Seattle-based power-pop group the Posies recently completed work on their final album titled "Success," which is slated for a January 1998 release. Lead singer/songwriter Jon Auer talked to JAMTV about what it was like to record this last album and what the future holds for the group.|

The Posies came onto the music scene in 1988 with Failure on Popllama Records with a sound heavily influenced by Alex Chilton's Big Star. Following the release of Failure, the Posies got signed to DGC, a division of Geffen Records. The band released three albums for DGC -- Dear 23 (1990), Frosting on the Beater (1993) and Amazing Disgrace (1996) - and then wanted to move back to the freedom and comfort of working with an independent label. "We put in our time at DGC and gave them three excellent records for them to market and promote," Auer said during a soundcheck for the new album. "Some were handled with care, others were not given the fair shake they deserved. As a result I was personally determined to keep our last record closer to home and completely bypass the majors. Popllama seemed the best place to return."

Although the release of Success (named by Popllama president Conrad Uno to give the band's career "a nice bookend quality since the first album was Failure") marks the end of the Posies official recording career together, they are not shying away from ever working together again. "As far as full length releases are concerned, this will be our last," Auer said. "If someone offered us the chance to do a fun project that took a minimal amount of time to concoct - like a soundtrack cut - it would be hard to say no."

Posies fans can expect the same greatness the band has delivered on past albums. Success will have lots of harmonies, cool guitars and songs you can listen to versus banging your head, according to Auer. "This album is as diverse as any, both lyrically and musically. I think we felt more comfortable with the feminine side on this record - there wasn't the shadow of a big label telling us we need to rough up for the sake of the consumer," Auer said.

Although the band's members - Auer, Joe Bass, Brian Young and Ken Stringfellow - are working on other projects (Bass and Auer are both releasing solo material later this year, Young plays drums with Fountains Of Wayne and Stringfellow is concentrating on a new band called the Salteens), they can look back on their nearly 10-year career and know hordes of fans appreciate and love their music. "I always run into people that dig the Posies and respect the fact that we've made the kind of music we love, no matter the obstacles," Auer asserted. "It is truly gratifying to know people care about us that much. We had a really good time." (Ari Bendersky)
(photo courtesy of Geffen Records)