Oleander is a post-grunge band from Sacramento, California, USA. Its name is derived from the poisonous wildflower oleander, which line the highways of Northern California.

History

Oleander was formed by Fred Nelson Jr. (drums), Doug Eldridge (bass guitar), Ric Ivanisevich (guitar) and Thomas Flowers (vocals, guitar) in the mid-1990s. Their debut was Oleander, an EP released on Fine Records in 1996, which they followed with the full-length album Shrinking the Blob in 1997. The song "Down When I'm Loaded" became a regional hit, and Oleander signed with Universal Records.

During this time, session drummer extraordinaire Jonathan Mover was recruited in the studio to record February Son, as well as play live for the first leg of that tour. Nelson later joined the tour but subsequently left the band and was then replaced with Scott Devours. February Son was their major label debut in 1999, which featured the hit singles "Why I'm Here" and "I Walk Alone." They released Unwind in 2001, which included the hit song "Are You There?". The song "Champion" became about the sacrifice of firefighters during the September 11, 2001 attacks in New York City.

Some time later, the band parted ways with Universal Records and moved to Sanctuary Records, where they released Joyride in 2003.

In November, 2003, drummer Devours issued a statement announcing he was leaving the band to join Ima Robot. The decision was amicable.

The Black Summer Crush Lose Vocalist; Band Name

The band is on an unofficial hiatus. No statement has been released by the band, however vocalist Thomas Flowers is currently collaborating with the band The Black Summer Crush. The Black Summer Crush have parted ways with front-man Thomas Flowers (ex-Oleander). As a result, the band will now be fronted by Jay Buchanan and have changed the band name to The Pleasant Return.

Flowers is rumored to be reuniting with is former Oleander band-mates. http://www.tunelabmusic.com

Members

Current

• Thomas Flowers - vocals, guitar
• Doug Eldridge - bass guitar
• Ric Ivanisevich - guitar

Former

• Fred Nelson Jr. - drums (1995 - 1998)
• Jonathan Mover - drums/percussion (1999)
• Scott Devours - drums (1999 - 2003)

Discography

Albums

<gallery> Image:Oleander-blob.jpeg|

EPs

• Oleander (1996)
• Runaway Train (2002)

Singles

See also

• Ima Robot
• Nirvana (band)
• Green Day

External links

• Oleander.net
• Oleander Fan Forums
• Allmusic.com Biography
• Black Summer Crush
• Oleander collection at the Internet Archive's live music archive

References

de:Oleander (Band) sv:Oleander (musikgrupp)