Rough Night In Jericho Dreams So Real

One of the lesser-known guitar pop bands to emerge from the fertile Athens, GA, music scene of the mid-'80s, Dreams So Real formed in 1984. Singer/guitarist Barry Marler met bassist Trent Allen and drummer Drew Worsham in a local record store, and within a year the trio released its first single, the psychedelia-inspired "Everywhere Girl." The single was produced by R.E.M. guitarist Peter Buck, who also helmed Dreams So Real's first full-length effort, 1986's Father's House. A featured appearance in the documentary Athens, Ga. Inside/Out followed that same year, and ultimately the trio landed a major-label deal with Arista, in 1988 releasing the harder-edged Rough Night in Jericho. 1990's Gloryline simplified Dreams So Real's approach, favoring folkier arrangements, but when the record failed to connect at radio, Arista dropped the group. They dissolved soon after, with a fanclub-only rarities compilation, Nocturnal Omissions, appearing in 1992. Five years later, Marler and Allen reunited in the group Ether. Tragically, in 2003 Worsham was shot in the face, reportedly the end result of a domestic confrontation. ~ Jason Ankeny