History Music / IndianSummer

Sounds like they would've likely been forgotten after that, and for a while they basically were...until about 6 years later when Napster and other file swapping services upended the music industry. This allowed their music to be heard not only by people who were too young to have experienced them during their initial run, but who also lived far away from where this exclusively underground style was played. As a result, their popularity swelled and their records started going for big prices on online auctions sites. In 2002 a CD compilation of their entire discography titled ''Science 1994'' was released but had a limited distribution and lacked mainstream attention.

To the members, Indian Summer was less a band as it was a platform for experimental music. According to interviews, they never played the same song the same way twice and they pioneered a few oddball things in their music that became minor tropes in themselves. One defining trait of the band was that many of their songs had an old Music/BessieSmith blues record playing in the background, audible during the quiet parts and intros of the songs. Vocals alternated between spoken word, soft singing and intense screaming. Loud/soft dynamics were a huge part of the band's sound, though they were hardly the first band to play with this, even in {{Music/Emo}}, it's largely agreed today they were at least the TropeCodifier, with many such song structures today directly linked back to them. And like most {{Music/Emo}} bands of the era, their music was fully released only on vinyl, their entire output consisting of a 7-inch record, a couple splits and some compilation tracks. The band never released a full length record and even their entire compiled works is only about a half hour long. The only initial digital release of their music was [[LiveAlbum a recording of a show they played for a college radio station]], titled ''Live Blue Universe'', which itself was released well after the band's demise.

After developing a reputation for themselves in the Bay Area, Indian Summer embarked on their one and only national tour in 1994, eschewing traditional arenas or even big name local music clubs, instead mostly playing in VFW halls, youth centers, and even sometimes just people's basements. They traveled very light, often only sleeping on people's couches instead of hotels, and according to WordOfGod some of the members lost as much as 20 pounds during the tour. After leaving Canada and ready to do the final leg of their tour things got even worse, the band's scheduled date in Seattle and the rest of the tour fell through, leaving them broke and without being able to get paid, thus forcing them to resort to stealing gas and dine and dashing to get back to Oakland. At that point, the band somewhat anticlimatically dissolved, the members started to grow apart, some had changing musical tastes and there wasn't seen any reason to continue Indian Summer.

Sounds like they would've likely been forgotten after that, and for a while they basically were...until about 6 years later when Napster and other file swapping services upended the music industry. This allowed their music to be heard not only by people who were too young to have experienced them during their initial run, but who also lived far away from where this exclusively underground style was played. As a result, their popularity immensely swelled and their records started going for big prices on online auctions sites. In 2002 a CD compilation of their entire discography titled ''Science 1994'' was released but also had a limited distribution and lacked mainstream attention. For well over a decade the band still languished in the underground, despite their lyrics being a mainstay of quotes on Millennials' Website/LiveJournal and Website/MySpace pages.

Indian Summer was an {{Emo}} band from Oakland, California that existed from 1993 to 1994. And might be the most influential band you've never heard of.

Sounds like they would've likely been forgotten after that, and for awhile they basically were...until about 6 years later when Napster and other file swapping services upended the music industry. This allowed their music to be heard not only by people who were too young to have experienced them during their initial run, but who also lived far away from where this exclusively underground style was played. As a result, their popularity immensely swelled and their records started going for big prices on online auctions sites. In 2002 a CD compilation of their entire discography titled ''Science 1994'' was released but also had a limited distribution and lacked mainstream attention. For well over a decade the band still languished in the underground, despite their lyrics being a mainstay of quotes on Millennials' Website/LiveJournal and Website/MySpace pages.

However the "emo revival" of TheNewTens might've finally brought them the mainstream attention they never sought. The band has appeared on lists in publications such as Rolling Stone and Vulture, and in 2019 had another release of their music on vinyl put out again by the Numero Group, a label dedicated to re-releases of long forgotten and out of print music. As a result their streaming rights were also picked up, and their music is now available on all online music stores and streaming services. Today it's just as accessible and easy to listen to as Music/LadyGaga and Music/KatyPerry...a truly amazing thing no one would've expected. They've also picked up worldwide recognition, with their songs being covered in countries such as Russia and the Philippines.

If you haven't heard them, setting aside a half hour to listen to their full output would probably be a rather enriching use of your time.

