Modest Mouse is an American rock band formed in 1993 in Issaquah, Washington, and currently based in Portland, Oregon. The founding members were lead singer/guitarist Isaac Brock, drummer Jeremiah Green and bassist Eric Judy. Strongly influenced by Pavement, Pixies, XTC, and Talking Heads, they rehearsed, rearranged, and recorded demos for almost two years before finally signing with small-town indie label K Records and releasing numerous singles. They achieved critical acclaim for their 1997 album The Lonesome Crowded West and found mainstream success with the release of Good News for People Who Love Bad News (2004), and its singles "Float On" and "Ocean Breathes Salty".
Indie pop is a music genre and subculture that combines guitar pop with DIY ethic in opposition to the style and tone of mainstream pop music. It originated from British post-punk in the late 1970s and subsequently generated a thriving fanzine, label, and club and gig circuit. Compared to its counterpart, indie rock, the genre is more melodic, less abrasive, and relatively angst-free. In later years, the definition of indie pop has bifurcated to also mean bands from unrelated DIY scenes/movements with pop leanings. Subgenres include chamber pop and twee pop.
The Telescopes are an English noise, space rock, dream pop and psychedelic band formed in 1987 by artist, composer and musician Stephen Lawrie with band members David Fitzgerald and Joanna Doran joining later. The band’s line-up is in constant flux, there can be anywhere between 1 and 20 members on a recording.
An independent music scene is a localized independent music-oriented community of bands and their audiences. Local scenes can play a key role in musical history and lead to the development of influential genres; for example, no wave from New York City, Madchester from Manchester, and grunge from Seattle.
The Octopus Project is an American experimental band formed in Austin, TX in 1999 by Toto Miranda, Yvonne Lambert & Josh Lambert. Their first album, Identification Parade, came out in 2002, setting them off on a musical path that veers through blown-out rock’n’roll, vibrant electronics, surreal pop and expansive psych landscapes. Since then, the group of multi-instrumentalists has released six studio albums and scored six feature films. Touring venues and festivals worldwide both on their own and as handpicked support for artists as diverse as DEVO and Aesop Rock, they have earned a reputation for explosive live shows and immersive audio-visual experiments.
Shotty is an indie rock band from Seattle, WA. After its formation in 2004 as a solo project of vocalist/guitarist Pat Moon, today Shotty is presented with 2 long-term members, including Miles Frank on the drums. In their early years, Shotty released a steady stream of music that includes four out of print albums and many demo CD's. Shotty’s music combines elements of guitar-heavy 90’s grunge and alternative rock, synth-heavy 80’s new wave music, as well as a modern Seattle indie aesthetic.
Marriage Records is a small, independent record label formed in Portland, Oregon. It was founded in 2001 by Curtis Knapp and Adrian Orange. The label has released a number of albums by musicians such as Adam Forkner, Dirty Projectors, Little Wings, Lucky Dragons, Tune-Yards, Yacht, and Karl Blau. Artists on the label frequently collaborate and swap members.
Dirty Projectors is an American indie rock band from Brooklyn, New York, formed in 2002. The band is the project of singer-songwriter David Longstreth, who has served as the band's sole constant member throughout numerous line-up changes. The band's current line-up consists of Longstreth, alongside Mike Daniel Johnson (drums), Maia Friedman, Felicia Douglass and Kristin Slipp.
Rise Above is an album by indie rock band Dirty Projectors, released on September 11, 2007. The album was band leader David Longstreth's reinterpretation of Black Flag album Damaged from memory having not heard it in 15 years. The album features Longstreth on guitar and vocals, Amber Coffman on vocals and guitar, Brian McOmber on drums, Nat Baldwin on bass, and Susanna Waiche on vocals. Angel Deradoorian would join the band shortly before the Rise Above tour on bass and vocals. This album is the first that presents Dirty Projectors as a fully realized band rather than an individual project of Longstreth.
Anajo was an indie pop band from Augsburg, Germany that was active between 1999 and 2014. Consisting of Oliver Gottwald, Michael Schmidt and Ingolf Nössner (drums), the band produced guitar pop with electronic sounds, these being more prominent in earlier recordings. Anajo's debut album was released in 2004 and the band went on to record three further albums, the most commercially successful reaching No. 51 in the German charts.
Grand Hallway is an American rock band from Seattle, Washington, led by singer and multi-instrumentalist Tomo Nakayama. Their sound is described variously as chamber pop, indie folk, and art rock.
Christopher Taylor is an American multi-instrumentalist and record producer. He is best known as the bass guitarist, backing vocalist and producer of the Brooklyn-based indie rock band Grizzly Bear, with whom he has recorded four studio albums. Taylor also records solo material under the moniker CANT, releasing his debut album, Dreams Come True, in 2011.
Tele is a German rock/pop band from Freiburg.
Mount Wittenberg Orca is an EP by American indie rock band Dirty Projectors and Icelandic singer and songwriter Björk, released on June 30, 2010, in digital-only format and on CD and vinyl by Domino Records on 24 October 2011. News of the album was announced on Björk's official website on 26 June 2010, four days before its release.
Delicate Steve is the stage name of musician Steve Marion, an American multi-instrumentalist who leads the band of the same name. Delicate Steve's sound has been described as hand-crafted with elements of progressive rock, folksy twang, African rhythms, surf rock and 1970s pop. Marion has collaborated with a wide range of artists in a variety of styles and genres, performing live and recording in-studio with artists such as The Black Keys, Paul Simon, Amen Dunes, Mac DeMarco, Tame Impala, and others.
Shabazz Palaces is an American hip hop group from Seattle led by Ishmael Butler a.k.a. Palaceer Lazaro. Much of the Butler's work as Shabazz Palaces has been made in collaboration with multi-instrumentalist Tendai "Baba" Maraire, son of mbira master Dumisani Maraire. Active since 2009, Shabazz Palaces has released five studio albums on Sub Pop after self-releasing two EPs.
Amber Dawn Coffman is an American singer-songwriter based in Los Angeles, California, formerly based in Brooklyn, New York. She was formerly a guitarist for Sleeping People, and was later a guitarist and vocalist for the indie rock band Dirty Projectors. She released her debut studio album as a solo artist, City of No Reply in June 2017.
Charlie Smith is an American jazz and pop saxophonist, pianist, and record producer.
The Moondoggies is an American rock band from Everett, Washington, United States. Formed in 2005 by Kevin Murphy, Caleb Quick, Carl Dahlen, and Robert Terreberry. They have been described as "seriously kick-ass" by Austin Scaggs of Rolling Stone. The band has released four albums and one EP on Hardly Art, an imprint of Sub Pop Records.
Water Liars is an American rock band from Water Valley, Mississippi, that included songwriter/vocalist/guitarist Justin Peter Kinkel-Schuster, drummer/producer/multi-instrumentalist Andrew Bryant, and bassist GR Robinson. Their name is derived from the first story in Barry Hannah's collection Airships.
