[1] The band was influenced by João Gilberto, Dionne Warwick, and Earth, Wind & Fire.
Original members Matt Datesman (drums), John Lindaman (guitar and vocals) and Tobin Rodriguez (bass and vocals) began experimenting with softer sounding music after the breakup of Charlottesville rock band Operation:Love!, which featured Lindaman and Datesman.
Soon after their first show, in November 1995, they opened for TeenBeat Records act Versus at the Tokyo Rose in Charlottesville.
He asked them to record Mediterranean as a single for TeenBeat, beginning their long association with the label.
Shortly after recording Clouds in 2002, the band went on an indefinite hiatus as Lindaman moved to New York, Datesman became a father, and Zanella completed his Master of Philosophy.