Carissa's Wierd formed in 1995 when Matt Brooke and Jenn Ghetto moved to Seattle from Arizona. Their hushed, plaintive vocals, blended with intricate instrumentation, impressed from the start. The pair recruited pianist Jeff Hellis and a string of drummers and violinists to round out their sparse indie rock sound. Other members included Ben Bridwell, Sarah Standard, and Sera Cahoun. Embracing a misspelling and never subscribing to convention, the bandmembers blazed their own trail early on, cutting their teeth in Seattle's club scene. In 1999, the group unleashed Ugly But Honest on Bridwell's Brown Records; 2001's You Should Be at Home Here and 2002's Songs About Leaving garnered the band widespread acclaim across the Pacific Northwest. Recording with Chris Walla at Seattle's Hall of Justice Studio, the group increasingly seemed to be a legend in the making, but disbanded in late 2003 soon after a cross-country tour. Brooke and Bridwell formed a band called November 16th, while Ghetto set out as a solo project simply called S. Sad Robots Records planned to re-release You Should Be at Home Here and Songs About Leaving in February 2004, complete with bonus tracks. ~ Stephen Cramer, All Music Guide