Kori Gardner (keyboard/vocals) and Jason Hammel (drums/vocals) were both playing guitar and singing in the Kansas music metropolis of Lawrence before forming the Mates of State in 1997. With their dual vocal harmonies and minimal pop appeal, Omnibus Records released Mates of State's first EP as a split with Fighter D in 1999. Upon a relocation... [+] Read More

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The dream pop duo Parker and Lily compose simplistic indie rock melodies similar to Galaxie 500 and Siddal, and have been called the John Doe and Exene Cervenka of N.Y.C. angst pop. Charming vocalist Parker Noon and pianist Lily Wolfe, formerly of Valentine Six, formed the band in early 2000 and have been local favorites in and around N.Y.C.... [+] Read More

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Jenny Lewis (vocals, guitar, keyboards), Blake Sennett (guitar, vocals), Pierre de Reeder (bass), and Dave Rock (drums, later replaced by ex-Lassie Foundation member Jason Boesel) formed Rilo Kiley in 1998 in Los Angeles. Three years after its formation, the band released Take Offs and Landings on the Barsuk label. The supporting tour found the... [+] Read More

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Saturday Looks Good to Me began in late 1999 when Fred Thomas of Flashpapr and Lovesick began to assemble a supergroup of musicians from Michigan's indie rock scene to create a festive Beach Boys-inspired pop band. Inspired by the experimental pop sounds of Godzuki's Chris Fachini and his Teach Me Tiger project, Thomas began to record a series... [+] Read More

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To fully appreciate and understand the history of Some Girls, one needs to know something about the group that paved the way for them: the Blake Babies. A female alternative pop-rock trio with ties to Boston and Indianapolis, Some Girls was officially formed in 2001; however, two members of Some Girls (Boston singer/songwriter Juliana Hatfield... [+] Read More

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After the 1997 dissolution of Henry's Dress and a brief dalliance with Go Sailor, Amy Linton began fooling around with a four-track and some solo material in a comfortable home studio setting. It turned out she had quite bit to say, and in quite a hooky fashion. The so-named Aislers Set officially debuted with Terrible Things Happen, issued... [+] Read More

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The Stockholm-based pop collective the Concretes were formed in 1995 by vocalist Victoria Bergsman, guitarist Maria Eriksson, and drummer Lisa Milberg; over the course of three years, they added guitarist Markus, bassist Martin Hansson, organist Per Nystrom, trumpeter Ulrik Karlsson, and vocalist/harmonica player Malte. Malte and Nystrom were... [+] 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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Omaha, NE, anomaly Tilly and the Wall, formed in 2001 out of the ashes of several groups -- including Conor Oberst's pre-Bright Eyes endeavor, Park Avenue -- and gained some underground notoriety for their unorthodox approach to percussion: forsaking the traditional drum kit for the amplified tap shoes of dancer Jamie Williams, and hand... [+] Read More

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Kevin Robinson (drums) and Anita Robinson (vocals/guitars) formed the indie rock outfit Viva Voce in their native Muscle Shoals, AL, in 1998. Viva Voce (pronounced VEE-vah-VOH-chay) is the Italian definition for "by word of mouth." Hooray for Now marked the husband-and-wife duo's first album before the year's end. Headlining club dates... [+] Read More

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