Crayon was an indiepop band from Washington State featuring Brad Roberts (guitar/vocals), Sean Tollefson (bass/vocals) and Jeff Fell (drums).

History

Crayon formed in 1990 in Bellingham, Washington

Bellingham, Washington

Bellingham is the largest city in, and the county seat of, Whatcom County in the U.S. state of Washington. It is the twelfth-largest city in the state. Situated on Bellingham Bay, Bellingham is protected by Lummi Island, Portage Island, and the Lummi Peninsula, and opens onto the Strait of Georgia...

, which is about 60 miles north of Seattle. A bit more punk

Punk rock

Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...

 than twee

Indie pop

Indie pop is a genre of alternative rock music that originated in the United Kingdom in the mid 1980s, with its roots in the Scottish post-punk bands on the Postcard Records label in the early '80s, such as Orange Juice, Josef K and Aztec Camera, and the dominant UK independent band of the mid...

, Crayon were obviously influenced by bands like Beat Happening

Beat Happening

Beat Happening is an American punk band formed in Olympia, Washington in 1982. Calvin Johnson, Heather Lewis and Bret Lunsford have been the band's continual members...

 and The Modern Lovers

The Modern Lovers

The Modern Lovers were an American rock band led by Jonathan Richman in the 1970s and 1980s. The original band existed from 1970–74 but their recordings were not released until 1976 or later. It featured Richman and bassist Ernie Brooks with drummer David Robinson and keyboardist Jerry Harrison...

. Their sound was a cross between the Seattle based grunge and Twee

Twee

The word twee occurs in various terms:*twee pop and twee, alternative names for indie pop*Kill Twee Pop!, the first studio album by Sarandon*Twee River Redfin , a species of ray-finned fish in the Cyprinidae family...

. Many considered their unique style, combining heavily distorted guitar with strong indiepop elements to be the missing link between UK twee bands like The Pastels

The Pastels

The Pastels are a group from Glasgow, Scotland, UK.Their early records for labels like Whaam!, Creation, Rough Trade, and Glass Records, had a raw and immediate sound, melodic and amateur, which seemed at odds with the time...

 and American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 indie bands like Tsunami

Tsunami (band)

Tsunami was an American indie rock band from Arlington, Virginia, formed by housemates Jenny Toomey and Kristin Thomson in late 1990 to play at New Year's party...

 and the more abrasive Unwound

Unwound

Unwound was a United States post-hardcore band based in Tumwater/Olympia, Washington. Formed in 1991, the band consisted of Justin Trosper , Vern Rumsey , and Brandt Sandeno , all of whom had previously been in a band called Giant Henry. Brandt Sandeno quit Unwound in 1992 and was replaced by...

. Some dubbed this new style of music “love rock," while others referred to it as “cuddlecore” due to the coy nature of their songs.

In the four years they were together, Crayon released a handful of 7" singles and one full length album on Harriet Records

Harriet Records

Harriet Records was an American independent record label based out of Cambridge, Massachusetts. The label was founded by Harvard history professor Tim Alborn in 1989. The majority of Harriet's releases were indie pop 7" vinyl singles, but eventually they started releasing full length CDs. Harriet...

. They played a fair amount of live shows across the United States and shared the stage with a number of diverse bands including: Superchunk

Superchunk

Superchunk is an American indie rock band from Chapel Hill, North Carolina, consisting of singer/guitarist Mac McCaughan, guitarist Jim Wilbur, bassist Laura Ballance, and drummer Jon Wurster. Formed in 1989, they were one of the bands that helped define the Chapel Hill music scene of the 1990s...

, Pavement

Pavement (band)

Pavement is an American alternative rock band that formed in Stockton, California in 1989. In their career, they achieved a significant cult following, and they were called the best band of the 1990s by prominent music critics Robert Christgau and Stephen Thomas Erlewine...

, Tiger Trap

Tiger Trap

Tiger Trap was an all-female twee-pop foursome composed of high school friends Angela Loy and Rose Melberg, with Heather Dunn and Jen Braun. The group recorded for K Records. The name "Tiger Trap" comes from the very first Calvin and Hobbes cartoon. Formed in Sacramento, California in 1992, they...

, Built to Spill

Built to Spill

Built to Spill is an American indie rock band based in Boise, Idaho. The band has released seven full-length albums. Their most recent album, There Is No Enemy, was released on October 6, 2009.-History:...

