Parts of this were taken from the official bio. put out by Alias Records.
The seed that grew into the Archers was planted during the summer of 1991 in Asheville, N.C. Eric Johnson and a friend would go every week to a place called Sonny's Bistro to hear a band called Allister Tale, of which Eric Bachman played multiple instruments and sung in. That fall Matt Gentling, Eric Johnson, and Eric Bachman all transferred to UNC, where Eric J. introduced himself to Eric B. on a UNC campus bus and the two decided to form a band and search for a bassist and drummer in November of 1990. They soon happened upon Matt Gentling and original drummer Clay Boyer in January of 1991.
For all of 1991, the Archers of Loaf were in limbo while Eric Bachman played second guitar in Small. Clay Boyer left due to the inactivity and was replaced by Johnson's friend Mark Price in January of 1992.
The band finally decided to go into the studio in mid '92 and record a single. Local label (and fanzine) Stay Free released "Wrong/South Carolina" in October to widespread acclaim. This led Eric Bachman to retire from Small to concentrate full time on the Archers.
By the end of 1992, labels from all over were trying to get ahold of the Loaf. The band chose Alias Records in February of '93. The band quickly went into the studio with Caleb Southern to record their debut album "Icky Mettle." The single "Web in Front" was released in May and stayed on the CMJ charts an unprecedented twenty-two weeks. September saw the release of of "Icky Mettle" and the record rocketed up to number eighteen on the CMJ charts and stayed on there for twenty-two weeks. The record and single were hailed by many as records of the year. The band then embarked on non-stop touring of the states. January of 1994 saw the release of "What Did You Expect?/Ethel Merman" on the Merge record label which brought them more accolades. They hit again with a double split 7" (with the Treepeople) on Sonic Bubblegum in February. The band went over to England in March to record four songs with John Peel.
The Archers caught their breath for a few months 'til June when they went into the studio with Bob Weston to record the e.p., "The Archers of Loaf vs. The Greatest of All Time." By this time commercial radio had picked up on the Archers' vibe and was playing "Web in Front" to more acclaim. The band hit the road once again for a short midwest and southeast tour before heading over to England to play the Reading Festival. The e.p. exploded up the college charts; the band hit the road again.
Fast forward to 1995, the Chinese year of "Vee Vee", which Spin called an "alt-rock smorgasboard... steeped in... gleeful noise." Details found that "...every song boasts its own jagged, melodic appeal...", while Rolling Stone asserted that "...when the Archers settle into full-out rocking...they do so with satisfying savagery." Musician acknowledged Bachmann's lyric "the underground is overcrowded" from the track "Greatest Of All Time" and further added that "...on the basis of "Vee Vee", it's safe to assume the Archers of Loaf won't be contributing to that overcrowding for long. There's space for them upstairs."
"Vee Vee" charted on CMJ's Top 50 for fourteen weeks, six of which were spent in the Top 10. The record is still charting and continuous touring, including national support slots for the Flaming Lips and Weezer and participation in Washington D.C.'s WHFS festival has further spread the gospel of Loaf.
In the Village Voice, early Loaf believer Robert Christgau recently commented that "...unlike many alternabands...they're not so stricken with incompetence, fear, irony or disdain that their live efficiency or enthusiasm is ever in question."
A real treat came for fans next with "The Speed of Cattle", a compilation of all of their earlier, hard to find singles in addition to a few Peel Session songs and the previously unreleased epic, Bacteria. Spin observed that this album is "a picture of the Archers at their trashiest." Precisely.
Now, in 1996, the band chose Ironwood Studios in Seattle to record "All the Nations Airports" with Brian Paulson. Magnet summed up their full length release as "Continuing to be innovative, interesting, amazing, true to their ideas and personalities... quite different from, not only their other records, but anything else out there... remarkably consistent and layered. I'm convinced the Archers will never make a bad record. How many bands can you say that about?"
A special treat was delivered in 1997 with "Vitus Tinnitus", a 10" of live recordings of some songs as well as remixes of Scenic Pastures and Vocal Shrapnel. In addition to the general 10" relases, a CD copy was bundled with a couple thousand copies of "All the Nations Airports" and shipped out to smaller record stores.
The band's last album, "White Trash Heroes", was released on September 22, 1998 and the band toured in support of it that fall. The band played what is quite possibly their last 2 shows at the Cat's Cradle on Dec. 9/10 1998. As for what is happening now and what will happen in the future, for all intents and purposes the band in now broken up, though the guys are working on other things, and the possibility of future shows/music hasn't been totally ruled out.
