Short Skirt/Long Jacket

For their fourth album, Comfort Eagle , the band signed a deal with Columbia Records . Comfort Eagle was both produced and arranged by the band, and was recorded at Paradise Studios in Sacramento and Hyde Street Studios in San Francisco. Following the recording, drummer Todd Roper left the band, citing the demands extended touring would put on his time, and the commitments his two children represented. He was replaced by Pete McNeal . The album’s release was preceded by the release of its first single, ” Short Skirt/Long Jacket “, described as a parable about “the relationship between prosperity and the population boom … There’s nothing more procreational than economic prosperity”. An accompanying video was directed by McCrea, and recorded using the DV system; it featured vox populi recordings of members of the public listening to the song and giving their opinion. “Short Skirt/Long Jacket” hit number 2 on the Bear Rock Top 10 in Canada and number 7 on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks; the video became one of the 30 most requested tracks on MTV; Billboard writers later listed the video as the 5th best of 2001.