The Posies

The Posies

The Posies are a US power pop and indie rock group from Bellingham, Washington, active from 1986 to 2021. The band’s core members are Jon Auer and Ken Stringfellow, both singers, songwriters and guitarists. Over time, the line-up also includes Mike Musburger, Rick Roberts, Dave Fox, Joe Skyward, Brian Young, Matt Harris, Darius Minwalla, Frankie Siragusa and others associated with later versions of the group. The band’s recorded output appears on Lojinx.

Formation and early recordings

The Posies begin as informal home recordings by Stringfellow and Auer before becoming a full band. Their early demos are issued as Failure in 1988. Musburger and Roberts join soon afterwards, allowing the group to play its first live shows in Seattle and Bellingham. The four members then move into a house in Seattle’s University District.

Albums and line-up changes

The band’s first full album is the major-label debut Dear 23 in 1990, produced by John Leckie. Its sound combines melodic, literate pop with orchestration and occasional harder guitars. The Posies’ guitars become heavier on Frosting On The Beater in 1993 and Amazing Disgrace in 1996, which are the group’s most successful albums and are widely regarded as key 1990s indie rock and power pop records.

The rhythm section changes repeatedly. During the recording of Frosting On The Beater, Rick Roberts leaves and Dave Fox replaces him. During the 1994 European tour, Mike Musburger departs; Joe Skyward, also known as Joe Howard, joins on bass, while Brian Young takes over on drums. That line-up also records Success in 1998.

Hiatuses, side projects and later work

After Success, the band goes on hiatus while members focus on other work, including solo albums by Auer and Stringfellow and projects such as Lucky Me, Skyward and Chariot. Brian Young also plays drums in Fountains of Wayne. Between 1997 and 2001, The Posies are only intermittently active, although they release two live albums: Alive Before The Iceberg in 1999 and In Case You Didn't Feel Like Plugging In in 2000.

After touring as a duo, Auer and Stringfellow revive the band with Darius Minwalla on drums and Matt Harris on bass. That line-up releases the studio albums Every Kind Of Light in 2005 and Blood/Candy in 2010. In 2014, the band includes Minwalla and Joe Skyward, but Minwalla dies in 2015 and Skyward dies in 2016. The Posies then release Solid States in 2016.

Big Star connection and final years

From 1993 onwards, Auer and Stringfellow also perform as members of Big Star alongside Alex Chilton and Jody Stephens, appearing on tours and on the Big Star studio album In Space in 2005. Their involvement with Big Star lasts for seventeen years in total.

The Posies’ final commercial release is the single Sideways in 2020. The group ends in 2021.