The bands Geek, Slack, Grenadine, Liquorice, and -- most significantly -- Tsunami have featured the imprint of Jenny Toomey, one of the central figures of the do-it-yourself movement since the late '80s. In addition to being a member of each of the bands listed above, Toomey ran Simple Machines -- an Arlington, VA-based label that lasted from... [+] 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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During the early-'90s alternative rock explosion, several female singer/songwriters rose to prominence, but few were as distinctive or as widely praised as Polly Jean Harvey. Over the course of three albums, Harvey established herself as one of the most individual and influential songwriters of the '90s, exploring themes of sex, love, and... [+] Read More

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Playing brittle and evocative alt-country with lyrics that draw powerful and sometimes troubling portraits of life along the margins of the contemporary American West, Richmond Fontaine is the brainchild of singer, guitarist, and songwriter Willy Vlautin, who was born in Reno, NV. When Vlautin was in his early teens, his older brother moved to... [+] Read More

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Evolving from a garage punk band in the vein of the Replacements, Dinosaur Jr., and Mudhoney to a literate, pretentious, soul-inflected post-punk quartet, the Afghan Whigs were one of the most critically acclaimed alternative bands of the early '90s. Although the band never broke into the mainstream, they developed a dedicated cult following,... [+] Read More

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One of alternative rock's most promising -- and frustrating -- bands, the Breeders were conceived initially as a way for Pixies bassist Kim Deal and Throwing Muses guitarist Tanya Donelly to let out some suppressed creative energy and to take a break from being the second bananas in each of their main bands. Deal and Donelly both played guitar,... [+] Read More

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One of the quietly great college bands from the 1980s, Throwing Muses was formed in 1983 by guitarist/vocalist Kristin Hersh and her half-sister guitarist/vocalist Tanya Donelly with a few friends from high school. In 1986 the group's debut album was put out by the prestigious British label 4AD; Throwing Muses was the first American band to be... [+] Read More

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Characterized by their muscular guitar sound and the powerful vocals of frontwoman Jenny Toomey, the aptly named Tsunami was among the most important and original bands to emerge from the American indie scene of the 1990s; the motivating force behind the highly regarded Simple Machines label, the group's sociopolitical activism and unwavering... [+] Read More

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