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Artist
The Long Afternoon
9+ albums
indieindie rockshoegazerockPsychedelia
about
Reclusive Pennsylvania-based indie rock pioneers The Long Afternoon formed in Pittsburgh in 1985. Guitarist and vocalist Eston Martz worked with several local musicians to craft the band’s original sound: angular and edgy, with energy to burn and an emphasis on cryptic, deeply personal songs. Intentionally obscure from the outset, even the band’s name is open to multiple interpretations. While never deliberately confrontational or anti-entertainment, the group has neither been particularly interested in attaining popularity and showing audiences a good time. As long as the band was firing on all cylinders, its members seemed equally satisfied whether listeners were appreciative or confounded. In 1987, Martz moved the group’s base to State College, Pennsylvania and formed a new lineup. The group’s material and sound became more dense, psychedelic and exploratory, drawing heavily on mid-period Beatles as well as more recent groups like Mission of Burma, Wire and The Dream Syndicate. Although the band band eschewed travel, and only rarely played outside State College or Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, high-profile opening slots for indie-rock luminaries like Dinosaur Jr. ultimately resulted in the band being offered a deal with Bulging Eye, the Flaming Lips’ management company, in 1987. The group recorded a self-titled EP and planned a national tour with Bulging Eye, but tensions during the recording sessions led to an acrimonious split. In the wake of the band’s dissolution, th
