In 1996, seventeen year old songwriter/guitarist Charles Balter got together with bassist Andy Chang and drummer Dave Hyman. Their union produced Greasy, Smelly, and Disgusting, the latest punk/rock band to hit the NYC scene.

Their first performance, at Horace Mann High School in April of 1996 met with mixed reviews.

A new name might have been part of the cure; right before their next show, at Paul Colby's The Bitter End, they changed their name to Hot Pink Tuna Taxi Co. This show, with its mix of original material and Nirvana and Mötley Crüe covers, brought the audience to life.

Their subsequent shows acquired larger and more devoted crowds while the band acquired a new name: Passive Aggressive.

Known for their on-stage antics, Passive Aggressive often brought uproars from the crowds. One show featured a stuffed gorilla on bass, standing in for Andy. Charles would often be known to violently rip the strings from his guitar and throw it to the ground before stage-diving to his devoted fans.

In 1997 Passive Aggressive was riding high. Their single "Drum Solo" was topping the charts and they were playing such exclusive clubs as the Spiral in NYC. Then, it all came crashing down as they descended into a nightmare of booze and pills...

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