S.F. Seals

In the early nineties, World of Pooh member Barbara Manning formed San Francisco Seals as her backing band with an ever-rotating cast of local musicians. Lead vocalist Manning wrote the band's original songs; Melanie Clarin handled the drumming duties and also sang and played accordion, as well as other instruments, while Kim Osterwald played cello. The music of SF Seals was largely pop-oriented, drawing inspiration from the '60s Bay Area scene and often spiced with samples and strange noises -- although as the band grew instrumentally, those aspects became less prominent in their live work. Manning was particularly fond of covering other artists -- often obscure tunes -- both on record and in the Seals' live shows. Guitarist Brently Pusser of Nerd Rock Pioneers Three Day Stubble joined the band for the recording of Nowhere, their first LP, released in 1994 on the Matador label. Murray and Clarin also played on the album. After recording a series of seven-inch singles with Margaret Murray, formerly of U.S. Saucer, on bass, followed by Peter Conheim, co-founder of Mono Pause, briefly assuming bass duties, SF Seals toured with bassist Chris Milner of The Molecules and drummer Jay Paget. The band's second album, Truth Walks in Sleepy Shadows, was released the next year, and they toured in support of the release, after which they disbanded -- permanently, according to Manning. Manning, who had fronted 28th Day and the Tablespoons and co-founded World of Pooh, has also released solo work, and is hailed by underground critics as a songwriter of eminent abilities.