Collection: #Poundsign#
#Poundsign# are an indie pop group founded by Stephen Vesecky, Alicia Vanden Heuvel (the Aislers Set), and Becky Barron (Kids on A Crime Spree, Scrabbel) , and Ravi Sreekakula. The group formed the group in 1993, having met one year earlier at UC-Santa Cruz. "We were all friends and would drive around late at night and hang out at Ferrell's Donuts," Vanden Heuvel explained in an interview with the 'zine Movers and Shakers. "And then we just sort of started practicing music together."
#Poundsign#'s first release on vinyl was in 1994, for their song "Disaster" on a 7" split-with So-Cal band Poastal, followed up with numerous appearances in indie-pop comps, such as 1996 Pop American Style, where their song "Starry Night" introduced the band to a world-wide audience. The band set off on a US tour in 1995 in Stephen's mom's Volvo, booking shows through college radio and underground pop networks.
Their second single, the "The Almondy Many," was released on the Ann Arbor, MI-based label Fantastic Records in 1996 and the band set out on a second U.S. Tour, this time in Alicia's Ford Escort. The band's third single, "Michigan," came out the following year 1997 on Belmondo Discs.
In the Spring of 1998, #Poundsign's debut album, Wavelength, came out on Fantastic Records. It was recorded by the band on Alicia's Otari 1/2" 8 Track. The album was mastered by legendary George Horn at Fantasy Studios while the band watched in being cut straight to lacquer on the lathe (an entirely analogue process.) Jaime Knight (Dear Nora, the Guild League) was brought into the fold to help support the record for the group's U.S. Tour in 1998 with friends The Aislers Set. In 1999, #Poundsign# and The Aislers Set were invited by Beikoku Ongaku magazine on a 2 week tour of Japan. The groups released a Split 7" for the tour, and song "Nothing But The Night" appeared on that 7" out on I Wish I Were A Slumberland Record. In 1999, the Aislers Set and #Poundsign# put out another split 7" for their pal JJ from Fantastic Record's wedding, the "Wedding split 7"."
#Poundsign# continued to appear on numerous indie pop compilation cd's, mixed tapes, 7"'s and, in 2001, the group went on an East Coast Tour with Kissing Book. The band's second full-length album, Underneath the Marquee, came out in 2002 on Fantastic Records. Again, it was recorded by the band in Alicia's warehouse on the Otari 1/2" 8 track, and again mastered to laithe by George Horn. #Poundsign's drowsy, introspective tunes give a nod to The Cure, the Smiths, and the Field Mice, with a rauchus fun influenced by The Velvet Underground. The band went on hiatus soon after the disc was released, and #Poundsign#'s original members busied themselves with other projects: Vesecky went on to form the likeminded pop group Strega; Barron with Scrabbel and Kids on A Crime Spree, went on to work with Dressy Bessy; and Vanden Heuvel continued to work with the Aislers Set, Magic Trick, and other projects.
