Alternative rock band from York, Pennsylvania, USA comprising Ed Kowalczyk (b. 16 July 1971; vocals), Patrick Dahlheimer (b. 30 May 1971; bass), Chad Taylor (b. 24 November 1970; guitar) and Chad Gracey (b. 23 July 1971; drums). The band was formed as First Aid in the mid-80s by blue-collar friends Taylor, Gracey and Dahlheimer, changing their name to Public Affection with the addition of Kowalczyk. The self-financed The Death Of A Dictionary was released in 1989, but a change of name and a reworking of their sound was necessary before they were signed to Radioactive Records.
Their dynamic of fraught pop that occasionally expands into full-blown rock mode, complete with lyrics that strike an idealistic tone, was evident on the largely ignored Mental Jewelry, where spiritual overtones were also present. No less intense was 1994’s Throwing Copper, produced, like their debut, by Jerry Harrison. By this point Kowalczyk’s lyrics had developed in a less literal direction: ‘I’m more into letting my subconscious write, I want to let go completely, without becoming addicted to anything - which is a danger’. Another danger was a track such as ‘Shit Towne’, which addressed the populace of home town York, and did little to ingratiate the band to their old community. The band’s unexpected success continued into 1996 when Throwing Copper was certified as selling six million copies in the USA alone. Jay Healy was hired to produce Secret Samadhi, an altogether bleaker-sounding record, which nevertheless attained double platinum status. Harrison returned to co-produce 1999’s The Distance To Here, which largely eschewed the experimental approach of its predecessor. 2003’s Birds Of Pray harked back to the raw sound of their debut in 1991.
