Imperial Teen at The FADER Sideshow

Some folks might look at this performance from Imperial Teen as proof that punchy pop music knows no age barrier. Fair enough. We, on the other hand, would like to walk a line that goes a bit beyond that, suggesting this band of veteran musicians continues to season more scrumptiously as the years tick on. Want to know a thing about melody, harmony, song structure, dynamics? Hell…want to see some timeless pop songwriting unfold before your very eyes? Imperial Teen pump out the kind of blissed out bouts of pure and painless pop every student of the genre should study.

Led by former Faith No More keyboardist Roddy Bottum, the alternative pop band Imperial Teen emerged from San Francisco in 1994; co-founded with drummer Lynn Perko, a veteran of Bay Area groups like the Dicks and Sister Double Happiness, the lineup was completed by former Wrecks bassist Jone Stebbings and vocalist Will Schwartz. Debuting in 1996 with the critical favorite Seasick, Imperial Teen resurfaced in early 1999 with What Is Not to Love, a minor hit due to the success of the sultry "Yoo Hoo." A tour with Hole followed, but the majority of their live shows was done on a headlining club tour. On was the next release, their first for Merge Records and another fine example of their coy boy/girl pop. A live album was also released that fall, backed by a tour. Former Hole drummer Patty Schemel took over touring duties while Lynn Perko rested. After the On tour, Imperial Teen's members took a hiatus from the band. Schwartz worked with his other project, Hey Willpower; Bottum wrote music for television shows including Help Me Help You; Stebbings pursued a career as a hairstylist; and Perko had a baby. When Imperial Teen finally reconvened, their reasons for what took them so long to reunite provided the title for their 2007 album The Hair the TV the Baby & the Band. - allmusic.com