Possum Dixon

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Possum Dixon (1989-1999) was an American alternative rock band. Fronted by singer/songwriter/bassist Rob Zabrecky, literate songs about love lost and slacker life in Los Angeles and a penchant for unpredictable performances set them apart from the herd of other rock and roll hopefuls.

History

Formed in 1989 by college friends Zabrecky and Celso Chavez (guitar), the pair took their name from a suspected murderer mentioned on television show America's Most Wanted. Initially performing as a duo, they mixed haphazard punk-folk compositions with store-front theatre to some measurable success, primarily performing at LA art/coffeehouses (Bebop Records & Fine Art, Jabberjaw, Pik-Me-Up). The following year, longtime friends and former schoolmates Robert O’Sullivan (guitar/organ/keyboards) and Rich Truel (drums) were enlisted and together a fuller musical range was explored. Chronicling their hometown's east side slacker life with a pop-rock sensibility, the band smartly incorporated influences from the Talking Heads, Human Hands, Wall of Voodoo, Dream Syndicate and Camper Van Beethoven.

By 1992 Possum Dixon had logged a number of mini-tours and produced a number self-released 7 inch singles and cassettes which included "Music for a One Bedroom Apartment", "Nerves", "Watch the Girl Destroy Me", and a three single box-set released by Pronto Records. Along the way a strong following was built and eventually the band found themselves part of a flowering LA art and coffeehouse scene.

Secretly rehearsing by night in a warehouse (where Zabrecky worked as a mailroom clerk by day), hiding their equipment with boxes when they finished, the band diligently polished club-tested material and assembled what would become their first full length major label debut. They eventually found internal harmony without consciously trying. Chavez's disjointed guitar playing wasn't for lack of trying; O'Sullivan's piano crashes weren't for lack of talent. Truel's drumming and Zabrecky's spy-infused bass riffs were all part of a bigger picture about a band who found their own voice from the close confines of practice and proximity to each other in their daily lives. The band also wasn't without lending a helping hand. Beck, a young anti-folk singer with nothing to his name but a beat-up guitar, would frequently get up on stage before the band played to test his latest material. Zabrecky later recorded a bass track on Beck's first Geffen release, Mellow Gold.

Possum Dixon EP

In 1991 the band released a self-titled, 5-song cassette. (Band lineup is listed as R. Zabrecky, C. Chavez, R. Sullivan, B. Reynolds)

1. "Watch the Girl Destroy Me"
2. "She Drives"
3. "Question In My Mind"
4. "Sister"
5. "Stare Into The Sun"

(The first two songs were later rerecorded for the 1993 Interscope debut LP.)

Music for a One Bedroom Apartment box set

In 1992 Possum Dixon released a box set of singles through Pronto Records as 45rpm vinyl records. The box included colored photocopy paper inserts with images and titles for each disc. The band lineup is listed as "Rob Zabrecky - Vocals, Upright Bass; Celso Chavez - Hollow Guitar, Vocals on Blue Boss; Robert Sullivan - Solid Guitar, Steve P. - Drums".

1. Side A: "Watch the Girl Destroy Me"
2. Side B: "Here She Comes"
3. Side C: "I'm Not Trapped in Executive Slacks"
4. Side D: "Stare Into the Sun"
5. Side E: "Lies"
6. Side F: "Blue Bossa"

Possum Dixon LP

In 1993 the band signed to Interscope Records, based on the strength of their live performances and briefcase of club proven material. They sought famed LA producer Earle Mankey (Sparks, 20/20, Concrete Blonde, Three O’Clock) to polish a batch of spirited, frustrated songs chronicling office romances, drug use, and singlehood. When the CD was released, radio stations picked up "Watch the Girl Destroy Me". Aided by a steady flow of both radio airplay and MTV airplay (the song's hit video), the track hit #9 on the Modern Rock Tracks chart in the U.S.

