Singer/songwriter
Lois Maffeo long reigned as one of the most respected voices in American indie pop -- a key proponent of the Pacific Northwest's love rock scene, her spare, lo-fi sound and steadfast adherence to an underground ethos blazed a trail for the countless female acts to emerge in her wake. A native of Phoenix, AZ,
Maffeo began attending Evergreen State College in Olympia, WA, in 1981, initially becoming a fixture of the city's thriving music scene as a result of her grrrl-centric radio show
Your Dream Girl on local station KAOS. After picking up the guitar, in 1987 she formed the short-lived
Cradle Robbers with future
Spinane Rebecca Gates before joining drummer
Pat Maley in the duo Courtney Love, issuing three acclaimed singles before disbanding.
Maffeo then relocated to Washington, D.C., where she began playing simply as
Lois or sometimes even "
the Lois" -- in short, a band made up of herself and whatever backing musicians were available. One early collaborator was
Bratmobile drummer
Molly Neuman, who regularly accompanied
Maffeo live as well as on her first two solo LPs, 1992's lovely
Butterfly Kiss and its 1993 follow-up,
Strumpet. After issuing the live cassette Low Rider a year later, she toured with drummer
Amy Farina, who returned for the
Ian MacKaye-produced EP
Shy Town; for the full-length
Bet the Sky,
Maffeo was joined by ex-
Tiger Trap drummer
Heather Dunn, who remained on board for 1996's
Snapshot Radio as well as its full-length follow-up,
Infinity Plus. She teamed with
Fugazi drummer
Brendan Canty for 2000's
The Union Themes.
