Singer/songwriter Adam Schmitt first won acclaim in the early '90s when his 1991 debut album, World So Bright, and 1993 follow-up, Illiterature, had critics hailing him as a young pop genius. However, when his label Reprise didn't want to release a third album from him, Schmitt decided to record other artists instead, engineering, producing, and... [+] Read More

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A power-pop enthusiast turned country songwriter/performer turned rock & roll performer, Bill Lloyd earned his badge on Music Row by writing hits for others, but later as part of the duo Foster & Lloyd. After Foster & Lloyd split up in 1990, Lloyd moved on to a solo career with frequent stints as a sideman guitarist.

Born in Kentucky... [+] Read More

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While best known for his brief stint as a guitarist with Yo La Tengo, Dave Schramm has quietly developed a potent reputation among his fellow musicians as one of the most gifted and versatile musicians to emerge from the Hoboken/Manhattan indie rock axis, blending a folkie's delicate sense of space and aural punctuation with a rocker's passion... [+] Read More

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Singer/composer Glenn Tilbrook teamed with lyricist/guitarist Chris Difford to lead Squeeze, one of the most acclaimed and longest-lived bands to emerge from the new wave era. Often regarded as the Lennon and McCartney of their generation, the duo's smart, sophisticated brand of pop never achieved commercial success commensurate with their... [+] Read More

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Before Jack Johnson perfected his rock star ways, he was a champion surfer on the professional route, with a sponsorship with Quiksilver. It was a life that was second nature for the Hawaiian native, for he began chasing waves as a toddler, and by the time he was 17, he was an outstanding athlete on the pipeline. However, Johnson was also... [+] Read More

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Producer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist Jon Brion grew up in a musical family: his father was director of the Yale concert and marching bands, his mother sang in jazz bands, and his siblings, Randy (a conductor/arranger in L.A.) and Laurie (a violinist), were both avid music students. Young Jon didn't deal with instruction or practice... [+] Read More

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Growing out of the American underground of the late '80s, Liz Phair fused lo-fi indie rock production techniques and styles with the sensibility and structure of classic singer/songwriters. Exile in Guyville, Phair's debut album, was enthusiastically praised upon its 1993 release and spawned a rash of imitators, particularly American female... [+] Read More

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Neil Finn has consistently proven his knack for crafting high quality songs that combine irresistible melodies with meticulous lyrical detail, from his beginnings as the precocious junior member of Split Enz, through his leadership of Crowded House, and, finally, in his distinguished solo career. He has also earned considerable international... [+] Read More

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Irish singer/songwriter Paddy Casey began busking on the streets of Dublin when he was 12. One of his street performances was heard by producer Muff Winwood, who signed him to S2 Records in the U.K. His debut album, Amen (So Be It), was recorded in just eight days and earned critical and chart success. It won a Best Album award from the Irish... [+] Read More

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Singer/songwriter Pete Droge's career was helped immeasurably by his friendship with Pearl Jam guitarist Mike McCready. McCready helped Droge secure a deal with American Records to release his 1994 debut, Necktie Second. Droge is a rootsy rocker in the vein of Tom Petty and John Mellencamp, with the occasional introspective ballad. On the... [+] Read More

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A classic guitar pop group almost nine years in the making, Albuquerque, NM's the Shins began in 1997 as the side project of singer/songwriter and guitarist James Mercer's primary band Flake. Mercer formed Flake in 1992 with drummer Jesse Sandoval, keyboardist Marty Crandall, and bassist Neal Langford; they eventually changed their name to Flake... [+] Read More

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The early history of the Trolleyvox began when the multitalented guitar pop maven Andrew Chalfen (Wishniaks, Gimme, Joey Sweeney) recorded demos in 1993-95 with guitarist-vocalist Dave Gray (Idlewilds, Vegas Nerve) and engineer Adam Lasus (Helium, Madder Rose). Then Beth Filla answered a 1996 "vocalist wanted" ad that Chalfen had placed in a... [+] Read More

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