Harvey Danger: Where did the merrymakers go?

Former UW student Sean Nelson recently had cable installed in his apartment so he could watch coverage of the presidential election. Now that Election Day is more than a month behind him, he finds himself uncharacteristically watching CMT, country music's equivalent to MTV.

"It's like great Republican porn," said Nelson during a late dinner at an Italian restaurant on Capitol Hill. "There's all of this patriotic imagery everywhere, in the music, the ads. It's just fascinating to me. I can't stop watching it."

Chances are you don't know Nelson by name. But once he takes off his skull cap, revealing his out-of-control wiry and frizzy mane and puts on his Harry Carrey-esque glasses, his look is unmistakable, like that of someone you may have seen on MTV not too long ago.

Sweet success

If you think you might have seen Nelson on MTV, you're right. Back in 1998, he and his band Harvey Danger took the pop music world by storm with the smash hit "Flagpole Sitta." The song was featured in films, television shows, commercials and karaoke bars across the nation, making Harvey Danger an instant overnight success.

"MTV was calling us asking for a video for the song," said Nelson. "It normally doesn't work that way. Normally bands are constantly calling MTV trying to get their video played. We were definitely in a unique situation."

The success of "Flagpole Sitta" vaulted the band into international stardom and its debut album, Where Have All The Merrymakers Gone?, sold more than 500,000 copies worldwide. Soon after that, Nelson and his bandmates found themselves on a major label and sharing the stage with Green Day, Metallica, Barenaked Ladies and other multi-platinum artists.

The UW connection

However, not many people know the band's roots began here on campus, originating in the offices of The Daily. Nelson, the group's vocalist, guitarist Jeff Lin, bassist Aaron Huffman and drummer Evan Sult all met in the mid-1990s while working on The Daily staff.

When they decided to form a band, the group's namesake came from a comic strip that used to appear in The Daily during the 1980s. In fact, on the graffiti-filled orange walls of The Daily's office a portrait of Harvey Danger -- the comic strip character, not the band -- is highly visible next to the clock.

After the massive success of Merrymakers, the band's status with its label was up in the air due to corporate mergers and buyouts that were taking place during the time. It wasn't until August 2000 when Harvey Danger released its second record, the religiously themed King James Version. The record was something the band had completed long before its release, but due to label problems, its release was delayed.

King James Version didn't fare as well as its predecessor, and without a hit single such as "Flagpole Sitta" the record was considered a failure. After rigorous touring behind Merrymaker and a brief tour behind its second record, the four members of Harvey Danger decided to call it quits without much animosity toward one another.

Since the split, the 31-year-old Nelson has been in the spotlight more than the other group members. Currently he is the associate editor of the alternative weekly paper The Stranger. He also occasionally hosts a radio show on KEXP (90.3 FM), and he taught a course at the UW about songwriting earlier this year.

Paving the comeback trail

April of this year marked the 10-year-anniversary of Harvey Danger's first show. To celebrate the occasion Nelson, Lin and Huffman booked a show at the Crocodile Cafe. Word of the show spread quickly throughout the music community, and tickets to the sold-out gig became a hot commodity. At the time of the show, Nelson was working on a yet-to-be-released solo record. Lin, Huffman and Nelson enjoyed playing together so much that night, Nelson put his solo record on hold in order to pursue playing more gigs as a newly reunited Harvey Danger.

Since the reunion/anniversary show, the band has played a few high-profile sets, including one at this year's Bumbershoot and at radio station KNDD's (107.7 FM) Endfest 13. At the Bumbershoot performance, more than 1,000 fans were turned away because the venue was at capacity well before the band took the stage.

Nelson is both stunned and appreciative of the warm welcome the band has received by fans.

"The support and response has been so amazing," said Nelson. "I could have never imagined so many people would want to see us play again."

Living a dream

Feeling revitalized and ready to play music together again, Harvey Danger will be performing two shows Saturday, Dec. 18 at the Crocodile Cafe. Fans will have the opportunity to not only hear new Harvey Danger material, but also purchase a limited edition five-song EP. The EP included the rare single "Sometimes You Have To Work On Christmas," a live version of "Jack The Lion" recorded at the anniversary show along with one other rare gem: a new Harvey Danger song.

The track, "Wine, Women & Song," which is the third song on the EP, is expected to be a part of a new Harvey Danger record the band wants to release next year. For Harvey Danger fans, the record is a long time coming, but don't expect Nelson and company to attempt making another "Flagpole Sitta." They have already lived their rock 'n' roll dreams.

"To think, when we first started out our dream was to play a show at the Crocodile," said Nelson. "Looking back at all we've accomplished is amazing."