Dallas-based Tripping Daisy's i am an ELASTIC FIRECRACKER is the band's first studio album since signing with Island Records. The album (the band's second full-length) includes the first single, the laconically romantic "I Got A Girl," along with "Rocket Pop" (boy-meets-baby-sitter - detailing an experience with an older woman), "Bang" (about that voice inside that leads you to temptation), "Piranha" (press criticism), "Same Dress, New Day" (sympathy for an old prostitute), "Trip Along" (an old brainstorm by singer/guitarist/songwriter Tim DeLaughter that was finally hammered out), the nine-minute epic "Prick" (about the power of addiction) and "High," an example of the group's patented improvisations, with lyrics straight off the top of DeLaughter's head. The band recorded the album with producer Ted Niceley (Jawbox, Fugazi, Shudder to Think, Quicksand) and engineer Andy Baker at Water Music in Hoboken, N.J. "It was a great atmosphere," says Tim. "We woke up, went downstairs and started playing." DeLaughter says i am an ELASTIC FIRECRACKER spotlights the group's growth. "The songwriting has developed because we've developed as a band. The songs have always been there, but we've all matured. There's a real chemistry between the four of us. The record has a lot of color, variety and emotion to it. It takes you to many different places on the same trip. Which is exactly what we're trying to do at our live shows." About the album name, DeLaughter explains: "I wanted to be able to describe it in a couple of words. The record goes through so many different moods and emotions, but it always snaps back to where it started. I like to think we humans are like elastic firecrackers. We get really mad, expand our emotions, then contract and get calm again." The band was formed in 1991 by Dallas native DeLaughter, with guitarist Wes Berggren, whose eclectic musical tastes run from classical to metal, bassist/punk rock aficionado Mark Pirro and drummer Bryan Wakeland. One of their first recordings, "Lost and Found," appeared on a compilation album put out by Dallas station KDGE-FM, garnering the band not only radio airplay, but a fervent local following (they swept the Dallas Observer's 1993 Music Awards). Their debut album, Bill, came out on the indie Dragon Street Label in late 1992, then Island re-mastered and re-released Bill on Island Red. The band toured the U.S. for over a year following Bill's release, headlining sold-out shows of up to 3500 people in the Southwest. One of the results of their many months on the road is a five-song live EP released last year on Island Red called Get It On. They also performed on Late Night with Conan O'Brien.