"We had a lot of extra material, and these songs all got written by Jill and myself on tour on a couple of acoustic guitars. We had just been on tour so long, we got antsy I guess and did these things." Vivian Trimble gave this response when she was asked about the origin of the Kostars on KCRW's Morning Becomes Eclectic back on July 3, 1996. The Kostars came about during the summer of 1995 when Luscious Jackson was touring the southern United States in support of Natural Ingredients. During those hot summer nights Jill Cunniff and Vivian Trimble began writing songs together that would later comprise the Klassics With A K album. The duo found inspiration in "watching people" and "experiencing a different lifestyle while passing through the sleepy towns" in the southern states.

Klassics With A K was released on April 29 of 1996, on Grand Royal Records. In addition to the LP, the duo also released a single for the song "Hey Cowboy". Yet, when Jill and Vivian appeared on MTV's Squirt MTV they opted to perform two different songs: "Never So Lonely" and "French Kiss." The Kostars did not mount a tour until July of 1996. At that time, Jill and Vivian enlisted the help of their childhood friend Sarah Cox and Josephine Wiggs. Therefore the line up for their live performances looked like this: Jill Cunniff (vocals and acoustic guitar), Vivian Trimble (vocals and keyboard), Josephine Wiggs (drums) and Sarah Cox (bass). The 1996 tour kicked off at the Crocodile Caf, in Seattle, WA and worked its way down the west coast concluding in Los Angeles area at Silverlake's Spaceland. The then band flew back to New York for a show at the Mercury Lounge.

What became of the Kostars? After the tour concluded, the Kostars did at least one more show: Grand Royal Records Night September 6th, 1996 at New York's Irving Plaza. In October of 1996, Luscious Jackson's Fever In Fever Out hit store shelves. Thanks to the catchy single "Naked Eye," the band's popularity was propelled to an all time high and set the stage for a very busy 1996-97. Josephine Wiggs also released an album on Grand Royal records in October of 1996. Therefore, she was busy promoting the Josephine Wiggs Experience Bon Bon Lifestyle. As for Sarah Cox, she returned to New York to play with her own band, Santa Sangre.