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Nothing in pop is so pure as a cartoon band, and in the late `90s The Vandalias were the ultimate cartoon band.
Trouser Press, Village Voice, Option, People and scores of others praised the smart songs, guileless enthusiasm and aggressive playing. The band appeared on page one of Billboard on the release of their first album, and were blessed with legions of dedicated fans. The cartoon Vandalia brothers starred in a promo short featuring the voice talent of Peter Fernandez, best known for his late-`60s work as Speed Racer.
But by decade's end the Vandalias' label had folded, and after a period of intense work trying to float a Vandalias TV series the band's DIY foundations collapsed beneath the weight of their Disney ambitions.
Singer/songwriter Dan Sarka and lead guitarist Kent Militzer were set free to pursue more manageable dreams.
In the early `90s Militzer had been a member of legendary Minneapolis punks The Magnolias, while Sarka was catching the attention of the burgeoning indie-powerpop scene with a band called Sparrows. Both had a love for live performance that couldn't be satisfied within the bounds of a studio-only cartoon band. So even as The Vandalias soldiered on, they starting talking about a side project -- a way to keep up their chops and have fun in the long stretches between recording sessions.
Dan Boardman had spent the early `90s playing drums and guitar in The Spectors, a blood-soaked traveling cage match disguised as a beat band. He worked on both Vandalias albums as a bassist, guitar player, singer and studio engineer. Dan called up his drummer friend Robb Burnham (who had done time with him in the great Minneapolis garage trio Magnatone), and Stingray Green was born.
In September 2006, Jay Holgate, another former Vandalia who had just wrapped up a seven-year residency at Minneapolis' legendary Hexagon Bar, stepped in to replace the recently-departed Boardman.
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