18 Wheeler

Scotland's 18 Wheeler was an overlooked and often critically bashed alternative pop/rock band. Formed by Sean Jackson (vocals, guitar), David Keenan (guitar, vocals), Alan Hake (bass), and Neil Halliday (drums) in the early '90s, 18 Wheeler shared their compatriots Teenage Fanclub's affection for Big Star's immaculate guitar pop, as well as the country-rock of Gram Parsons and the golden harmonies of the Beach Boys. However, 18 Wheeler's influences were obvious and the U.K. press dismissed them as pale imitators. In 1994, Keenan split from 18 Wheeler after recording a handful of singles and started his own group, the Telstar Ponies; he was replaced by guitarist Steven Haddow. 18 Wheeler also released their first album, Twin Action, on Creation Records that year. Twin Action was followed by Formanka a year later. Creation dropped the band after 1997's Year Zero, which found the group experimenting with dance rhythms to modernize their sound. ~ Michael Sutton, All Music Guide