The Wondermints

Formed in Los Angeles in 1991, The Wondermints slowly built a reputation as a cornerstone in the city's pop underground. While the band's status grew, several members individually made names for themselves as expert sidemen, eventually elevating The Wondermints to a sort of underground supergroup. Big names in the industry, such as Eric Carmen and former Dramarama member Chris Carter (who subsequently became the band's manager), started to take note, finally paying off when Brian Wilson recruited them as part of his backing band for his comeback to the stage in 1999.



Beginning as a collaboration between keyboardist Darian Sahanaja and guitarist Nick Walusko, The Wondermints released a series of home-recorded cassettes and by 1992 enlisted the talents of bassist Brian Kassan. Drummer Mike D'amico entered the fold a year later and the quartet continued to release homemade recordings. Toy's Factory Records of Japan found interest in the band and in 1995 released their first official album, the contents of which were compiled from the home recordings, but right around the time of this release, Kassan chose to leave the ranks.

Read More