Mazzy Star

Biography

Mazzy Star is an American alternative rock band formed in 1988 in Santa Monica, California, emerging from the remnants of the group Opal.[1][2] The band was founded by David Roback, a multi-instrumentalist and composer who had previously played in the influential Los Angeles psychedelic band Rain Parade, and Hope Sandoval, who joined as vocalist and primary lyricist after Kendra Smith departed from Opal during a tour with The Jesus and Mary Chain.[1][2] Roback and Sandoval initially continued as Opal for two years, touring and working on material for a second album called Ghost Highway, but ultimately scrapped those recordings and formed Mazzy Star to pursue a fresh creative direction.[3]

Mazzy Star's musical style synthesized dream pop, shoegaze, and slowcore with elements of folk and psychedelic rock, drawing inspiration from artists like Syd Barrett, Nick Drake, and the obscure art band Slapp Happy.[1][5] Their 1990 debut album, She Hangs Brightly, featured a cover of Slapp Happy's 'Blue Flower' that charted on Billboard's alternative songs list.[3] The band achieved mainstream success with their 1993 Capitol Records album So Tonight That I Might See, which went platinum largely due to the hit single 'Fade Into You,' earning extensive MTV and radio airplay.[1][2] Following the 1996 album Among My Swan, the band entered a 17-year hiatus, during which Roback and Sandoval continued working together privately but were reluctant to release new material publicly.[3] They reunited for performances in 2018 at the Sydney Opera House and released their final album, Seasons Of Your Day, in 2013.[1][2] David Roback passed away on February 24, 2020, from metastatic cancer, leaving Hope Sandoval as the primary surviving creative force of the band.[2]

Fun Facts

• David Roback's early musical connections included co-founding the band Unconscious with his brother Steven and Susanna Hoffs, who would later become famous as a co-founder of The Bangles.[3]
• Hope Sandoval reportedly 'begged' their record label to release them from their contract, citing frustration with major labels' desire to manufacture hits rather than allow creative freedom; the band subsequently took a 17-year hiatus from releasing music publicly.[3]
• Mazzy Star's breakthrough hit 'Fade Into You' was a cover of a song by the obscure art band Slapp Happy, demonstrating the band's deep knowledge of experimental and underground music.[1]
• Despite achieving platinum-selling success with So Tonight That I Might See in 1993, band members—particularly David Roback—showed little interest in maintaining mainstream success or engaging with the business side of the music industry, according to Rough Trade Records founder Geoff Travis.[1]

Members

• William Cooper Glenn - additional (from 1988 until 1997)
• Keith Mitchell - additional (from 1988 until 2017)
• David Roback (from 1988 until 2020)
• Suki Ewers - additional (from 1988)
• Hope Sandoval (from 1988)
• Jill Emery - additional (from 1993 until 1996)
• Colm Ó Cíosóig - additional (from 2012)

Original Members

• Suki Ewers - additional
• Hope Sandoval
• Colm Ó Cíosóig - additional

Musical Connections

Mentors/Influences

• Syd Barrett - Musical influence on Mazzy Star's psychedelic and dream-like aesthetic (General stylistic influence on band's sound) [1988-present]
• Nick Drake - Influence on the band's folk and introspective musical direction (General stylistic influence on band's acoustic and meditative approach) [1988-present]
• The Doors - Influence on Opal's early dreamy sound that carried into Mazzy Star (General stylistic reference for psychedelic and atmospheric elements) [1988-1990]

Key Collaborators

• Hope Sandoval - Co-founder, vocalist, and primary lyricist of Mazzy Star; creative partner with David Roback (All Mazzy Star albums including She Hangs Brightly (1990), So Tonight That I Might See (1993), Among My Swan (1996), Seasons Of Your Day (2013)) [1988-present]
• Keith Mitchell - Drummer and founding member of Mazzy Star (All early Mazzy Star recordings and performances) [1988-2017]
• Suki Ewers - Founding member and multi-instrumentalist of Mazzy Star (All Mazzy Star albums and performances) [1988-present]
• Colm Ó Cíosóig - Later member who joined the band as a musician (Mazzy Star recordings and performances) [2012-present]

Artists Influenced

• Dream pop and shoegaze artists - Mazzy Star's distinctive blend of dream pop, shoegaze, and slowcore helped define and influence the broader alternative rock landscape of the 1990s (Fade Into You and other releases) [1990s-present]

External Links

• Spotify
• [Wikipedia](Not found in search results)
• MusicBrainz

Tags: #alt-country, #alternative-country, #alternative-rock