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Pupa's Window is a lo-fi singer/songwriter pseudonym from Baltimore, Maryland.

History

In 1994, singer/songwriter Michael Nestor formed Pupa's Window in Eldersburg, Maryland-mostly as a vehicle to document the recording process and produce lo-fi cassette recordings. In the early-to-mid 1990s, Pupa's Window recorded music at the advent of cassette-based, lo-fi indie pop. The project had some early success on college radio-typically charting in the CMJ New Music Report. After 2002, Pupa's Window records began to become more orchestrated, and involve other musicians. Shortly after joining The Beechfields Record Label in Baltimore, Maryland, Pupa's Window began to be regarded as one of the "best-kept indie-pop songwriter secrets" in Baltimore. The band's music draws comparison to Lou Barlow, Bill Callahan and Elliott Smith and has been described as, "a stripped-down, folky type of indie-pop with a freak factor provided by plenty of echoey production, a few odd instruments and sounds, and tape-loop tinkering." Between 1994 and 2008, Pupa's Window released over eighteen records on both cassette and compact disc, and collaborated with Baltimore-based artist Private Eleanor. Concurrently with this project, from 1998 to 2001, Nestor played in a shoegaze band, called Lowell. Work on both Pupa's Window and Lowell were instrumental in Nestor joining the alt-rock group The Seldon Plan. Recording as Pupa's Window contributed to The Seldon Plan's role in the Baltimore indie and DIY movement that experienced a revitalization across the late 1990s through the mid 2000s.

The lo-fi indie DIY ethos had a significant impact on Nestor and his work with Pupa's Window helped in his development of The Beechfields Record Label. In 2003, he founded The Beechfields. Nestor notes in an interview with Baltimore City Paper, the goal was to maintain an artist-centered approach to releasing records based on Virginia label Simple Machines founded by Jenny Toomey. In 2004, Baltimore musician Austin Stahl began working at The Beechfields with Nestor to develop the label's roster while playing percussion for Pupa's Window. Asked about the potential for too much emphasis on an inward-looking and diary-esque approach within lo-fi indie pop in general and Pupa's Window specifically, Nestor has said, "I'm really afraid of the self-indulgent aspect of this music...what I try to remember, is to keep things in the service of the song, that if something isn't working for the song--the lyrics, a drum loop, whatever--to rethink it."

References

Citations

1. CMJ 1998. sfn error: no target: CITEREFCMJ1998 (help)
2. ^ Kauffman 2011. sfn error: no target: CITEREFKauffman2011 (help)
3. ^ McCabe 2004a. sfn error: no target: CITEREFMcCabe2004a (help)
4. English 2005.
5. ^ McCabe 2004b. sfn error: no target: CITEREFMcCabe2004b (help)
6. Whelan 2007.
7. Sessa 2005.
8. Sessa 2013.
9. Broadway 2017. sfn error: no target: CITEREFBroadway2017 (help)

Online Sources

• CMJ Staff (November 2, 1998), "CMJ New Music Report", CMJ, retrieved October 11, 2019
• Kaufmann, Zach (March 4, 2011), "We Built This City", Splice Today, retrieved October 11, 2019
• McCabe, Bret (May 19, 2004), "Playing With Themselves", Baltimore City Paper, archived from the original on August 9, 2009, retrieved October 11, 2019
• English, Steve (February 3, 2005), "Splendid Magazine", Splendid, archived from the original on March 30, 2005, retrieved October 11, 2019
• McCabe, Bret (March 10, 2004), "Know Your Product", Baltimore City Paper, archived from the original on August 14, 2011, retrieved October 11, 2019
• Whelan, Robbie (October 7, 2007), "Urbanite Music", The Urbanite, archived from the original on December 11, 2007, retrieved October 11, 2019
• Sessa, Sam (November 17, 2005), "The Seldon Plan", The Baltimore Sun, retrieved October 11, 2019
• Sessa, Sam (3 October 2013), "Baltimore Music Scene 101", WTMD, retrieved October 11, 2019
• Broadway World Staff (2017), "Baltimore's Indie Rock/Pop Duo Underlined Passages Release New Track 'Silverlake'", Broadway World, retrieved October 11, 2019

External links

• Pupa's window

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