The Features formed in the small town of Sparta, TN in the mid-90s. By the time they got to Sweet Tea studio in Oxford, MS in 2003 they had experienced lineup changes, recorded two full-length albums that had never been released and had amassed a litany of demos that deserved a proper home. The upside to their tribulations was that they’d also garnered a passionate fan base and refined their songwriting into a uniquely contagious combination of rock, pop, and indie influences. At the time, they were cast as “a head-on collision between Ray Davies and Elvis Costello with the Elephant 6 Collective picking up the pieces and putting them back together in the American South.”*

After eight years as a band, the foursome of bassist Roger Dabbs, keyboardist Parrish Yaw, drummer Rollum Haas and guitarist / vocalist Matt Pelham found themselves signed to Universal Records off the success of their latest EP, The Beginning. With a batch of more-than-promising demos in hand, they headed to Sweet Tea with producers Mike McCarthy and Craig Krampf. Over the course of a month (May 2003) they captured 17-songs that would make up their major label debut, aptly titled Exhibit A. The recordings were fiery and bursting with urgency while still maintaining the band’s relentless ability to deliver a memorable hook.

McCarthy’s recording process captured the album on Ampex 2” multitrack tape, an analog format that resulted in a sound that is warm and lively. He mixed the record with the band and they delivered the album to Universal, ready to go. However, the finalized album was not quite as finalized as they hoped. As any large label is want to do, changes and tweaks were requested in an attempt to ensure the album’s success in reaching the widest audience. Overdub recordings were done, an additional mix was performed by David Thoener and a new final master from George Marino at Sterling Sound buttoned it up. The Exhibit A that was released in 2004 was the result of a collaborative process between the producers, the band and the mechanisms of Universal Records.

The recordings herein are the original sonic vision of The Features and Mike McCarthy. Nothing about the changes enacted by Universal were poor choices or degrading to the album but to celebrate two decades of the band's debut, these recordings are the Exhibit A album as originally envisioned. Sourced from the original mixes by Mike McCarthy and remastered by John Baldwin at Infrasonic Sound, this Exhibit A is as close to that sonic palette as can be. Here you’ll find all of the album tracks and b-sides from the Sweet Tea sessions, as well as a sampling of the demos recorded with longtime friends Brian Carter, Mike Poole and producer Craig Krampf.

We proudly present the Sweet Tea Recordings in full as thank you to everyone that supported Exhibit A and The Features over the years.

-Michael Eades
yk Records