Lullaby for the Working Class hails from Nebraska and combines the '90s chamber pop sounds of
Lambchop and
Tindersticks and the country-rock stylings of
Gram Parsons. Originally the band started out as a two-piece with
Mike Mogis and
Ted Stevens, both singer/songwriter musicians. To make the band complete, AJ Mogis (bass) and
Shane Aspegren (drums) joined
Lullaby for the Working Class and shortly thereafter the band inked a deal with Bar-None Records while making themselves noticed at various gigs in and around N.Y.C., specifically at the CMJ Music Festival. Their 1996 debut
Blanket Warm was critically acclaimed, making ways for fellow Nebraska bands (
Commander Venus, Norman Baylor,
We'd Rather Be Flying) to venture outside the cornhusker state. A sophomore effort
I Never Even Asked for Light followed in 1997 and
Song was released two years later. ~ MacKenzie Wilson, All Music Guide