Polaris (band)

Polaris
Origin New Haven, Connecticut, USA
Genres Alternative rock
Indie rock
Jangle pop
Years active 1993–1996, 2012, 2014–present
Labels The Mezzotint Label
Associated acts Mark Mulcahy
Miracle Legion
Website http://www.mezzotint.com
Members Mark Mulcahy
Dave McCaffrey
Scott Boutier

Polaris is an indie rock band that initially formed as one-off musical project in the mid-1990s involving members of the New Haven indie rock band Miracle Legion. They were commissioned specifically to produce music for the Nickelodeon television show The Adventures of Pete & Pete, which was later compiled into the group's first and only album. Nearly twenty years after the show was cancelled, Polaris re-emerged with its first tour and a digital "cassingle" of two new songs.

History

Mark Mulcahy, Scott Boutier, and Dave McCaffrey performed music for the Nickelodeon television show The Adventures of Pete & Pete under the name Polaris because fourth Miracle Legion member Mr. Ray Neal was not available at the time; occasional guests included Joyce Raskin, Dennis Kelly, and Buell Thomas.

Polaris performed many of the songs featured on the show, including the theme song, "Hey Sandy", and its members took "TV names": Mulcahy was "Muggy", Boutier was "Jersey", and McCaffrey was "Harris Polaris." In addition to appearing in the opening credits of each show, the band featured prominently in the episode "A Hard Day's Pete", in which Little Pete (Danny Tamberelli) is mesmerized by a garage band's song (Polaris' "Summerbaby") and forms his own band to keep the tune in his memory.

Music from The Adventures of Pete & Pete, released in 1999 on Mulcahy's Mezzotint label, contains the twelve songs Polaris recorded for the show and is the group's only album release.

From 1997 to 2003, Scott Boutier and Dave McCaffrey played drums & bass for Frank Black and the Catholics.

On August 28 2012, Polaris reunited for a concert at Cinefamily's Everything Is Festival II. The band claimed it was their first ever live performance.

On August 26 2014, Polaris announced their first tour, Waiting For October, with nine shows including in New York City, Brooklyn and Philadelphia.[1]

In Fall 2014, the band released their first new material since 1999 in the form of a digital and cassette single. The single, consisting of "Great Big Happy Green Moonface" and "Baby Tae Kwon Do" was made available through the Mezzotint website. In addition, an animated music video was produced for "Great Big Happy Green Moonface."

On April 18, 2015, Polaris released both a vinyl edition of Music from The Adventures of Pete & Pete and "Live at Lincoln Hall." The former was released both in stores as part of Record Store Day and on online, while the latter was sold exclusively online.

Discography

References

  1. ↑ Eakin, Marah. "Polaris, the band from The Adventures Of Pete And Pete, is going on tour". A.V. Club. Retrieved February 7, 2015.

External links