After rapidly recording a demo tape, and their live debut at a loft party in New York, the band became the subject of a record label bidding war, with up to 25 labels after their signatures. Out of these, eight had offered the artistic control that the band wanted, but as Herschel himself said, the one they chose to sign with eventually 'sucked'.
Their first release was the E.P. 'In Remembrance of That Fine Evening', which showcased the Interpreters unique sound (for 1997) and was produced by Eric Erlandson from Hole and the legendary Shel Talmy. This and the album that followed ('Back In the USSA') mixed the intensity of the Who and the Jam with the aggression of the Clash and Beatles melodies. The album was recorded in London, and it was in the UK that they seemed more likely to break through, with some explosive headlining gigs and low-key festival appearances gaining the band a devoted following.
Sadly, things went rather quiet after the album's release (despite glittering reviews across the music press), which was mostly down to their label being in financial difficulties - eventually the band were freed from their contract and signed to RCA, but the momentum was lost.
One more single emerged, 'I Should Have Known Better' which was released in the UK on Fierce Panda records. The last known recording to feature the Interpreters was a dance single by Josh Wink titled 'Skinny Tie', which was billed as Wink featuring the Interpreters but essentially featured only Gaer on vocals. No information is available regarding when and why the band decided to split.
IF YOU LIKE THESE, YOU'LL LIKE THE INTERPRETERS: The Jam, The Who, These Animal Men, The Beatles, The Kinks, The Dandy Warhols, The Clash, The Strokes, The Hives, Johnny Thunders.