Jonathon Fire*Eater was a New York City based indie rock band, known for their “dazzling, slightly demented theatricality” The founding members met at high school in Washington DC, forming The Ignobles with Ryan Cheney on vocals, before reincarnating and changing the line-up to Stuart Lupton on vocals (moving from bass), Tom Frank introduced on bass, Paul Maroon on guitar and pedal steel, Matt Barrick on drums and Walter Martin on organ and keyboard.

The band released their first (eponymous) record in 1995, later that year they released a second eponymous record, this one an EP. They began to breakthrough with their 1996 mini album Tremble Under Boom Lights. A buzz was around them and Stuart Lupton was approached by Calvin Klein as a model, they opened for both Pulp and Blur and the record labels were fighting over them.

They signed to DreamWorks and recorded their 1997 album Wolf Songs For Lambs, but the critics were lukewarm and Lupton’s heroin use alienated the rest of the band and led to missed rehearsals and arguments.

The band split up in July 1998, with Maroon, Barrick and Martin forming The Walkmen and Lupton forming the Childballads
Stuart Lupton died on May 27th 2018 at the age of 43. His cousin, Sarah Lupton, told Rolling Stone that his death was “his desperate attempt to escape the voices that so tormented him.”