Hovercraft

by Jason AnkenyThe atmospheric instrumental band Hovercraft formed in Seattle in the early '90s when guitarist Ryan (a.k.a. "Campbell 2000") and bassist Beth Liebling ("Sadie 7") met in an anatomy studies class for surgical students. Founded as a direct reaction to the dominance of the area grunge scene, Hovercraft instead favored lengthy, moody avant compositions; after a single on their own Repellent label won acclaim, the group began performing publically, marrying their music to a series of film montages projected on the back of the stage. In 1995, Hovercraft accepted a slot opening for Mike Watt's U.S. tour; joining the group on drums was Eddie Vedder, better known as the vocalist for Pearl Jam and also Beth's husband. The following year, the band issued a self-titled ten-inch; the full-length Akathisia, recorded with drummer Dave (a.k.a. "Karl 3-30"), followed in 1997, and a year later Hovercraft resurfaced with Experimental Below.