Ugly But Honest: 1996–1999 is a collection of Carissa's Wierd

Carissa's Wierd

Carissa's Wierd was an indie rock band from Seattle that formed in 1995 and disbanded in late 2003. Their sound has been described as "chamber rock". The band deliberately misspelled the word "Weird" in their name...

 songs recorded and mixed in early fall of 1998 by Paul D'Amour

Paul d'Amour

Paul D'Amour was the original bass guitarist for Tool. His bass sound was recognized by the aggressive picked tone he developed with his Chris Squire Signature Rickenbacker 4001CS, which can clearly be heard on Tool's first full length album, Undertow.Originally a guitar player, D'Amour became...

 in his basement; other songs recorded winter of 1999 at Alleged Studios (Seattle) by Mike Epting and Jon Tschurwald, and later mixed on February 14 by Mat Brooke

Mat Brooke

Mathew Etter "Mat" Brooke is the lead singer of American rock band Grand Archives and a former member of the bands Band of Horses and Carissa's Wierd.-Early life:...

 and Mike Epting, all other songs recorded on 4-track

Multitrack recording

Multitrack recording is a method of sound recording that allows for the separate recording of multiple sound sources to create a cohesive whole...

 machines by Mat and Jenn from 1996 to 1999. This was the first release on Brown Records, a small label started by Ben Bridwell

Ben Bridwell

Benjamin "Ben" Bridwell is the lead singer of American rock band Band of Horses and a former member of the band Carissa's Wierd.-Early life:Bridwell was born on April 25, 1978 and grew up in Irmo, South Carolina...

who later joined the band and went on to form Band of Horses with Mat Brooke.

Track listing