Uncle Green

Formed in Basking Ridge, New Jersey in 1980, the band Uncle Green consisted of Matt Brown (guitar and vocals), Jeff Jensen (guitar and vocals), Bill Decker (bass), Pete McDade (drums), and Danny Giordano (tambourine and vocals). Brown and Jensen were the principal songwriters and vocalists for the group. After relocating to Atlanta, the band recorded a single, "Holes" b/w "Heaven", and two independent records, Get It Together and 15 Dryden, for New Vision Records. Giordano left the band after the first LP, and formed the New York City band The Humboldts. Uncle Green soon met an ascendant Brendan O''Brien, near the beginning of his producing career, with whom they recorded the albums You and What An Experiment His Head Was for DB Records. After establishing themselves as a well-known regional college-rock band, they signed a contract with Atlantic Records in the early 1990s and recorded Book of Bad Thoughts. Like all of their efforts, the album was lauded by critics, but establishing commercial viability proved more difficult. Subsequent tours supporting The Reivers, Semisonic, The Black Crowes, Matthew Sweet, They Might Be Giants, Robyn Hitchcock and the Ben Folds Five helped increased their visibility.