nymb - Cutting Teeth: 1997-1999 nymb

In 1993, two teenagers - James "Jamie" Zoeller from Northern Virginia and Elaine Bradley (then Doty) from the Louisville suburbs of southern Indiana - found themselves uprooted and relocated to Crystal Lake, Illinois. Jamie was a sophomore and Elaine a freshman, when they met in band class. An instant friendship formed, fueled by a shared plan to start a rock band.

While Jamie took up guitar, Elaine (who owned a drum set but harbored ambitions to be the frontwoman) reluctantly took on the dual role of drummer and vocalist. They enlisted friends Chad Price on bass and Adam Kaczmarek on guitar and named the project nymb, a stylized nod to the film The Secret of NIMH.

They were fans of the larger alternative acts of the day, bands like Smashing Pumpkins, Nirvana, Radiohead, the Breeders. Their first official show took place in Jamie's backyard in May 1994. They practiced a lot, wrote their own songs, and self-released two cassette tapes while still in high school.

For the next two years, nymb became a staple of the local DIY scene, playing anywhere they could: garages, backyards, high school parties, rotary buildings, and city events. In 1996, the dynamic shifted. Ben Kane from nearby Lake Zurich joined the band on drums, and Elaine was able to move to vocals and eventually guitar. They eventually solidified their lineup with the addition of Ben's former Apple Smax bandmate Cory Verblen on bass and became a relentless touring machine before Cory eventually handed bass duties over to Nathan Snydacker.

As they aged, their musical tastes evolved and they gained experience seeing and playing alongside local bands from Chicago's punk and early emo scene. Drawing deep influence from the textured dynamics of Hum and the raw emotionality of Sunny Day Real Estate and Braid, nymb became a staple of the late-90s Chicago scene. Their live shows - celebrated for being both physically and emotionally charged - saw them sharing stages with heavyweights like Cursive, Jets to Brazil, and Hey Mercedes.

Before disbanding in August of 2001 after a raucous farewell show at the Fireside Bowl, nymb left behind a rich discography of demos, EPs, and two full-length albums. After decades in the vault, a burgeoning interest from young folks seeking authentic and obscure emo bands from days past led the band to work once again with Forge Again Records to bring their entire catalog to streaming services, including The Fun Bobby Sessions - a collection featuring unearthed recordings and two rare 7" tracks. Now, nymb is poised to introduce their catchy, "soft/ loud" indie rock to a new generation.

Cutting Teeth: 1997-1999 collects nymb's early work, including the Novembre EP, the Glass Eye EP, the Sanders EP, the Fun Bobby Sessions, an acoustic version of "Rope + Ring", and a previously unreleased three song demo recorded in 1997 by John Emerson and remixed by Bobby Burg. Remastered by Carl Saff, all of the original releases have been out of print for decades. The original art was created by Wall of Youth, combining elements from the original releases with a wealth of photographs and other ephemera assembled by the band.

Tri-fold digipak CD with poster insert, and blue 2LP in gatefold sleeve