sparkle*Jets u.k.: Bamboo Lounge

Founding members Mike Simmons, Susan West, and Jamie Knight first met in 1995 at a gig for Simmons' band at the time, Virgin 7. In February of 1996, Virgin 7 enlisted Knight to play bass on a series of recordings for a planned album. The collaboration, which also included Fletcher Harrington of Cowboy Buddha, clicked, and the three separate acts merged into a single entity. The group included the first writing contributions from Mike Simmons, but the band had a total of five songwriters, and as egos took control the group pared itself down to the core of Simmons, West, and Knight. The group, which was initially dubbed Happy Birthday!, was renamed Sparkle*Jets U.K., including the "U.K." tag because the name wasn't nearly wacky enough. The three bandmembers also shared a lot of musical common ground, starting at the Beatles and running through Electric Light Orchestra, Brian Wilson, Teenage Fanclub, the Pixies, the Jackson 5; and various R&B, soul, and Stiff Records-style new...  more