Game Theory formed on the fringe of the Paisley Underground movement of the early-'80s and though they certainly had a retro-'60 sound with psychedelic leanings, the band owed its greatest debt to the proto-power pop of Big Star.

Leader Scott Miller's song craft, distinctive voice (self-described as a "miserable whine") and... [+] Read More

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Mitch Easter carved his place in music history as a hip producer in the '80s, most notably for the early R.E.M. albums Murmur and Reckoning; unfortunately, these achievements often overshadowed and distracted him from giving his full commitment to his own recording career with Let's Active, a band that, between 1983 and 1988, released some of... [+] Read More

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Singer/songwriter Steve Almaas rose from New York City punk of the late '70s into a well-respected artist during the '80s and '90s. lmaas wasn't a part of the whole corporate scheme of things, having played in various bands during the decade of big-hair metal and warming synth pop. Born to Scandinavian parents who emigrated to Minnesota, Almaas'... [+] Read More

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Along with Let's Active, the dB's defined the Southern power pop/jangle pop movement of the early to mid-'80s. The band's music was a quirky blend of smart pop and psychedelia crossed with the more experimental side of new wave. Though they never received widespread recognition outside of critical acclaim, they provided a key link between Big... [+] Read More

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The Mississippi-based power-pop group the Windbreakers primarily comprised the duo of singer/guitarists Tim Lee and Bobby Sutliff. After debuting in 1982 with Meet the Windbreakers, a seven-inch EP issued on their own Big Monkey label, the band enlisted the aid of producer Mitch Easter for the follow-up, 1983's Any Monkey With a Typewriter,... [+] Read More

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Hailing from Bethesda, MD, Tommy Keene is a guitarist and singer/songwriter who plays and writes melodic guitar-based pop/rock. As a child, Keene played classical piano before picking up guitar and drums. He spent his teenage years drumming in a rock trio called Blue Steel, whose original guitar player, Mike Lofgren, was the younger brother of... [+] Read More

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Yum-Yum was the short-lived project of Chris Holmes, a Chicago-based multi-instrumentalist who experimented in a variety of musical genres without ever settling for or excelling in any of them. Prior to forming Yum-Yum, of which he was the only constant member, Holmes had been the main songwriter for Sabalon Glitz, a second-string entry in the... [+] Read More

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