A freelance engineer at Type Foundry Recording in Portland, OR, and a writer for Tape-Op magazine at the time,
John Askew began
Tracker as a studio project in early 1998. He recorded, wrote, and played most of the instruments himself and
Tracker released its debut album
Ames at the beginning of 2000 on FILMguerrero. Minus a band for performing purposes,
Askew put together a handful of different live outfits. The results were loose and spontaneous, with
Tracker varying from gig to gig. But
Askew soon began to play as a duo and recorded with longtime friend and drummer Michael Schorr (
Death Cab for Cutie), and the two formed the core of the first steady tracker lineup. Either as a duo or with bass player
Dave Harding (
Richmond Fontaine) in tow,
Tracker started playing shows with the likes of
Giant Sand,
the Black Heart Procession, and
Calexico, until
Death Cab for Cutie began to gain a measure of national exposure and acclaim, leading to tours that took Schorr with them. This alternately led
Askew into the studio, where he recorded songs for several compilations, and into various other musical projects. ~ Stanton Swihart