Seattle, WA

Seattle punk rockers Poor Old Lu were influenced by bands like All and Screeching Weasel back when bands like Nirvana and Pearl Jam were just starting to create a national buzz. Side-stepping grunge entirely, the band took their punk sound and applied a Christian message to it. This put them in a category with MXPX and few others as the pioneers of the genre, something that would be beneficial when the mainstream caught onto the punk-pop phenomenon. Poor Old Lu signed to Alarma in the mid-90's and released a few influential albums before they hit a creative standstill in 1996. Instead of forcing new material, the group stepped away for the next few years and worked on their own projects. By 2001, the band was ready to come back together and record new material. Signed on by the Tooth and Nail label, the band released The Waiting Room in 2002. ~ Bradley Torreano