Suede Chain

The Suede Chain was formed in St. Louis in the mid-'80s by brothers Matt Docter (vocals and guitar) and Jason Docter (vocals and drums), along with Brian Krumm (guitar/vocals) and Brian Hunt (bass guitar).

In 1990, while attending University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, The Suede Chain released a self-titled cassette EP, which included three live songs recorded at Mabel's, a Champaign venue.

In 1992 they released a full-length cassette, Dry Gulch. All but one of the 11 songs were recorded live at a log cabin in Collinsville, Illinois. Only 500 copies were produced, and all were eventually sold. The band also performed Rust in St. Louis, this was the bands' first multimedia performance. The show consisted of three movements of music separated by a three-act, one man play.

Mary Weingartner (vocals and violin) and Jake Brookman(cello) joined with the traditional four-piece rock band in 1993, performing on The Mississippian, the band's first release on Mud Records.

In 1994 they performed a second multimedia show, Dream Wheel Circus, in downtown Champaign. The show, a combination of installation and performance art, ran for four days, with two performances a day. That year also marked the release of the 8-song CD, Ripplemark, produced and engineered by Adam Schmitt. Ripplemark intertwines a rock/strings sound with the saxophone, flute, clarinet, electric piano, accordion, and even auto harp. It was the band's best-selling album, with sales propelled by the success of the hit single, "Daisy Dawn."

In 1995, The Suede Chain returned to Collinsville to record their second CD, Piloted by Ghosts. Adam Schmitt again produced and engineered the album, and this time the recording was made live at the historic Miner's Theater. Released on Valentine's Day, 1996, Piloted by Ghosts was The Suede Chain's final album, although they continued playing live shows until their breakup in mid-1997.

Matt and Jason moved out to Los Angeles, where they play in a band called 'Docter'. Brian and Brian relocated to Chicago and formed the band The Great Crusades.

Until 2003, Mary was playing in a band called Bella Trevelle, which appears to have disbanded.

Jake Brookman plays cello for Vitamen A, a St. Louis-area band.

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