[2] Leacock, Pineo and Watson had all had been members of The Burners, whose cassette release, Low Tech/High Torque, Cowsill had produced in 1988.
[1][3] Cowsill had returned to Calgary from Vancouver, following the breakup of The Blue Shadows in 1996, initially for the purpose of overcoming addiction challenges, rather than to continue in music.
[5] The band became quite popular in Calgary and in parts of western Canada[6] and the United States, playing a mix of country, bluegrass, blues, rock and rockabilly music.
[5] The band obtained a regular weekend engagement at The Mecca Café[7] in Calgary and, in June 2001, recorded their performances over three nights.
[2][10] Cowsill's health declined as of the early 2000s, as he was suffering from emphysema, Cushing syndrome and osteoporosis.