The indie soul combo Pearly Sweets & the Platonics formed in 1998 when vocalist/pianist Sweets (born Abraham Levitan) grew sick and tired of playing solo piano gigs in New Haven, CT’s nightclubs. The group’s fusion of spirit and new influx gained them gigs with Yo La Tengo, the Mooney Suzuki, the Fleshtones, and Moe Tucker; in 2000, they transferred to Chicago and released their debut record, Choose Yourself Up (Sweets’ first record, 1997’s That’s What All of the Girls State, was a single affair).