, The Melvins

The Melvins

The Melvins are an American band that formed in 1983. They usually perform as a trio, but in recent years have performed as a four piece with two drummers. Since 1984, singer and guitarist Buzz Osborne and drummer Dale Crover have been the band's constant members...

, Bikini Kill

Bikini Kill

Bikini Kill was an American punk rock band formed in Olympia, Washington in October 1990. The group consisted of vocalist and songwriter Kathleen Hanna, guitarist Billy Karren, bassist Kathi Wilcox, and drummer Tobi Vail. The band is widely considered to be the pioneer of the riot grrrl movement,...

, Karp

Karp (band)

Karp was a post-hardcore band from Tumwater, Washington, that formed in 1990 and lasted until 1998. The band was formed by Chris Smith aka Chris "Slayer", Jared Warren, and Scott Jernigan. They released three full length albums entitled Mustaches Wild, Suplex, and Self Titled LP. Karp was a...

, Heavens to Betsy

Heavens to Betsy

Heavens to Betsy was an American indie-punk band formed in Olympia, Washington in 1991. They were part of the DIY riot grrrl movement in the punk rock underground in the early 1990s, and were the first band of Sleater-Kinney vocalist/guitarist Corin Tucker....

, Alan Clapp

The Orange Peels

The Orange Peels is a Northern California band known for its ability to melodically evoke images and atmospheres of life on the West Coast. The group uses standard rock instrumentation to produce soundscapes that are at once sweeping and jarring, giving them a unique place between orchestral pop,...

, Seaweed

Seaweed (band)

Seaweed is a band from Tacoma, Washington who were active throughout the 1990s. Their style of music is a combination of punk rock and grunge, mostly due to its 'dirty' sound.-History:...

, Hazel

Hazel (band)

Hazel was an United States alternative rock band based in Portland, Oregon. The group was a quartet, consisting of Jody Bleyle , Pete Krebs , Brady Smith , and Fred Nemo ....

, The Cows

The Cows

Cows are a post-hardcore/punk blues band from Minneapolis, Minnesota. The band formed in 1987 and disbanded in 1998. They were known for a unique mixture of punk rock and blues played with large amounts of noise and surreal humour; their music is often considered noise rock...

, Ed's Redeeming Qualities

Ed's Redeeming Qualities

Ed's Redeeming Qualities was an alternative folk group that was founded in 1988 and originally consisted of Dan Leone, Dom Leone, Carrie Bradley , and Neno Perrotta. Jonah Winter joined the band for the albums "Big Grapefruit Cleanup Job" and "At The Fish And Game Club"...

, Some Velvet Sidewalk

Some Velvet Sidewalk

Some Velvet Sidewalk was an experimental lo-fi rock band from Olympia, WA on the independent label K Records.-History:Some Velvet Sidewalk was formed in Eugene, Oregon in 1987 by Al Larsen and Robert Christie . Their first release was From Playground 'Til Now, and was independently released on...

, cub

Cub (band)

Cub was an indie rock band from Vancouver, British Columbia that formed in 1992 and disbanded in 1997. They played a melodic, jangly form of pop punk that was dubbed "cuddlecore" by some music critics...

, Nothing Painted Blue

Nothing Painted Blue

Nothing Painted Blue is an American indie rock band, sporadically active since the 1990s, led by songwriter Franklin Bruno. Bruno and drummer Kyle Brodie have been the only constant members, as the remainder of the line-up has undergone a number of changes throughout the band's existence...

, The Stinkypuffs

The Stinkypuffs

The Stinky Puffs were an early 90's rock band started by then seven year old Simon Fair Timony, then-stepson of Jad Fair, and by Cody Linn Ranaldo, son of Sonic Youth guitarist Lee Ranaldo...

, Mecca Normal

Mecca Normal

Formed by Jean Smith and David Lester in 1984, Mecca Normal is a two-piece indie rock band from Vancouver, Canada. Smith writes lyrics and sings in a style that is often confrontational and laced with feminist themes; Lester's melodic yet dissonant guitar swirls and loops around her vocals...

, Unwound

Unwound

Unwound was a United States post-hardcore band based in Tumwater/Olympia, Washington. Formed in 1991, the band consisted of Justin Trosper , Vern Rumsey , and Brandt Sandeno , all of whom had previously been in a band called Giant Henry. Brandt Sandeno quit Unwound in 1992 and was replaced by...