* RefrainFromAssuming: The song commonly referred to as "Angry Son", is perhaps one of the strangest examples of this trope. The name "Angry Son" comes the ending where the vocalist breaks down screaming "I am the angry son!" repeatedly. However WordOfGod is that NONE of their songs actually had titles, and the title is just a fan creation. Despite this a live recording exists where the band can be heard before playing it saying "This one is called Woolworm" which has led many to believe that "Woolworm" is the official title. [[note]]As strange and confusing as this may sound, it's typical of bands of the style, many didn't given official titles to songs, but individual members would use unofficial titles or nicknames, this could've simply been one member's name for it or whatever they were calling it at the time.[[/note]] Today it's a much less controversial issue and most agree that it is OK to refer to the song as "Angry Son" or at least "the song people call Angry Son".

* NeoclassicalPunkZydecoRockabilly: Confirmed in later interviews, the members listened to a diverse range of bands and they had diverse influences, thus resulting in their rather unique sound.

* NoTitle: WordOfGod is that none of their songs had titles, although they can be heard giving a name on a live recording and some titles have been printed...indicating that individual members might've had names for the songs even if "official" ones didn't exist. This hasn't stopped FanNickname titles for all their songs becoming almost as accepted as canon.

* MohsScaleOfRockAndMetalHardness: All over the place, due to their loud/soft dynamics in their songs. Total range is between about 1-7, with many songs including this entire range.
** "Reflections On Milkweed" goes from being a 1 for half of the song, to immediately switching to a borderline 8 for the second half.

* WordSaladLyrics: They were an {{Emo}} band in TheNineties...kind of goes without saying.

However the "emo revival" of TheNewTens might've finally brought them the mainstream attention they never sought. The band has appeared on lists in publications such as RollingStone and Vulture, and in 2019 had another release of their music on vinyl put out again by the Numero Group, a new label dedicated to re-releases of long forgotten and out of print music. As a result their streaming rights were also picked up, and their music is now available on all online music stores and streaming services. Today it's just as accessible and easy to listen to as Music/LadyGaga and Music/KatyPerry...a truly amazing thing no one would've expected. They've also picked up worldwide recognition, with their songs being covered in countries such as Russia and the Philippines.

To the members, Indian Summer was less a band as it was a platform for experimental music. According to interviews, they never played the same song the same way twice and they pioneered a few oddball things in their music that became minor tropes in themselves. One defining trait of the band was that many of their songs had an old Music/BessieSmith blues record playing in the background, audible during the quiet parts and intros of the songs. Vocals alternated between spoken word, soft singing and intense screaming. Loud/soft dynamics were a huge part of the band's sound, though they were hardly the first band to play with this, even in {{Music/Emo}}, it's largely agreed today they were at least the TropeCodifier, with many such song structures today directly linked back to them. And like most {{Music/Emo}} bands of the era, their music was fully released only on vinyl, their entire output consisting of a 7-inch record, a couple splits and some compilation tracks. The band never released a full length record and even their entire compiled works is only about a half hour long. The only initial digital release of their music was a recording of a show they played for a college radio station, titled ''Live Blue Universe'', which itself was released well after the band's demise.

To the members, Indian Summer was less a band as it was a platform for experimental music. According to interviews, they never played the same song the same way twice and they pioneered a few oddball things in their music that became minor tropes in themselves. One defining trait of the band was that many of their songs had an old Music/BessieSmith blues record playing in the background, audible during the quiet parts and intros of the songs. Vocals alternated between spoken word, soft singing and intense screaming. Loud/soft dynamics were a huge part of the band's sound, though they were hardly the first band to play with this, even in {{Music/Emo}}, it's largely agreed today they were at least the TropeCodifier, with many such song structures today directly linked back to them. And like most {{Music/Emo}} bands of the era, their music was fully released only on vinyl, their entire output consisting of a 7-inch record, a couple splits and some compilation tracks. The band never released a full length record and even their entire compiled works is only about a half hour long. The only initial digital release of their music was a recording of a show they played for a college radio station, titled ''Live Blue Universe'',which itself was released well after the band's demise.

