In response to the wave of abrasive guitar dissonance then in vogue throughout the downtown New York music scene, ex-music critic Tim Sommer and performance artist Mimi Goese formed the ethereal Hugo Largo in 1984. Later rounded out by Hahn Rowe and Adam Peacock, the quartet turned heads with its unusual instrumental lineup, which bypassed guitars and drums in favor of two basses, a violin, and Goese's unique dive-bomber vocals. In 1988, R.E.M.'s Michael Stipe produced Hugo Largo's debut EP, Drum; fleshed out with additional new material, it was reissued on Brian Eno's fledgling Opal label a year later. After 1989's less experimental Mettle, the group disbanded; Sommer later became an executive at Atlantic Records, and Goese's long-planned solo debut, recorded with assistance from Rowe, was scheduled to appear in 1997.

Adam Peacock, Hahn Rowe, Mimi Goese, Tim Sommer