United State of Electronica

United State of Electronica formed around 2002 in Seattle, mainly from members of local combo Wonderful. Unlike that group's tightly wound pop confections, USE hit upon a cocktail of Andrew W.K.'s needle-burying intensity and the loping party funk of Daft Punk. Wonderful alums Noah Weaver (keyboards/vocoder), Peter Sali (guitar/vocals), Jason Holstrom (guitar/vocals), and Jon e. Rock (drums/vocals) were joined by bassist Derek Chan and dancers/backup singers Amanda Okonek and Carly Nicklaus, and USE made an immediate splash on the Seattle club scene with its energetic live take on a traditionally electronic music. Summer 2003 saw the issue of the band's vinyl debut on New York indie B-Side; the three-song 12" featured remixes by Bobby Karate and DJ Tripp. ~ Johnny Loftus, Rovi