Comprised of two ex-Blind Melon members, (bassist Brad Smith and guitarist Christopher Thorn), one ex-Pearl Jam member (drummer Dave Krusen), and newcomer Chris Shinn on vocals/guitar, Unified Theory began to take shape in 1998. After a plan to carry on Blind Melon with a new singer and a different name didn't pan out, Smith and Thorn began forming a new band. Thorn came across Shinn after moving to L.A. to scout vocalists, while Krusen proved to be a logical choice since he was already friends with the others. The band was first called Luma (issuing a 4-track CD through their website in 1999), but by the time they signed to the Universal subsidiary 3:33 later in the year, the quartet's name was changed to Unified Theory named after a theory Einstein was working on when he died. The band managed to issue their self-titled debut in August 2000, but unfortunately broke up the following year.