The idea behind The Red Thread had been around a few years, it just happened to take the break-up of another band and some big talk on a drunken New Year's Eve to put it into motion. Jason Lakis began writing after his band Half Film called it quits in 1999. The group had released a few records, toured Europe and enjoyed some success but ultimately burned out. Lakis recorded demos over the course of a summer but hadn't considered getting a live band together until he slurred the idea to three old friends at a New Year's Eve party. They accepted the challenge and rerecorded The Red Thread material as a full band. The product turned out to be After The Last, the band's debut on Badman. A national tour followed, along with some great press, including rave reviews in Mojo, Uncut, and CMJ.In 2004 the band followed up with Tension Pins and hit the road with like-minded artists Neko Case and Swell. Positive press continued, and a national following wasn't far behind. Their songs have been featured on MTV's Road Rules, The Real World, and One Tree Hill.On their third full-length, Ship in the Attic, Birds in the Subway, the group builds on the spaghetti western, guitar-driven pop of their earlier work while introducing some of the infectious energy of their live shows. Recorded and mixed at his home studio, the Petting Zoo, Lakis found he now had the time and resources to really craft the recording in ways he'd always wanted. Subtle layers of guitars, Rhodes and pedal steel act as flotation devices-- buoying the energetic three-piece and delivering an album of oomph and depth.