Search - The Long Afternoon :: The Luxury Problem

Taking its name from a novel by British writer Brian Aldiss, Pennsylvania-based indie rock pioneers The Long Afternoon formed in Pittsburgh in 1985. Founding members Eston Martz, Gary Anderson and Gary DeSantis defined the band's original sound: angular and edgy, with energy to burn and an emphasis on cryptic, deeply personal songs. In 1987, Eston Martz moved the group's base to State College, Pennsylvania. Keyboard and tape manipulator Lee Markle switched to drums, while second guitarist Dave Pearson signed on to fill out the sound. With the addition of Pearson, the group's material and sound became more psychedelic and exploratory, drawing heavily on mid-period Beatles as well as more recent groups like The Dream Syndicate. At the same time, Martz and Pearson were deeply affected by hardcore punk, and sought to incorporate some of the aggression and energy of that scene into their more open, art-damaged sound. In 1988, following the departure of Gary Anderson and the interim addition of bassist Broose Burton, the lineup solidified. Martz and Pearson's twin guitar attack anchored the group, while drummer Ken Brassington and bassist Butch Robinson brought a heavier feel to the band's rhythm. This lineup's sound became the group's signature, and contributed to increasing success. Opening slots for indie-rock luminaries like Dinosaur Jr. ultimately resulted in the band being offered a deal with Bulging Eye, the Flaming Lips' management company. Anything might have happened. What did happen was the band recorded an EP, which remains unreleased, and promptly split, with several band members leaving in acrimony and others struggling with various bad habits and nonmusical life events. After 20 years, group leader Eston Martz, inspired partly by the successful reunions of Mission of Burma, Wire, and other contemporaries, decided to begin recording again. With Dave Pearson missing and other members involved in other projects, Martz enlisted drummer Greg Elliott and former Seen bassist Jeff Edmunds and entered the studio in March 2006. The result is The Long Afternoon's first proper album, entitled "The Luxury Problem."