Crucifix was an American hardcore punk band from the San Francisco Bay Area, active from 1980 to 1984. They were among the most popular acts of the San Francisco punk scene of the early 1980s. Fronted by Cambodian-born singer Sothira Pheng, Crucifix were distinct among American underground bands for their strong D-beat musical characteristics and anarchist lyrical content and graphic design. The band's debut 1983 full-length album Dehumanization on Crass Records‘ offshoot Corpus Christi Records, is considered by many critics and fans to be a cornerstone of political punk music. After their breakup, Crucifix’s members went on to form the bands Loudspeaker and Proudflesh.
Superchunk is an American indie rock band from Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States, consisting of singer-guitarist Mac McCaughan, guitarist Jim Wilbur, bassist Laura Ballance, and drummer Laura King. Formed in 1989, they were one of the bands that helped define the Chapel Hill music scene of the 1990s. Their energetic, high-velocity style and do-it-yourself ethic is influenced by punk rock, notably such bands as Hüsker Dü, Sonic Youth, Minutemen, and Buzzcocks.
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".
The Shins is an American indie rock band formed in Albuquerque, New Mexico, in 1996. The band is the project of singer-songwriter James Mercer, who has served as the band's sole constant member throughout numerous line-up changes. The band's current line-up consists of Mercer, alongside Yuuki Matthews, Mark Watrous, Patti King (keyboards), and Jon Sortland (drums). They are based in Portland, Oregon.
Wheatus is an American rock band from Northport, New York, formed in 1995. They are known principally for their 2000 single "Teenage Dirtbag". They also experienced success with a cover version of "A Little Respect", and their self-titled album was certified platinum in the United Kingdom.
Dirty Rotten Imbeciles is an American crossover thrash band that formed in Houston in 1982 and would later relocate to San Francisco. The band is currently composed of two of its founding members, lead vocalist Kurt Brecht and guitarist Spike Cassidy, as well as bassist Greg Orr and drummer Rob Rampy.
Miracle Legion was an American college rock band formed in 1983 in New Haven, Connecticut. They earned modest renown, especially in their native New England region, but also in the UK, where they were feted by music media such as NME and Melody Maker.
Craw were an American independent band from Cleveland, Ohio. They belonged to the harder-edged branch of the math rock or post hardcore movement, in the same category as bands such as Colossamite, Keelhaul, Zeni Geva, Dazzling Killmen and Ruins.
Jesu are a British experimental metal band formed in 2003 by Justin Broadrick following the breakup of his band Godflesh. It shares its name with the last song on Hymns, the final album of Godflesh's initial run. Jesu's sound is heavily layered and textured, incorporating a diverse mix of influences. Broadrick himself has stated that "...it's very loosely speaking pop/rock/metal/electronica ... I'm intentionally writing what I consider to be coherent 'pop' songs".
M.O.T.O. is an American garage punk band currently based in New Hampshire. Formed in New Orleans in 1981 by Paul Caporino, the lineup of the band has seen many changes over the years, with Caporino being the only consistent member. The band has recorded many albums, singles and CDs, including several albums for the Chicago-based record label Criminal IQ Records.
Seaweed was an American band from Tacoma, Washington, who were active throughout the 1990s. Their style of music was a combination of different rock subgenres, including post-hardcore and punk rock. They were signed to various notable record labels, such as Sub Pop Records, Merge Records, and Hollywood Records. The band released six albums between 1989 and 1999, followed by a hiatus that lasted until 2007. They then disbanded a second time in 2014.
The Autumn Defense is an American band composed of multi-instrumentalists John Stirratt and Pat Sansone.
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.
Ralph Lee "Mac" McCaughan is an American musician and record label owner, based in North Carolina. His main musical projects have been Superchunk since 1989 and Portastatic since the early 1990s. In 1989 he founded the independent record label Merge Records with Superchunk bandmate Laura Ballance.
My Dad Is Dead was a recording project of musician Mark Edwards. The project began in Cleveland, Ohio in 1984. My Dad Is Dead has released twelve full-length albums before it officially ended in 2011. A new group called Secular Joy was formed later that year in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.
For Against is an American post-punk/dream pop band from Lincoln, Nebraska, United States. Despite numerous lineup shuffles and some periods of dormancy, the band has produced material steadily since 1984.
Bill Fox is a Cleveland musician who fronted the garage pop band The Mice and released 2 solo albums before abruptly leaving the music industry in 1998. After a cult following built over many years, music royalties enticed Fox to semi-reluctantly return to music in 2007. He released a third solo album in 2012.
The Tripsichord Music Box was an American psychedelic rock group of the 1960s. They were managed by Matthew Katz, who also worked with Jefferson Airplane, Moby Grape and It's a Beautiful Day. Their loyalty to Katz, at a time when many San Francisco bands were signing recording deals with Los Angeles-based labels, may have contributed to their relatively unknown status today. Led by guitarist and singer/songwriter David Zandonatti, Tripsichord recorded a full-length LP and several singles for Katz's San Francisco Sound label. They were the first San Francisco group to record on 8-track equipment.
Lemuria was an American rock band formed in 2004 and originally based in Buffalo, New York. After a series of singles and EPs, Lemuria released albums between 2007 and 2017, and toured both the U.S. and internationally. The band's most recent effort, "Recreational Hate", was recorded by four-time Grammy award-winning producer/engineer Chris Shaw and released on the band's own record label, Turbo Worldwide, licensed through Asian Man Records in the U.S. and Big Scary Monsters in the U.K. The album was announced December 11, 2017, and was simultaneously received by many of the band's fans as a result of a "secret LP" placed for sale on their website months prior. "Recreational Hate" was made available digitally in December 2017, with physical copies released in February 2018.
Mirrors was an American rock band from Cleveland, Ohio, United States, forming in 1971 and originally active playing live gigs between 1972 - 1975. Their sound has been described as "psychedelic garage" and "proto-punk". In his review of a 2009 LP of their 1970's material for Mother Jones former Maximumrocknroll editor Mark Murrmann described them as "not as bent as the Electric Eels...nor as throttling as Rocket from the Tombs." The band's founder, Jaime Klimek, who sang and played guitar, said they "were ferociously loud." The other members were Jim Crook, guitar; Mike Weldon, drums; and a succession of bassists—first Craig Bell, followed briefly by Paul Marotta, who soon switched to keyboards, then Jim Jones, then Bell again, and finally Jones again. In some of their recordings Jones played drums. They played original songs and covers originally by the Velvet Underground, the Kinks, the Troggs and Brian Eno among others. After they broke up Klimek, Jones, Marotta, other former members of the Electric Eels and Anton Fier formed the Styrenes. In 2013 and 2014 Klimek, Crook, Bell and other musicians played some reunion shows in Cleveland.
