Early History
Beginning in 1992, Fond du Lac, Wisconsin high school classmates Matthew Schaeffer, Matthew Kramer, Cliff Hammer, and Tony Krug (a.k.a. Anthony Shaw, now Aimee) began writing and performing songs together. Under the moniker J.J. War, the band wrote and performed original songs. In 1994 after graduating high school, Schaeffer moved to Madison, Wisconsin to study Piano Performance and Composition at the University of Wisconsin - Madison, under Professor Carrol Chilton. Kramer, the drummer, moved to Milwaukee to study film while Hammer and Krug remained in Fond du Lac. The band members all moved to Madison the following year, living together and writing songs.
In 1997, they traveled to Chicago to perform in the city's annual BeatleFest. The resulting publicity brought the band to the attention of Chicago record producer Joey "The Don" Donatello, who developed the band and was responsible for their first album, Burlap and Broadcast, released in 1997. The band then relocated to Chicago to gain wider exposure in the local club scene.
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