Tracker

by Stanton SwihartA freelance engineer at Type Foundry Recording in Portland, OR, and a writer for Tape-Op magazine at the time, John Askew began Tracker as a studio project in early 1998. He recorded, wrote, and played most of the instruments himself and Tracker released its debut album Ames at the beginning of 2000 on FILMguerrero. Minus a band for performing purposes, Askew put together a handful of different live outfits. The results were loose and spontaneous, with Tracker varying from gig to gig. But Askew soon began to play as a duo and recorded with longtime friend and drummer Michael Schorr (Death Cab for Cutie), and the two formed the core of the first steady tracker lineup. Either as a duo or with bass player Dave Harding (Richmond Fontaine) in tow, Tracker started playing shows with the likes of Giant Sand, the Black Heart Procession, and Calexico, until Death Cab for Cutie began to gain a measure of national exposure and acclaim, leading to tours that took Schorr with them. This alternately led Askew into the studio, where he recorded songs for several compilations, and into various other musical projects.