Carissa's Wierd formed in 1995 when Tucson natives Matt Brooke and Jenn Ghetto moved to Seattle. The pair's hushed, plaintive vocals and intricate instrumentation made an impression on city's music scene from the start, and they recruited pianist Jeff Hellis -- not to mention a rotating lineup of drummers and violinists -- to round out their sparse indie rock sound. Other members included future Band of Horses frontman Ben Bridwell, Sarah Standard, and Sera Cahoun. Embracing a glaring misspelling and never subscribing to convention, the bandmembers blazed their own trail early on, cutting their teeth on Seattle's club circuit and releasing three albums before breaking up in 2003. ~ Stephen Cramer