1997-2004

After seven years fronting the Atlanta bossa-jazz-pop group Cicada Sings, chanteuse Pam Howe  witnessed a performance by bluesy groove masters G. Love & Special Sauce that was inspiring enough to change her musical outlook.

Having an inherent fondness for hip-hop, Howe and longtime collaborator/drummer Fatty roped in a couple of local club DJs to help fulfill their vision. Aaron Platt (bass) and Captain Mudfish Starbolt were the recruits (later joined by percussionist Tony James) and the trip-hop sound of pH Balance was born.

Their individual and collective reputations, along with a strong buzz on the Atlanta music scene, were enough to perk up the ears of Indigo Girls' Amy Ray, who signed pH Balance to her not-for-profit independent Daemon Records and released their self-titled debut in 1999. Akin to the seductive artistry of their U.K. counterparts Portishead and Everything But the Girl, Howe and Mudfish alternately sing, speak, and rap engaging melodies over live (and occasionally looped) rhythms.

Dubbed Atlanta’s premier trip-hop band, they infiltrated the underground DJ scene with a series of warehouse shows thrown by the Kaleidoscope Family (a collective they co-founded, consisting of hip-hop acts, DJ’s, visual artists and dancers)

The band toured exhaustively at the turn of the century with new bassist Kevin Vines.  The band released 3 albums, and played over a 1,000 shows all over the US. They opened for the Indigo Girls on a US tour which forever increased their national profile. 

Musicians

Pam Howe                                    MC, vocals, guitar

Chris fatty Burt                                            drums

mudfish                         MC, MPC3000, turntables

tony james                                              percussion

aaron platt                                                       bass

kevin vines                                                         bass

Zandy mangold                                                      photographer