Austin, TX

An intelligent alternative pop duo with folk and country leanings (though they often relied on synthesizers and drum machines, even while playing live dates), Timbuk 3's Pat and Barbara K. MacDonald wrote many better songs than their surprise 1986 hit "The Future's So Bright, I Gotta Wear Shades." The couple, who met in the late '70s while Barbara studied at the University of Wisconsin, were based in Austin, Texas by the mid-'80s, when they recorded their debut album Greetings from Timbuk 3 in 1986. After the LP was released on IRS Records, "The Future's So Bright, I Gotta Wear Shades" hit number 19 late that year. Though it was Timbuk 3's only hit, they continued recording and found a niche in the college/alternative community with albums such as Eden Alley, Edge of Allegiance and Big Shot in the Dark. ~ John Bush