Skating Club began in 1999, the private project of recording studio guy Aubrey Anderson. Anderson eventually tapped some pals to play along with him, and by two years later the fledgling intimate pop group was performing here and there throughout Boston, and had released its self-titled debut on the Rhode Island indie Wishing Tree. Some gigs with the re-formed Mission of Burma upped the profile of Skating Club, which by this point consisted of Anderson singing and playing guitar, drummer Kenneth Bernard, keys man Matt Smith, and bassist Colin Rhinesmith. (Though the Club's lineup would fluctuate around Anderson, this was the most solid approximation.) Bugs and Flowers, the band's sophomore effort for Wishing Tree, was built from traditional, in-studio sessions as well as bits and pieces of work recorded outside and around town. It was issued by the label in July 2003. ~ Johnny Loftus