Box Set

by MacKenzie WilsonThe alterna-rock five-piece Box Set casts jaunty layers of rootsy Americana to make a post-jangle pop sound. Coming together in 1991, frontman guitarist Jim Brunberg and acoustic guitarist Jeff Pehrson met at an open mic night in San Francisco. Their musical connection was instant, and quickly Brunberg and Pehrson quit their day jobs and started playing the cafe circuit throughout California. Shortly thereafter, bassist Chad Heise, drummer Mark Abbott, and organist Sam Johnston joined the ranks to make Box Set complete. The band released three albums independently in the mid-'90s and received heavy accolades from the media. Their 1994 self-titled debut was hailed by Billboard, but 1995's 27 garnered Box Set the honor of being named Group of the Year by the National Academy of Songwriters. Two years later, Box Set also racked in two Bammies (Bay Area Music Awards) for their critically-acclaimed third album Meantime and scored a corporate deal with Capricorn/Polygram to release 1998's Thread with producer Joe Chicarelli (Tori Amos, American Music Club, Frank Zappa). The pop-happy fourth studio effort Lemonade followed two years later.