Brian Kassan formed Chewy Marble in 1995 as a vehicle for his growing catalog of unrecorded material after a three-year stint as co-founder, bassist, session guitarist and co-songwriter/producer for the Wondermints. Joining Kassan were guitarist and lead vocalist Stuart Forman; bassist Derrick Anderson; and drummer Tammy Glover, who has since gone on to fame as the touring drummer/percussionist with Sparks.
1997 saw the release of Chewy Marble’s critically acclaimed self-titled debut on Permanent Press Recordings in the U.S. and on Nippon Columbia in Japan. In 2001, their sophomore effort Bowl of Surreal was released on the band’s own Furry Sidekick Recordings in the U.S. and on Philter Records in Japan. The band wowed crowds at many an International Pop Overthrow festival in Los Angeles as well as Poptopia, an early version of IPO.
Over the next six years, Brian wrote songs for Modulations, the long-awaited third album. He enlisted the talents of several friends, engineers, co-producers and musicians, including drummer, guitarist and vocalist Nelson Bragg of Brian’s Wilson’s touring band and co-production, engineering and mixing from Steve Refling, who produced Bragg’s Day Into Night CD.
Kassan’s more personal, introspective tunes take a turn or “modulate” from these Zombies/Jellyfish/Turtles/Squeeze/Fountains Of Wayne influenced tunes to the darker songs reminiscent of such artists as Syd Barrett-era Pink Floyd, The Flaming Lips, Elliot Smith, and The Beatles’ White Album.
The band signed with SideBMusic (Nelson Bragg’s label) in the winter of 2008 and Modulations was released in May 2008.