CHIMERA DEPOT was formed in 1984 by Tim Gilbert and Jeff Schissler, then students at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. From the start, the pair focused on Gilbert's original songs, layering harmonies on top of melodic but raw Rickenbacker guitar -- a kind of signal flare to 1990s Seattle grunge.
In its short but eventful life, Chimera Depot issued two 7-song EPs. "Wahbi-ka neesh" arrived in 1985 and "Loft" landed shortly before the group's dissolution in spring of 1987. Engineered by Steve Marker at Butch Vig's Smart Studios, Marker and Vig went on to produce Nirvana's "Nevermind" before forming the band Garbage. Both EPs sold thousands of units and garnered college radio airtime.
Throughout its life, Chimera Depot sustained an intensive tour schedule. This fueled EP sales, but also made it possible for the band to show up in the studio and lay down all the material in two or three takes; each EP was recorded and mixed in a matter of two nights.
In the early '90s, Gilbert and Schissler formed a new band, Angels of the Himalayas, this time with Gilbert singing lead and Schissler playing bass and arranging backing vocals.
When the Angels disbanded by 1992, Gilbert went on to become a fellow and instructor at Johns Hopkins, and later an executive at a software firm serving higher education. Schissler pursued a successful career in video and interactive media, and manages production for a major consumer products company.
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