Luckie Strike

[1] Luckie Strike faced challenges on the road, including a stolen van in 2001,[2] leading to a temporary hiatus and eventual disbandment in 2002.

Motivated by a sense of not fitting in, Melanie "Mel" Levy (vocals) and Kevin "Bubba" Sur (guitar) sought a creative outlet for imposter syndrome when they founded the band Luckie Strike in 1996.

[3] Teaming up with bassist Andre "Dre" Gallardo and drummer Liz Salmi (née Beidelman), the group established roots in Sacramento, California.

[5] Luckie Strike released their first full-length album, Geekcore, on Pork N Beans Records in 1997[6][7] (a label founded by members of the ska punk band Mealticket).

[9] Following more than a year of touring across the United States, Luckie Strike released Future Is Turning in early 2000 on Tomato Head Records.

[7] The album was produced by Grammy Award Winning producer/engineer Dennis MacKay (David Bowie, Jeff Beck, Judas Priest, Paul McCartney).

"[12] However in the same review, "One cool thing about this band is that the singer is a girl... and has a really good voice that is capable of doing a decent melodic emo, and an awesome raging hardcore scream.

At their peak, Luckie Strike performed approximately 150-200 shows annually, and the theft of the van and recordings dealt a significant setback.

In Season 4 of the 3 Gigs podcast, host Dominic Davi (Tsunami Bomb) commented on Luckie Strike's worth ethic, stating: "They were intense.