The Hang Ups are an indie pop rock

Pop rock

Pop rock is a music genre which mixes a catchy pop style and light lyrics in its guitar-based rock songs. There are varying definitions of the term, ranging from a slower and mellower form of rock music to a subgenre of pop music...

 band from Minneapolis

Minneapolis, Minnesota

Minneapolis , nicknamed "City of Lakes" and the "Mill City," is the county seat of Hennepin County, the largest city in the U.S. state of Minnesota, and the 48th largest in the United States...

, Minnesota

Minnesota

Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...

, United States

United States

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

, formed in 1990 and fronted by vocalist and guitarist Brian Tighe. Other members include Jeff Kearns (bass

Bass guitar

The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....

, vocals), Stephen Ittner (drums), and John Crozier (guitar

Guitar

The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...

). Producer and band friend Bryan Hanna replaced Ittner on the drums while the band toured. The Hang Ups released their debut EP He's Comin' Through in 1993, and have since released four studio albums. The band's efforts have been met with warm local and national critical response and gained more national attention when their track "Jump Start" appeared in the film Chasing Amy

Chasing Amy

Chasing Amy is a 1997 romantic comedy film written and directed by Kevin Smith. The central tension revolves around sexuality, sexual history, and evolving friendships. It is the third film in Smith's View Askewniverse series....

.

History

Frontman Brian Tighe originally pursued a career in the visual arts. While working as an artist's assistant in New York City

New York City

New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...

, Tighe began writing music, and eventually abandoned visual arts in favor of music, returning home to Minneapolis to attend the Minneapolis College of Art and Design

Minneapolis College of Art and Design

Minneapolis College of Art and Design is a private, nonprofit four-year and postgraduate college specializing in the visual arts. Located in the Whittier neighborhood of Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States, MCAD currently enrolls approximately 1,000 students offering curriculum that includes...

. There, in 1987, he met Jeff Kearns and Stephen Ittner, and the three later formed the original Hang Ups. Soon after, guitarist John Crozier joined them, after criticizing the band's sound. The band was later signed to the local Minneapolis label Clean Records, which the band would stay with for the release of the debut EP Comin' Through as well as their first full studio album, He's After Me.

Studio Albums

• He's After Me (1993)
• So We Go (1996)
• Second Story (1999)
• Hang Ups (2003)