The Gay Apparel? We were a noize-pop outfit that recorded in shady studios in downtown St. Paul and NE Minneapolis from 2001-2003. Sonically somewhere between Surfer Rosa and Magical Mystery Tour, we gave lo-fi a good name with an ironic band name. Although never actually performing live, The Gay Apparel's legacy lives on in demo recordings and an unexplained word-of-mouth buzz. The band was formed by Mason Butler (vocals, guitar, keyboards) and Jesse Miller (bass) in the Fall of 2001, the duo handling 80% of the songwriting; Jake LaBelle (vocals, guitar) was invited and filled in the remaining 20%. Scott Petersen (drums, multi-instruments) rounded the quartet and production was handled by aspiring producer Evan Reidell (additional vocals, percussion & guitar). Recordings were made at Rossmor Studios in St. Paul and then discarded. More were made and shelved. The Gay Apparel relocated to Wrinkle Studios in NE Minneapolis in Spring 2002 and Scott's then girlfriend Sara LaPage (trumpet) joined the band. More recordings were made, discarded, unearthed, remixed, burned, re-recorded, and mailed to Abu Dhabi. Jake was dismissed form the band that summer and was replaced by Matt Hawbaker (guitar) from local indie-rock legends The Blonde Alibi. Mason, Jesse and Matt moved into a house together to focus on songwriting, alcohol and television. More recordings were made and left unfinished. Time passed filled with the alcohol and television but mysteriously without the songwriting. More changes were made when Scott was dismissed from the band in late 2002. After auditioning 3 new drummers, The Gay Apparel dissolved into musical and personal differences and went their separate ways in the Spring of 2003. Jesse went on to play in The Fugitive Pose and Mason, Matt & Sara went on to form Thin Mexican Shackles. Mason & Matt are currently in the indie-rock quintet The Children’s Hospital, while Jesse & Scott are currently in the avant-pop quartet The Curiously Strong Peppermints, both active in Minneapolis, MN.