Clad in matching mod-chic gear and recalling the sound of classic '60s Brit-pop, the Interpreters emerged as one of the most heavily hyped new bands of the late 1990s. A Philadelphia-based trio comprised of singer/bassist Herschel Gaer, guitarist Patsy Palladino and drummer Branko Jakominich, the Interpreters formed in 1996, and within weeks played their debut gig at a hip New York City loft party; almost immediately, the buzz was on, and soon the group found themselves at the center of a major-label bidding war, ultimately signing with Freeworld Entertainment. In early 1997 they recorded a single, "I Remember," with famed producer Shel Talmy; an EP, In Rememberance of That Fine Fine Evening -- produced by Hole's Eric Erlandson -- followed later that same year. In 1998 the Interpreters released their full-length debut, Back in the U.S.S.A. ~ Jason Ankeny