Deep Blue Something

by William RuhlmannDeep Blue Something was formed by four students at the University of North Texas in Denton, northwest of Dallas: Todd Pipes (vocals/bass), his brother Toby (guitar/ vocals), Kirk Tatom (guitar), and John Kirtland (drums). After graduating, they played around the Southwest, and recorded a disc titled 11th Song, which they sold at shows during 1993. Their next recording, Home, appeared on the local RainMaker label in October 1994, and represented a significant upgrade in production value. On its strength, Deep Blue Something was signed by Interscope, which released a modified version of the album in June 1995, followed by the single "Breakfast at Tiffany's." Though the group considered themselves an alternative band with gothic elements, "Breakfast at Tiffany's" took off as a pop single, reaching the Top Five by the end of 1995. Others found them alternative enough to be objectionable, however: Todd Pipes was fired from his job as an English teacher at a private Christian school when the song began to get local radio play and parents complained that their children were being taught by a rock & roller. Though Home achieved gold-record status, Deep Blue Something's sophomore release was a long time coming: the band parted ways with Interscope and went on creative hiatus for several years. They eventually signed with the Aezra label (a subsidiary of EMI) for their second proper album; titled simply Deep Blue Something, the record was finally released in mid-2001.