Cutler and Preven formed a band with Rusty Anderson, Paul Bushnell and Carla Azar in 1993. The band name, "Ednaswap," came from a nightmare Preven had about watching herself in a band with that name getting booed off stage. Ednaswap signed a record deal in 1995, despite having only a few songs written and never having performed a full live set. They played a short, acoustic set in Cutler's living room. The short concert led to a recording contract, though the resulting self-titled album "shocked" Elektra Records. While the acoustic set suggested folk pop, the result was alternative rock. As Preven notes, "They thought they were buying a red car and we gave them a blue one." The label did not promote the album and dropped the band.