Let's Active

Spawned from the same jangle-pop scene in Winston-Salem, NC that brought us The dB's, Let's Active was formed in 1983 by Mitch Easter along with Faye Hunter (bass) and Sara Romweber (drums). The Afoot EP, released in 1983, produced the college-radio hits "Every Word Means No," and "Room With a View," both with a decidedly retro '60's sound. The album Cypress a year later continued in a similar vein with tight arrangements, poppy melodies, wonderful boy-girl harmonies, and that ever-present jangly guitar sound. Hunter and Romweber left in '84, and the band essentially became Easter's solo projects. The 1986 album, Big Plans for Everybody, a lush, richly-layered collection of acoustic and electric songs, was produced by Easter who also played nearly all of the instruments, with some augmentation by other musicians. The final Let's Active album Every Dog Has It's Day, was released in 1988. It has a much harder-edged sound to it than previous albums with several musicians sitting in with Easter, and spawned a single of the same name. Easter has since devoted his time to producing, and is most notable for producing the first two R.E.M. albums. He can still be found playing solo shows in small venues along the east coast.