June Star

The nostalgic country rock of June Star stood out from much of the like-minded albums being released around the time of their debut. Where most roots rock had an urgent optimism that made for sing-a-long choruses and mainstream acceptance, June Star had a very different vision of the genre. Taking the Southern gothic imagery of Flannery O'Connor and blending it with the stripped down approach of later period Uncle Tupelo, their debut Songs from an Engineer's Daughter was a dark reaction to the alternative country scene. Featuring mandolin player Tom Scanlan, guitarist Tim Johnson, and singer Andrew Grimm, the band's intimate setup helped the band gain fans through live performances. Two years later, the minimalist and melancholy Telegraph was released on Safe House Records. In 2003, June Star recorded their third full-length album, Sugarbird, with Grimm joined by three new members, bassist Ryan Finnerin, percussionist Jeff Trueman, and multi-instrumentalist Tim Bracken.