b. 30 May 1966, Santa Monica, California, USA. Guitarist and singer-songwriter Malkmus was the leader of one of the more widely respected US alternative/lo-fi outfits of the 90s, Pavement. Malkmus attended the University of Virginia in the late 80s, but it was not until he returned home to California that he began seriously penning songs with fellow guitarist and singer, Scott Kannberg. What began as a studio project soon took on a life of its own and ended up becoming a real band, as Pavement was formed in 1989. After several independent releases were issued that proved to be popular with the college radio crowd, Pavement signed on with Matador Records, issuing several cult albums throughout the 90s. During this period Malkmus also worked with the Silver Jews and the Crust Brothers, the latter an ad hoc unit formed with members of Silkworm.
Almost immediately after announcing Pavement's split in 1999, Malkmus put together a backing band, the Jicks, comprising John Moen (drums) and Joanna Bolme (b. 1 April 1968, USA; bass). Malkmus' self-titled solo debut, originally titled Swedish Reggae, was released by Matador in February 2001. Appealing to fans of Pavement's skewed musical vision, the album garnered rave reviews. A second collection, Pig Lib, credited to Malkmus and the Jicks with new member Mike Clark (guitar/keyboards) added to the line-up, was perhaps too loose to really appeal to any but diehard fans, although it received strong reviews from the loyal music press. Face The Truth (2005) was the first Malkmus album to be credited as a solo release, although members of the Jicks contributed to the recording. Whatever the personnel, the album was a fine reminder of Malkmus' songwriting talents and revealed an artist at last content to grow into middle age gracefully.
At the end of 2006, former Sleater-Kinney drummer Janet Weiss (b. 24 September 1965, Hollywood, California, USA, also Quasi) was recruited to replace the Decemberists bound John Moen. The new-look Jicks then completed the recording of the excellent Real Emotional Trash with Malkmus. Released at the start of 2008, the album was developed from free-form jam sessions but revelled in an inherent melodic edge largely missing from the similarly styled Pig Lib.
