The Bon Mots formed in Chicago in 2000 when Michigan natives Eric Chial and Mike Coy decided to combine musical efforts. Eric had arrived in Chicago in 1994, after playing in several bands in Athens, Georgia (the Micah Gilbert Band, Feedbag, Mitch), and first saw Mike perform with his band Big Angry Fish (from Mount Pleasant, Michigan), at Lounge Ax in Chicago in 1996. Both Mike and Eric recorded albums for Chicago indie label Beluga in the mid and late-nineties, and thus of course had performed on numerous bills together at such venues as the Empty Bottle, the Metro, Lounge Ax, Double Door, and . . . uhm . . . the Big Horse. After playing as a duo (in the rather unimaginatively named The Eric Chial 2) with drummer Jason Styx (a Traverse City, Michigan native and long-time Athens, Georgia resident) and featuring Mark Greenberg (the Coctails) and Rob Mazurek (Isotope), Eric did a stint as bassist for Chicago's Cats and Jammers, before throwing in the towel to study classical and flamenco guitar—in an act of symbolic protest at the demise of the much-loved and lamented Lounge Ax. Meanwhile, Mike had been handling some spot-on bass (with characteristic nonchalance) for Chicago alt-country band Cooksie.

Having admired each other's songwriting and cool shirts for several years, Mike and Eric realized that while they had been pursuing stylistically divergent avenues, they nonetheless shared a common aesthetic. Awakening from his self-imposed clubland exile, Eric proposed a collaboration to Mike, after happening upon a record by a little known band from London called My Drug Hell. The initial idea was to create a sound along the lines of the Zombies, the Byrds, and second-generation purveyors of cool (we think it's cool, anyway) mid-sixties-informed creepy jangle such as the Chills, the Rain Parade, early r.e.m., the Church, and so forth. Mike dug the idea, naturally, and so we recruited Kevin Hoetger (Big Angry Fish, Woolworthy, The Cells, Cats and Jammers) to play drums and sing happening backing vocals. Kevin brought in multi-instrumentalist and mentalist Chris Frantisak (Emil Muzz, Light FM, Nash Kato, Skid Marks) to play keys—and to allow us to bask in Chris' inimitable charm, which we believe is likely based in his wholly unaffected, yet uncannily sardonic, outlook on 'things'.

In late 2001 and early 2002, the band recorded an album's worth of material with Neal Ostrovsky (who despite being a very good drummer, for the Webb Brothers (Warner UK), has remarkably excellent ears). During the mixing of "le Main Drag," Kevin moved down to Austin, Texas. Undaunted, the Bon Mots called upon the ever-groovy and jazz-inflected Jason Styx (formerly too many to mention, except it may or may not be worth noting that Eric and Jason met in Athens, Georgia, during a time which can fairly be described as Edenic; but suffice to say Jason also plays for Chicago's Wes Hollywood Show, and while entirely irrelevant for these purposes, was in his day a top-notch alpinist, who once assaulted K-2, though he was ultimately acquitted). In addition to the musicians and bands mentioned above, members of the Bon Mots have recorded and/or performed with members of the Pulsars, Caviar, Urge Overkill, Papas Fritas, Vigilantes of Love, John Keane (pedal steel, r.e.m.) and Drivin' and Cryin', along with many, many others.

FURTHER AFFIANT SAYETH NOT