The Pants were a band in Burlington, VT between 1994-1998. Originally a duo called Pistol & Sandwich (after the respective nicknames of guitarist Paul Jaffe and singer Tom Lawson), they recorded the album The Pants in 1994 and adopted the name, adding bassist Eric Hutchins and drummer Neil Cleary to play shows. The chemistry of the new lineup caught fire, both on stage and in their follow-up album, Fred Sex. Their rollicking, unpredictable live show became the stuff of local legend, and among Burlington's fertile music scene of the time many suspected they would go on to greater things.

However while they continued to win hearts locally, any wider success eluded them and by the release of their third album Eat Crow in 1998 the band had imploded. Regardless, their influence persisted and in 2006 local arts weekly Seven Days convinced the band to reunite for one sold-out show. With the reunion came the release of Viva Los Pants, a compilation of live and unreleased material. The night proved both a reaffirmation of Burlington's love of the band and a celebration of the unique scene that created it, inspiring the documentary High Water Mark.