The Marquez brothers recorded a track, "Wide Awake," under the name the Apple Orchard (the name is derived from a song by Bouquet) in 2000; when the track made its way onto a Filipino compilation disc, Mutual Admiration Society, the duo decided to keep going with the fledgling indie pop project. The duo proved to be rather prolific -- having taken a few years to generate material, the Apple Orchard saw a flurry of compilation disc appearances (Dashboard Teddy, Vol. 1, via Dorothy Records; We Are Not Alone, Vol. 6, via Best Kept Secret; Stamp Collecting (For Beginners), via Secret Crush Records) and cassette tape releases (Last Wednesday, via Popgun Recordings; Paris Was a Daydream, via Best Kept Secret) in 2003. More compilation appearances and releases followed in 2006 and 2007, including a cassette tape on Best Kept Secret (Across Haymarket and the Triangle), a single on Humblebee Recordings (A Hiding Smile), and a 3" CD-R, That Happy Glow, via Cloudberry Records. The Apple Orchard's debut full-length, Half-Steps Toward Bright Skies, was released on the brothers' homegrown label, Haymarket Recordings, the following year. A mini-album, Leafy Lanes, came out on the same label the following year, and another 7" single, A Month of Spring, followed in 2010. ~ Margaret Reges