The brainchild behind the Action Swingers incendiary garage punk was New Yorker Ned Hayden. His Stooges-like vocals, guitar, and primitive songs were the hallmark of the group throughout its various incarnations. When the band debuted with a self-titled album, the lineup consisted of Hayden, guitarist/singer Julia Cafritz (ex-Pussy Galore),... [+] Read More

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One of the most inventive and eclectic figures to emerge from the '90s alternative revolution, Beck was the epitome of postmodern chic in an era obsessed with junk culture. Drawing upon a kaleidoscope of influences -- pop, folk, psychedelia, hip-hop, country, blues, R&B, funk, indie rock, noise rock, experimental rock, jazz, lounge, Brazilian... [+] Read More

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All-star NYC blues-punk combo Boss Hog was helmed by the husband-and-wife team of singer Cristina Martinez and singer/guitarist Jon Spencer, who previously teamed in the legendary cult band Pussy Galore. The duo formed Boss Hog to fill a last-minute cancellation at the famed CBGB's, earning instant notoriety when Martinez performed their debut... [+] Read More

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After a long and semi-successful tenure as leader of scuzz-rock heroes Pussy Galore, Jon Spencer took his anti-rock vision and hooked up with guitarist Judah Bauer and drummer Russell Simins to create the scuzz-blues trio the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion. Postmodern to the core, this is an ironic name; little of what this band plays resembles... [+] 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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Railroad Jerk skewer blues, country, rock, and noise into a messy, bohemian post-punk celebration of roots rock. Formed in 1989 by guitarist/vocalist Marcellus Hall and bassist/vocalist Tony Lee in Trenton, NJ, the duo added drummer Jez Aspinall and guitarist Chris Muller by early 1990; the group recorded their self-titled debut for Matador... [+] Read More

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Shuffled from the deck of the Chicago folk-punk outfit Friends of Betty in 1990, the modern blues balladeers of Red Red Meat would provide a stunning counterpoint to the windy city's popular Material Issue/Urge Overkill glam-informed swagger. Tim Rutili (vocals, guitars) and Glynis Johnson (bass, vocals), both of founding members of Friends of... [+] Read More

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Pledging to never play a venue with a stage, singer/guitarist John Reis formed San Diego's Rocket from the Crypt in the summer of 1990 after becoming disillusioned with the hardcore punk band he was in called Pitchfork. Joining with then-current Rocketeers bassist Petey X and guitarist N.D., in addition to departed drummer Sean and backing... [+] Read More

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Ruins (Tatsuya Yoshida (drums/vocals) and Hisashi Sasaki (bass/vocals)) plays a unique form of manic and twisted progressive rock for these millennial times. This duo's compositions are complex and can be disorienting to any listener who is accustomed to less innovative, dynamic, and demanding musics. Yoshida, the founding member of Ruins,... [+] Read More

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Sonic Youth was one of the most unlikely success stories of underground American rock in the '80s. Where contemporaries R.E.M. and Hüsker Dü were fairly conventional in terms of song structure and melody, Sonic Youth began their career by abandoning any pretense of traditional rock & roll conventions. Borrowing heavily from the free-form noise... [+] Read More

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A member of the critically acclaimed art/punk rock band Sonic Youth, Moore has been involved in numerous side projects, including the Dim Stars with Richard Hell and Even Worse. His first solo album, Psychic Hearts (recorded during and immediately after his wife and Sonic Youth bassist Kim Gordon's pregnancy in 1994), with ex-Half Japanese... [+] Read More

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Few bands ever lusted after rock stardom quite as blatantly as Chicago's Urge Overkill. Although they draped their quest for stardom in a cloak of ironic detachment, it's quite clear the trio expected that if they acted like stars, they would become stars. For a while, their stylish, retro-'70s outfits, matching medallions, and heavy Cheap Trick... [+] Read More

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