, Southern Culture on the Skids

Southern Culture on the Skids

Southern Culture on the Skids, also sometimes known as SCOTS, is an American rock band that was formed in 1983 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina...

, New Bad Things

New Bad Things

New Bad Things were a Portland, Oregon indie rock band active during the 1990s. They recorded for Candy Ass Records,Rainforest Records, Lissy's Records, Pop Secret, Punk in my Vitamins Records, Kill Rock Stars, and Freewheel Records....

, Henry's Dress

Henry's Dress

Henry's Dress were a band from Albuquerque, New Mexico consisting of Amy Linton and Matt Hartman, who both acted as singer, guitarist and drummer at various times, and Hayyim Sanchez as bassist, formed in 1993...

, Smog

Smog (band)

Bill Callahan , is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist, who has also recorded and performed under the band name Smog. Callahan began working in the lo-fi genre of underground rock, with home-made tape-albums recorded on four track tape recorders...

, Lois

Lois Maffeo

Courtney Love is an American musician and writer who lives in Olympia, Washington. Although never achieving mainstream success, she has been closely involved with and influenced many independent musicians, especially in the 90s Olympia, Seattle and DC based musician.-as Lois Maffeo:albums*The...

, godheadSilo

GodheadSilo

godheadSilo was a noise rock duo from Fargo, North Dakota.The band consisted of Mike Kunka on bass and Dan Haugh on drums. The two met growing up near Fargo, North Dakota. The band originally started as a three-piece, with Phil Leitch playing guitar. Leitch left the band after their first show at...

, New Bomb Turks

New Bomb Turks

The New Bomb Turks are an American punk rock band formed at the Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio in 1990. The founding members are Jim Weber, Eric Davidson, Bill Randt, and Matt Reber. Sam Brown replaced Bill Randt on drums in 1999. Early on their inspiration came from the Devil Dogs, Lazy...

 and The Softies

The Softies

The Softies were a musical duo consisting of Rose Melberg and Jen Sbragia, whose genre was love songs using only their two voices and electric guitars....

.

Even though the trio only recorded one album and were never commercially successful, some critics have cited Crayon as one of the most influential bands to come out of the sleepy college town of Bellingham, Washington. Roberts left the group in 1994 and Tollefson & Fell went on to form the seminal twee

Indie pop

Indie pop is a genre of alternative rock music that originated in the United Kingdom in the mid 1980s, with its roots in the Scottish post-punk bands on the Postcard Records label in the early '80s, such as Orange Juice, Josef K and Aztec Camera, and the dominant UK independent band of the mid...

 band Tullycraft

Tullycraft

Tullycraft is an indie pop band from Seattle, Washington who formed in 1995. They have been associated with the genre of twee, in fact, they are considered to be one of the forefathers of the American twee pop movement alongside Black Tambourine, Tiger Trap, Lois, Honeybunch, and Beat Happening...

in 1995.

7" Singles

1991 Matchbox 3-song 7" EP (Harriet)

1992 Moominland 6-song 7" EP (Harriet)

1992 Crayon / Veronica Lake split 7" (Cher Doll)

1993 The Snap-Tight Wars 7" (Harriet)

1993 Crayon / Grover split 7" (Gritty Kitty)

1994 Phantom Third Channel split 7" EP (Cher Doll)

Compilations

1992 "Knee High Susan" on The Bellingham Conflagration (Flaming Cows Head) Cassette

1992 "Secret Goldfish" on Throw: The Yoyo Studio Compilation (Yoyo) CD

1992 "All The Stars" on One Last Kiss (Spin Art) CD

1993 "Penny Lock" on Julep (Yoyo) CD/Vinyl

1993 "Crown" on North Of Nowhere (Gritty Kitty/Spam) CD

1993 "Live With It Baby" on A Love Like Lead (Lionhead Fountain, Japan) Cassette

1994 "I Could" on A Day In The Park (Now Sound) CD/Vinyl

1995 "The Snap-Tight Wars" (live) on The Basement Tapes Live Recordings At KSPC 1989-1995

1996 "Forever Nearly True"(live) on Yoyo A Go Go (Yoyo) CD/Vinyl

2001 "The Snap-Tight Wars" on Songs For Cassavetes Soundtrack (Better Looking Records) CD