[3] In the summer of 1994, the group, now renamed Mucho Maas in homage to a character from Thomas Pynchon's The Crying of Lot 49,[4] recorded an album of original songs in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.

[3][5] Lewis and Crow returned to Boulder for college and recorded an album with Dave Back under the name "The Star-Free Press" in 1997.

After graduation, they briefly considered moving to Minneapolis because of its thriving music scene, but eventually decided to relocate to Austin, Texas in the summer of 1997.

They were joined by Ned Stewart and bassist Rob Hargrove, a University of Texas law student and Crow's friend from childhood.

The band began playing regular shows in Austin as well as touring with The Damnations, Slobberbone, Richmond Fontaine, and Two Cow Garage.

The record was received positively, eventually voted #1 in The Austin Chronicle Texas Top 10 and was also named Album of the Year.

[6] The band spent much of their time, outside of regular shows in Austin at Room 710, Beerland, The Parish, and Hole In The Wall, constantly touring.

[11][12] The three songwriters of Champeen are Lewis, Crow, and Livingstone, each with a distinctive voice, and the band references The Replacements, Soul Asylum, the Jayhawks, and Hüsker Dü as integral to the development of their musical style.