After the unfortunate demise of Blind Melon in 1995, its surviving members eventually went on to other projects. A couple members formed the Seattle-based Luma, while guitarist Rogers Stevens formed the New York City-based Extra Virgin, with local singer Rene Lopez. Introduced by a mutual friend in late-1997, the pair automatically hit it off. Lopez's previous band, The Authority, was a popular funk-rock band in the area, and Extra Virgin's sound is often a merger between both Stevens' and Lopez's former bands - laid back funk combined with alternating hard and meditative rock. Joined by other musicians, the new outfit issued an independently released, 12-track debut in 1999, entitled Twelve Stories High. Squirrel Nut Zippers/Blind Melon producer Mike Napolitano handled production duties, perfectly capturing the new band's exciting chemistry on album. ~ Greg Prato, Rovi