After several false starts, they finalized their line-up in the summer of 1998, with the addition of Jim Zavadoski on bass and drummer Mike Gill, who had both played in previous bands with Cook and Rossomando respectively.
The band quickly made a name for themselves within the east coast indie and garage-rock scenes of the time, becoming known as much for their earnest, catchy songs and unique arrangements as they were for their rambunctious live shows.
In the fall of 1998, Mike Gill's friend and house mate Chase Lisbon (now of Supercult) allied his screen printing business with locally based indie record label Big Wheel Recreation.
While silk screening T-shirts, Chase played Big Wheel Recreation's owner, Rama Mayo, The Damn Personals' recently completed 4 song demo.
From 1999 until 2005, the band toured the US a dozen or so times, often performing with notable acts such as Piebald, The Explosion, The Mooney Suzuki, Radio 4, Ted Leo and The Pharmacists, The Strokes, The Walkmen, Jimmy Eat World and The Hives.