Guitarist Greg McKenna and singer Kay Hanley formed the band Letters to Cleo in 1990. The band was initially called Rebecca Lulu, with Tad Bouve on guitar and Ted Garland on drums with several musicians filling in on bass. In its early phase, the band enlisted various guest players, including a brief period with
Abe Laboriel, Jr. as drummer in 1993. The band released a
45 single of "Here & Now" with Rimshak featuring Abe Laboriel on drums with Brian Karp on bass. The band's
definitive lineup of Hanley, McKenna, Michael Eisenstein on guitar, Stacy Jones on drums, and Scott Riebling on bass, was established in 1994. The band changed its name to Letters to Cleo in 1990. The album was released on
CherryDisc Records, a Boston-based
independent record label, in 1993. The album received extensive airplay around
New England. In 1994, the
Billboard published a review of the album and the next day the band played a much-hyped show at
South by Southwest in Austin, which made several recording labels very interested in signing the band. Letters to Cleo decided to sign a record deal with
Giant Records, a Warner Brothers subsidiary, in 1994, and it re-released
Aurora Gory Alice worldwide in 1995. "Here & Now" was an instant hit, and the song reached number 10 on the
Billboard Modern Rock Singles chart. Its release was followed by extensive tours with
Our Lady Peace,
Sponge,
Ned's Atomic Dustbin, and others. The single "Awake" achieved moderate rotation on alternative radio. The band also recorded a cover of
The Cars song "
Dangerous Type" for the major motion picture
The Craft. In 1997, Stacy Jones left the band to join
Veruca Salt and was replaced by Tom Polce. That same year, the band released their third album
Go!. After a short tour, Polce left the band and was replaced by drummer
Jason Sutter. In late 1997, Letters to Cleo parted ways with their record label Giant/Revolution. 1998 saw the release of some early demos and B-sides in the form of the
Sister album released originally by Wicked Disc. Letters to Cleo appeared in the 1999 film
10 Things I Hate About You as a favorite band of the character portrayed by
Julia Stiles. They contributed four songs to the soundtrack for the film, which included a
Cheap Trick cover ("
I Want You to Want Me"), and a
Nick Lowe &
Ian Gomm cover ("
Cruel to Be Kind"). Also included were two original tracks, "Come On", and the beginning of "Co-Pilot" (which can be heard at the end of the scene of their performance at a local club). Whereas the covers appeared on the film's soundtrack, "Come On" was released as an MP3 download on the band's website. "Co-Pilot" was also not on the film's soundtrack, but it appeared on Letters To Cleo's album
Go!. In the closing credits, they were mistakenly credited as Letter to Cleo. During that same year, the band opened for
Cheap Trick at
The Paradise Club in Boston. The band then recorded 15 new original songs for the
Kids' WB cartoon,
Generation O!, which aired from 2000 to 2001. The band played its final show on May 4, 2000, a benefit for their friend and longtime local supporter, Mikey D. They announced their disbandment the following month. Letters to Cleo's 1999 recording of "I Want You to Want Me" was also used in the film, although it was not included on the soundtrack album. ==Reunion==