Unified Tribe's cast of evolving characters first came to being in 1982 in Queens, NY, when singer, multi-instrumentalist, and founder Magic decided to start a band. Soon singer and violinist Harmony joined, as eventually did bassist and vocalist Starr, trombonist Kal-El, and guitarist and vocalist Merrily. Their debut album, Listen to This, came out in 2001, after Unified Tribe had moved to Austin, TX. Two years later, Mixed Messages was released.