Pavement was a 1990s american indie-rock band. Although they experienced only moderate commercial success, they achieved a significant cult following, and their music has been a major influence on many bands of the late 1990s and beyond. They are largely considered as one of the first rock bands of the current age to gain a moderately wide degree of success without the support of a major label. In effect, the band gave rise to a deluge of indie rock bands who have succeeded on that same premise.
Pavement formed in Stockton, California, in 1989 as a studio project of guitarists and vocalists Stephen Malkmus and Scott Kannberg, known originally only as "S.M." and "Spiral Stairs." Their debut EPs, Slay Tracks (1933-1969), Demolition Plot J-7, and Perfect Sound Forever, were recorded at the studio of drummer Gary Young and consisted of lo-fi songs highly influenced by The Fall.