Imaad Wasif was touring with
Lowercase when he met
Russell Pollard in 1999.
Pollard was playing with
Sebadoh at the time, and the two became fast friends. Within a year,
Pollard and
Wasif left their respective bands and recovened in San Francisco to form
Alaska. The duo derived an icy cool, layered indie rock sound. Shows with
Mia Doi Todd,
the Folk Implosion,
the Flaming Lips, and
Beachwood Sparks allowed
Alaska to test their material. By 2002,
Alaska had a deal with B-Girl Records. Their debut album,
Emotions, was released in February 2003 and former
Red Aunts drummer Lesley Ishino joined them for a North American tour. ~ MacKenzie Wilson, All Music Guide
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