The Dictators are an American rock band formed in New York City in 1973. Critic John Dougan said that they were "one of the finest and most influential proto-punk bands to walk the earth."
Lenny Kaye is an American guitarist, composer, and writer who is best known as a member of the Patti Smith Group, led by vocalist and poet Patti Smith.
Peter Lawrence Buck is an American musician and songwriter. He was a co-founder and the lead guitarist of the alternative rock band R.E.M. He also plays the banjo and mandolin on several R.E.M. songs. Throughout his career with R.E.M. (1980–2011), as well as during his subsequent solo career, Buck has also been at various times an official member of numerous 'side project' groups. These groups included Arthur Buck, Hindu Love Gods, The Minus 5, Tuatara, The Baseball Project, Robyn Hitchcock and the Venus 3, Tired Pony, The No-Ones, and Filthy Friends, each of which have released at least one full-length studio album. Additionally, the experimental combo Slow Music have released an official live concert CD. Another side project group called Full Time Men released an EP while Buck was a member. As well, ad hoc "supergroups" Bingo Hand Job, Musical Kings and Nigel & The Crosses have each commercially released one track.
Dressy Bessy is an indie rock band from Denver, Colorado led by songwriter, guitarist, and vocalist, Tammy Ealom. The band is associated with the Elephant Six Recording Company and shares guitarist John Hill with The Apples in Stereo. Ealom formed the band with drummer Darren Albert and bassist Rob Greene in 1996. Hill joined the band after helping engineer early recordings in 1997. The name was taken from a popular Playskool doll of the 1970s.
Mitchell Blake Easter is a musician, songwriter, and record producer. Frequently associated with the jangle pop style of guitar music, he is known as producer of R.E.M.'s early albums from 1981 through 1984, and as frontman of the 1980s band Let's Active.
Bad Brains is the first album released by American hardcore punk/reggae band Bad Brains. Recorded in 1981 and released on the cassette-only label ROIR on February 5, 1982, many fans refer to it as "The Yellow Tape" because of its yellow packaging.
The Fuzztones are an American garage rock revival band formed in 1982.
The Three O'Clock is an American alternative rock group associated with the Los Angeles 1980s Paisley Underground scene. Lead singer and bassist Michael Quercio is credited with coining the term "Paisley Underground" to describe a subset of the 1980s L.A. music scene which included bands such as Dream Syndicate, Rain Parade, Green on Red, the Long Ryders and the Bangles.
Kraut was a New York City punk rock/hardcore punk band formed in 1981. The original members were Davy Gunner (vocals), Doug Holland (guitar/vocals) Don Cowan (bass/vocals), and Johnny Feedback (drums/vocals).
Marah is an American rock and roll band that formed in the early 1990s and is closely associated with the cities of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and Brooklyn, New York. The band is known for its intense live performances, classic rock production style, and association with authors Nick Hornby and Sarah Vowell and musicians Bruce Springsteen and Steve Earle.
Andy Shernoff is an American musician, songwriter and record producer. He is a founding member of The Dictators, one of the original New York punk bands, in which he wrote nearly all of the songs, played bass guitar and keyboards, and sang backing vocals and occasional leads. He has been involved with a variety of other musical projects, most notably the heavily Dictators-populated Manitoba's Wild Kingdom and Joey Ramone's first studio album, Don't Worry About Me. He additionally co-wrote four Ramones songs with Joey.
Wendy Wild was an American singer, musician, and artist who in the 1980s was a well-known presence in New York's downtown music and performance scenes.
Even Worse was an American, New York City-based punk rock band, formed in 1980. Drummer Jack Rabid was the only constant, as the band lineup changed numerous times over the course of the band's four-year existence. Other members included vocalists John Pouridas, John Berry, Garth Ripton, Rebecca "R.B." Korbet and Ken "Tantrum" Tempkin; guitarists Dave Stein, Robert Weeks, Thurston Moore and Steve Waxman; and bassists Nick Marden, Eric Keil and Tim Sommer.
Mod Fun are an American power pop/garage punk band from New Jersey. Mod Fun were originally active in the early to mid-1980s, and played an integral part in New York City's burgeoning garage rock revival scene at the time. By mid 1986, they were widely regarded as one of the best known indie rock bands in NYC and New Jersey. After disbanding at the height of their career in the late 1980s to pursue other projects, the three original members reunited in 2004 and have been active since.
Up-Front is a 12-inch, 45 rpm EP by the Fleshtones released in 1980. It was the band's first EP and predates their first album, Roman Gods. The EP featured the "Action Combo," brothers Gordon and Brian Spaeth on saxophones. The record sleeve was designed by lead singer Peter Zaremba.
Neil Cooper (1930–2001) was the founder and head of independent US cassette and record label ROIR.
Hexbreaker! is an album by The Fleshtones, released in 1983.
Fleshtones vs. Reality is an album by The Fleshtones, released on Emergo Records in 1987. The album was recorded at the Record Plant in New York City in the fall of 1986 with the exception of two songs, "Return of the Leather Kings" and "Too Late To Run", which were recorded in May 1986 at Axis Sound Studio in Atlanta, Georgia. All songs were composed by band members with the exception of "Treat Her Like a Lady", a cover of the 1971 hit by the Cornelius Brothers and Sister Rose.
Speed Connection II – The Final Chapter is a live album by the Fleshtones. The album was recorded live at The Gibus Club, Paris, France on March 7, 1985. The band were booked to play nine shows at the club over a two-week span, in two segments. The opening band for these shows were Les Playboys.
The Split Squad is a Rock and Roll band composed of Clem Burke (drums), Michael Giblin (bass/vocals), Josh Kantor (keyboards), Eddie Munoz, and Keith Streng (guitar/vocals). Some members came to the public's attention in other bands: Burke with Blondie, Kantor with The Baseball Project, Munoz with The Plimsouls, and Streng with The Fleshtones. Since many of the members of the band follow baseball, Annie Laurent Streng, Keith Streng's former wife, proposed the band's name. The term refers to a practice used during Major League Baseball's Spring training.
