Fountains of Wayne

Pop/alt-rock quartet Fountains of Wayne had its roots at Williams College, where students Adam Schlesinger (vocals, guitar) and Chris Collingwood (bass, keyboard) played together in bands. After graduation, Collingwood formed the band Mercy Buckets, while Schlesinger formed the band Ivy, which is also still together. In the mid 90s, the two friends formed Fountains of Wayne with guitarist Jody Porter and drummer Brian Young. Named after a lawn-ornament store in Wayne, New Jersey, the band released its eponymous debut album in 1996 and also toured with fixtures of the 90s alt-rock scene like The Smashing Pumpkins and The Lemonheads, thereby slowly building its name. In 1996, Schlesinger wrote the title song for the film That Thing You Do!, which netted him an Oscar nomination for Best Song. As the band struggled commercially, band members worked on their own side projects, but they struck gold in 2003 with the album Welcome Interstate Managers and its hit single “Stacy’s Mom.” In all, the band has released six albums, with “Stacy’s Mom” and “Hey Julie” their best-known songs.