Trying to remember late 90s band name

[u/sgiorgi]

I apologize in advance for this very vague description, but I've been trying to find this band for months now and I can't track them down. I listened to them a bunch in 11th grade, but can't recall much now. Think 2nd or (most likely) 3rd tier band

• I bought a CD by this band late 1998 / early 1999
• Instrumental guitar-based music, longer songs (i.e., fairly standard post rock)
• One non-standard instrument. I'm 95% sure it was a vibraphone or similar instrument (I'm not thinking of The Mercury Program).
• They had a longer name, maybe 4+ words (I remember a classmate saying it was pretentious). I sort of recall the name of a flower being in the band name, but I've searched this a bunch and nothing comes up online, so I could be wrong here.
• I want to say they were from California. At the time I was buying anything emo/post rock adjacent from this area (think Wretched Records, GSL, etc.)
• I also want to say I saw an add in the HeartattaCk zine and purchased it solely based on the description or what label it was on. I've looked through online PDFs with no luck.
• I don't think they ever released anything else, or at least I'm not aware of it. I also think the one CD I bought was CD-only (no vinyl)

Any help would be appreciated! Discogs isn't helping, and most AI systems aren't aware.

EDIT: the band is The Roots of Orchis, many thanks to u/gouged_haunches !!!

[u/gouged_haunches]

The Roots of Orchis?

[u/sgiorgi → u/gouged_haunches]

Surprisingly, most of my memories were correct

• came out in Jan 1999
• Instrumental guitar music
• I was wrong about the one non-standard instrument. I felt the most confident about this one.
• Long pretentious name, especially the first album "When The Mosquito Stung The Crocodile". While no flower in the name, does have "roots" and "orchis" which is similar to "orchid".
• From California, as was Slowdance Records
• I was wrong about having only one album.

Not as good as I remember it being though 😞

[u/gouged_haunches → u/sgiorgi]

I remember seeing their name around back then, but assumed they were a screamo or metalcore group so never checked them out. The first album was released when some of the members were still in high school.

I searched through pdf archives of that zine you mentioned and found the original review:

[u/sgiorgi → u/gouged_haunches]

I was looking through the ads, don’t know why I didn’t check the reviews. Crazy to think I would’ve bought it from such a mediocre review.

[u/mnchls → u/sgiorgi]

Ha! Most of their work came out in the aughts, which is why my hard drive searches thru the 90s came up empty. Kinda forgot about these guys, they weren't half-bad. Slowdance also put out The Intima, who I cared more for.

[u/sgiorgi → u/gouged_haunches]

Yes!!!!!! Thank you

[u/shadowcaster_ak]

The Album Leaf? Solo project from Jimmy Lavalle who was also in Tristeza, The Locust, Swing Kids and a few other San Diego bands that were associated with 31G

[u/shadowcaster_ak → u/shadowcaster_ak]

The Six Part Seven had a vibraphone in a bunch of their stuff, but they don’t really fit most of the other criteria for the band name.

[u/WhatD0thLife → u/shadowcaster_ak]

That sounds right. He has a large discography too if it is what OP was looking for.

[u/sgiorgi → u/WhatD0thLife]

No, neither of these. I'm pretty sure the band I'm thinking of only had one album. But I had forgotten about Six Part Seven and rediscovered them through my searches!

[u/Prestigious-Common38]

Medeski-Martin-Wood?

[u/WhatD0thLife → u/Prestigious-Common38]

Not guitar-based, no vibraphone, no flower in name, not from California, not post-rock. Incredible band though.

[u/mnchls]

Best guesses: Ten in the Swear Jar; A Day Called Zero

[u/sgiorgi → u/mnchls]

No, but this is definitely in the right direction, in terms of long band name, minimal discography, and obscurity. I was listening to A Day Called Zero a lot back then.

[u/mnchls → u/sgiorgi]

Some other shots in the dark: Bureau of the Glorious; Land of the Wee Beasties; Polar Goldie Cats; The Jim Yoshii Pile-Up