sweet). Formed when some of its members were just 15, Uncle Green debuted with two albums for the small New Vision label (1987s Get It Together and 1988s 15 Dryden), but didnt truly hit their stride until signing with the indie DB. Produced by Brendan OBrien, 1989s You was a major step forward, finding Brown and Jensen both perfecting their voices as lyricists and their senses of craft and structure as tunesmiths. 1991s What an Experiment His Head Was further refined the groups sound and helped them land a major-label deal with Atlantic. With OBrien again at the helm, Uncle Green recorded Book of Bad Thoughts, their hardest-rocking — and, some said, best — album yet. Unfortunately, despite radios greater receptivity to Uncle Greens style of music, the record failed to catch on with a wider alternative audience; after Atlantic ditched them, the group wound up disbanding in 1994. However, they immediately regrouped — with the exact same lineup — as the slightly more alt-rock-sounding 3 Lb. Thrill; they signed to OBriens Sony subsidiary 57 and recorded one album, Vulture, in 1995.