Singer/pianist Ben Folds (born September 12, 1966, in Winston-Salem, NC) is best-known as the leader of the power pop trio Ben Folds Five, but has also struck out on his own as a solo artist. Despite playing in bands in high school, his musical career didn't really get off the ground until the late '80s, as a bassist for Majosha (the outfit... [+] Read More

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Although marketed as a band, the leader and focus of alt-rockers Eels is undeniably singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist E (real name Mark Oliver Everett). Born April 9, 1963, in Virginia, Everett became interested in rock music at an early age via his sister's record collection, and began playing drums at the age of six (as well as tinkering... [+] Read More

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Singer/actress Eszter Balint first emerged as a member of the avant-garde Squat Theater troupe before making a memorable cinematic debut in 1984 in director Jim Jarmusch's seminal indie film Stranger Than Paradise. From there she seemed to drop out of sight for the remainder of the decade, not reappearing on-screen until 1990's little-seen Bail... [+] Read More

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Combining elements of both rock and folk music, along with disturbingly personal sentiments and a voice that is able to channel both the falsetto highs of Neil Young and the wavering raspy low tones of Leonard Cohen, Toronto's Hayden Desser has spent most of the last decade creating uniquely affecting music. The critically acclaimed yet... [+] Read More

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With their fractured songs, unexpected blasts of feedback, laconic vocals, cryptic literate lyrics, and defiant low-fidelity, Pavement were one of the most influential and distinctive bands to emerge from the American underground in the '90s. Pavement, along with Sebadoh, were the leaders of the lo-fi movement that dominated U.S. indie rock in... [+] Read More

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Combining a knack for infectious melodies with a quirky, bizarre sense of humor and a vaguely avant-garde aesthetic borrowed from the New York post-punk underground, They Might Be Giants became one of the most unlikely alternative success stories of the late '80s and early '90s. Musically, the duo of John Flansburgh and John Linnell borrowed... [+] Read More

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