In a business that reinvents itself at every turn, Alex Chilton has managed to survive for three decades with a three-fold career as well -- his early recordings with the Box Tops, the three albums he did with Big Star in the mid-'70s and the spate of cool, but chaotic, solo albums he's recorded since then. To some, he's a classic hit-maker from... [+] Read More

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Few of punk rock's founding fathers could have anticipated the extreme to which Half Japanese took the music's do-it-yourself ethos. Founded by brothers Jad and David Fair, Half Japanese was quite probably the most amateurish rock band to make a record since the Shaggs, all but ignoring musical basics like chords, rhythms, and melody. However,... [+] Read More

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There's a reason why many consider Iggy Pop the godfather of punk -- every single punk band of the past and present has either knowingly or unknowingly borrowed a thing or two from Pop and his late-'60s/early-'70s the Stooges. Born on April 21, 1947, in Muskegon, MI, James Newell Osterberg was raised by his parents (his father was an English... [+] Read More

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The career of Lou Reed defies capsule summarization. Like David Bowie (whom Reed directly inspired in many ways), he has made over his image many times, mutating from theatrical glam-rocker to scary looking junkie to avant-garde noiseman to straight rock & roller to your average guy. A firmer grasp of rock's earthier qualities has ensured a more... [+] Read More

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Although a product of the New York punk scene, at heart Mink DeVille was a soul band with roots in R&B, the blues and even Cajun music. The group was a showcase for frontman Willy DeVille (born William Boray in 1953), a native New Yorker who in 1971 travelled to London to form a band; unable to find compatible musicians, he worked as a solo... [+] Read More

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Grabbing hold of the ole lighting rod.

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At the start of their career, Talking Heads were all nervous energy, detached emotion, and subdued minimalism. When they released their last album about 12 years later, the band had recorded everything from art-funk to polyrhythmic worldbeat explorations and simple, melodic guitar pop. Between their first album in 1977 and their last in 1988,... [+] Read More

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Stomping garage-pop from Brooklyn, NY, by way of Essex, England.

The Actual Facts offer you advice and information you can trust, such as how to end an abusive relationship, how to treat a black eye, or what to wear on your first day of prison. Their dedication to the task of rocking your insides cannot be underestimated.

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This Boston-based punk-rock band is led by guitarist/vocalist/songwriter John Felice. Capable of writing great, catchy pop-rock material, Felice and Real Kids opted for sloppy, beer and drug-induced "who cares" punk attitude, making them darlings of local CBGB's-styled scene (also revered in France), but ultimately keeping them from larger,... [+] Read More

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One of the great stories of rock & roll is that of the three Wiggins sisters (Dot, Helen, and Betty), better known as the Shaggs. Growing up dirt poor in New Hampshire, the three girls were turned onto forming a band by their father, Austin Wiggins, who bought their instruments and payed for lessons. Despite their lack of musical expertise,... [+] 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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The textbook American cult band of the 1980s, the Violent Femmes captured the essence of teen angst with remarkable precision; raw and jittery, the trio's music found little commercial success but nonetheless emerged as the soundtrack for the lives of troubled adolescents the world over. The group formed in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in the early... [+] Read More

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