The alternative rock combo Black Lab formed in the Bay Area in 1995 after vocalist Paul Durham disbanded his eponymous backing band. Durham, who had grown up the son of a Buddhist in the Mormon town of Twin Falls, ID, later attended Oberlin University and moved to California to live in Berkeley and teach high school in inner-city Oakland.... [+] Read More

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Just after England-native Anthony moved to San Francisco, he formed Melting Euphoria with synthesizer wizard Don Falcone and drummer Mychael Merrill. Through the Strands of Time was the spacey psych-rockers' debut, but Falcone left soon after. Upon the Solar Winds included two additional keyboardists, a guitarist and a vocalist; after 1996's... [+] Read More

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Formed from the remnants of Bent Leg Fatima, Need New Body have been called everything from "beardo wierdcore" to "spazzcore," due to its splicing of such disparate styles as noise rock, folk, avant-garde and jazz. Percussionist Chris Powell, keyboardists Dale Jimenez and Jamey Robinson and vocalist/multi-instrumentalist Jeff Bradbury formed... [+] Read More

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Pell Mell was a tremendous rarity: an instrumental combo who landed a major-label deal in the wake of the alternative rock explosion touched off by Nirvana. Its most prominent members were better known as producers, and with their highly sporadic recording schedule, it took them nearly a decade of existence to issue a widely distributed album.... [+] Read More

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With their first records, Ride created a unique wall of sound that relied on massive, trembling distortion in the vein of My Bloody Valentine but with a simpler, more direct melodic approach. The shatteringly loud, droning neo-psychedelia the band performed was dubbed shoegazing by the British press because the bandmembers stared at the stage... [+] Read More

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Formed from the ashes of the trance-rockers Spacemen 3, singer/guitarist Jason Pierce's group Spiritualized did not break away from his prior band's trademark hypnotic minimalism; instead, they perfected it. Drawing on the continued influence of the Velvet Underground, La Monte Young, and Steve Reich, Spiritualized staked out a common ground... [+] Read More

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Of all the major alternative rock bands of the early '90s, the Smashing Pumpkins were the group least influenced by traditional underground rock. Lead guitarist/songwriter Billy Corgan fashioned an amalgam of progressive rock, heavy metal, goth rock, psychedelia, and dream pop, creating a layered, powerful sound driven by swirling, distorted... [+] Read More

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Sunburned Hand of the Man is a band in the loose sense of the word; it's better described as a banner under which a collective of musical freaks have gathered. Based in Boston, Sunburned Hand of the Man grew out of trio which called itself Shit Spangled Banner and featured John Molony and Rob Thomas who would later become anchors of the... [+] Read More

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