>> Red House Painters

With songs that varied in tone from light acoustic numbers to more powerful, though still restrained, plugged-in tracks,The Red House Painters established themselves as one of the premier indie rock outfits of the mid-'90s. Led by singer/songwriter Mark Kozelek (the band's 1996 album Songs for a Blue Guitar was actually a Kozelek solo release) the Painters documented the dark and dirty side of human nature.

Legal troubles would keep Old Ramon in the vaults until 2001 after the Painters were swallowed when their label, Island Records, was swallowed up in the 1998 Seagrams merger, the band returned to tour and promote its long-delayed record. In the interim, Kozelek did everything from record solo to organize benefit and tribute compiliations and appear in feature films.