What was initially thought of as an Interscope Records vanity project suddenly grew legs and caught the wildly successful label by surprise. Sales grew, quickly swelling to over 75,000 copies in just over few months. Spin magazine remarked:

"Zabrecky's new wave-noir vignettes are littered with overheard conversations, chattering radios, lucky numbers, and visitors from other planets - the markings of one man's attempt to make some sense out of postmodern chaos."

The band immediately embarked upon a grueling tour schedule throughout the United States and Europe, headlining and supporting groups such as the Dead Milkmen, the Lemonheads, Reverend Horton Heat, and Violent Femmes, and receiving accolades along the way.

In 1994, as they were gaining momentum, Interscope refused to release a second single and video. At that time, Beck and Weezer were just starting to enter the charts and Possum Dixon found themselves passed over for a second chance at broader success. Within the band, recreational heroin use began to dangerously escalate as fewer people attended shows. As expected, CD sales quickly deflated and the band found themselves struggling to maintain recognition.

Track List:

1. "Nerves"
2. "In Buildings"
3. "Watch The Girl Destroy Me"
4. "She Drives"
5. "We're All Happy"
6. "Invisible"
7. "Pharmaceutical Itch"
8. "Executive Slacks"
9. "Regina"
10. "John Struck Lucy"
11. "Elevators"

Star Maps LP

In the spring of 1995, as the group was recording their second Interscope release Star Maps, Zabrecky’s wife committed suicide from depression. The shock of the loss took a heavy toll on the whole band, exacerbating an already out of control drug issue.

During the sessions, the band replaced drummer Rich Truel with Byron Reynolds, who had served a brief tenure on drums prior to Truel. The band chose Boston producer Tim O'Heir (Sebadoh, Folk Implosion, Superdrag) to capture the band's emotional nadir by producing a dark, moody, New Wave-ish pop album. Displaying some signs of song writing progression, the band couldn't deviate too far from their basic strength: stripped art-punk. The LP was a promising array of influences of 70s power pop to no-wave chaos, and again the critics were positive. Raygun magazine described the group as "a rough-yet polished band whose anguished pop songs and intelligent, esoteric lyrics are love themes for the dysfunctional 90s."

After a semi-uneventful touring schedule, the band released two EPs: Sunshine or Noir and Tropic of Celso, both displaying a more mature, fuller-sounding band. They also contributed a song to 1997's We Are Not DEVO cover album. Around this time Robert O'Sullivan, growing tired of what he perceived as inequitable songwriting credit and member drug problems, quit to pursue other interests.

Track List:

1. "Go West"
2. "In Her Disco"
3. "Radio Comets"
4. "Party Tonight"
5. "Emergency's About To End"
6. "General Electric"
7. "Crashing Your Planet"
8. "Personals"
9. "Reds"
10. "Skid Marks"
11. "Artificial Sunlight"
12. "Apartment Song"

New Sheets LP

What was to be their third and final effort, New Sheets (Interscope), was released in 1998 and the group was pressured by the record company to deliver a hit single. During the process, the band enlisted the help of longtime friend and guitarist Matt Devine (Medicine, Permanent Green Light) and the production of The Cars singer-songwriter Ric Ocasek, who found clarity in a clean and sober Zabrecky. Ultimately this produced an album that was more The Cars than Possum Dixon and overshadowed what the group was best known for. Following the release, the group became even more disillusioned and called it quits. The band will probably be remembered most by its distinguished spirit, unique song writing ability and new wave idealism.

Track List:

1. "Song From A Box"
2. "Holding (Lenny's Song)"
3. "Only In The Summertime"
4. "Firecreacker"
5. "New Sheets"
6. "Always Engines"
7. "Stop Breaking Me"
8. "Now What?"
9. "Plan B"
10. "Heavenly"
11. "Faultlines"
12. "What You Mean"
13. "End's Beginning"

External links

• Possum Dixon at trouserpress.com
• Rob Zabrecky