The Chicago quartet - singer-guitarists Nina Gordon and Louise Post, bassist Steve Lack and drummer Jim Shapiro - materialized after Post and Gordon were united by a mutual pal. "My friend told Louise, 'Nina's miserable and needs someone to make music with,'" says Gordon. As for Post: "I was drifting, I was a piece of driftwood."
The two hit it off, bound by, among other things, a reverence for the Breeders. They advertised for a female bassist, but Lack responded. Efforts to find a female drummer were also futile, so Gordon's brother Shapiro stepped in. "He didn't own a drum kit," says Gordon, "but sounded amazing."
Veruca Salt are currently recording with producer (and Liz Phair drummer) Brad Wood and gearing up for a fall tour. And what, exactly, is Veruca Salt? "It's a character from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory," says Gordon. "She's the total spoiled-brat chick who goes down the egg chute."