FORMED: 1987, Los Angeles

Formed in 1987 in Los Angeles by guitarist Mark Lightcap, bassist Richie Lee and drummer Steve Hadley, Acetone's material can be compared to anything from the dark-end drone of the Velvet Underground to the surf rock of the Beach Boys.
They hit the club scene in 1987, employing variety of vocalists and later deciding to keep the band a trio. One of their demos found its way to Vernon Yard Records, a subsidiary of Virgin. The newly formed label signed the band in 1992 and their debut album, Cindy, was released the following year. Fluctuating between pop and garage-rock, this first effort seemed to blend in with the music of the time, and didn't get much attention. Their next release, 1995's I Guess I Would, featured a collection of cover songs. 1996's If You Only Knew proved the band had a strong song writing talent and as a result, their second full-length was a more personal, more finely crafted offering.
After being dropped from Vernon Yard Records, Acetone moved to Vapor Records to release their self-titled 1997 full-length.

Photograph by Nathan Wong