Heatmiser was an alternative rock band that originated in Portland, Oregon in 1992. Consisting of Elliott Smith (guitar and vocals), Neil Gust (guitar and vocals), Brandt Peterson (bass; later to be replaced by Sam Coomes, frontman of Quasi), and Tony Lash (drums), they were known for their well-crafted lyrics and songs often featuring the juxtaposition of melancholic and cheery words and melodies. The pop-oriented songs of Elliott Smith were a contrast to the darker songs of Gust, while both Smith and Gust's songs touched on subjects such as anger, alienation, loneliness and despair.
Formation and history
Neil Gust and Elliott Smith met and formed the band with Jason Hornick (who attended college nearby and had played in a high-school band with Smith). Hornick's time in the band was brief, probably due to academics, and soon the band was just Gust and Smith. Both were attending classes at Hampshire College in Amherst, Massachusetts at the time. In clubs in nearby Northampton, the
Source:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heatmiser