To the members, Indian Summer was less a band as it was a platform for experimental music. According to interviews, they never played the same song the same way twice and they pioneered a few oddball things in their music that became minor tropes in themselves. One defining trait of the band was that many of their songs had an old Music/BessieSmith blues record playing in the background, audible during the quiet parts and intros of the songs. Vocals alternated between spoken word, soft singing and intense screaming. Loud/soft dynamics were a huge part of the band's sound, though they were hardly the first band to play with this, even in {{Music/Emo}}, it's largely agreed today they were at least the TropeCodifier, with many such song structures today directly linked back to them. And like most Music/Emo bands of the era, their music was fully released only on vinyl, their entire output consisting of a 7-inch record, a couple splits and some compilation tracks. The band never released a full length record and even their entire compiled works is only about a half hour long. The only initial digital release of their music was a recording of a show they played for a college radio station, titled ''Live Blue Universe'',which itself was released well after the band's demise.

To the members, Indian Summer was less a band as it was a platform for experimental music. According to interviews, they never played the same song the same way twice and they pioneered a few oddball things in their music that became minor tropes in themselves. One defining trait of the band was that many of their songs had an old Music/BessieSmith blues record playing in the background, audible during the quiet parts and intros of the songs. Vocals alternated between spoken word, soft singing and intense screaming. Loud/soft dynamics were a huge part of the band's sound, though they were hardly the first band to play with this, even in Music/Emo, it's largely agreed today they were at least the TropeCodifier, with many such song structures today directly linked back to them. And like most Music/Emo bands of the era, their music was fully released only on vinyl, their entire output consisting of a 7-inch record, a couple splits and some compilation tracks. The band never released a full length record and even their entire compiled works is only about a half hour long. The only initial digital release of their music was a recording of a show they played for a college radio station, titled ''Live Blue Universe'',which itself was released well after the band's demise.

* ShroudedInMyth: Somewhat averted today, now that members have given many interviews and their music has received official re-releases, but very much in place during their initial surge of popularity at the TurnOfTheMillenium, with the members having dispersed across the country and no longer active in the {{Emo}} scene, playing musical styles as unrelated as freeform jazz. This gave the band an almost mythical quality.

If you haven't heard them, setting aside a half hour to listen to their full output would probably be a rather enriching use of your time.

However the "emo revival" of TheNewTens might've finally brought them the mainstream attention they never sought. The band has appeared on lists in publications such as RollingStone and Vulture, and in 2019 had another release of their music on vinyl put out again by the Numero Group, a new label dedicated to re-releases of long forgotten and out of print music. As a result their streaming rights were also picked up, and their music is now available on all online music stores and streaming services. Today it's just as accessible and easy to listen to as {{LadyGaga}} and {{KatyPerry}}...a truly amazing thing no one would've expected. They've also picked up worldwide recognition, with their songs being covered in countries such as Russia and the Philippines.

However the "emo revival" of TheNewTens might've finally brought them the mainstream attention they never sought. The band has appeared on lists in publications such as RollingStone and Vulture, and in 2019 had another release of their music on vinyl put out again by the Numero Group, a new label dedicated to re-releases of long forgotten and out of print music. As a result their streaming rights were also picked up, and their music is now available on all online music stores and streaming services. Today it's just as accessible and easy to listen to as LadyGaga and KatyPerry...a truly amazing thing no one would've expected. They've also picked up worldwide recognition, with their songs being covered in countries such as Russia and the Philippines.

Indian Summer was an Music/Emo band from Oakland, California that existed from 1993 to 1994. And might be the most influential band you've never heard of.

To the members, Indian Summer was less a band as it was a platform for experimental music. According to interviews, they never played the same song the same way twice and they pioneered a few oddball things in their music that became minor tropes in themselves. One defining trait of the band was that many of their songs had an old Music/BessieSmith blues record playing in the background, audible during the quiet parts and intros of the songs. Vocals alternated between spoken word, soft singing and intense screaming. Loud/soft dynamics were a huge part of the band's sound, though they were hardly the first band to play with this, even in Music/Emo, it's largely agreed today they were at least the TropeCodifier, with many such song structures today directly linked back to them. And like most Music/Emo bands of the era, their music was fully released only on vinyl, their entire output consisting of a 7-inch record, a couple splits and some compilation tracks. The band never released a full length record and even their entire compiled works is only about a half hour long. The only initial digital release of their music was a recording of a show they played for a college radio station, titled ''Live Blue Universe''.

Sounds like they would've likely been forgotten after that, and for awhile they basically were...until about 6 years later when Napster and other file swapping services upended the music industry.