The work of Eric Matthews was a direct reaction to the lo-fi recording practices so prevalent throughout the alternative music scene of the 1990s; while many of the decade's artists trafficked in a defiantly ragged, do-it-yourself aesthetic, Matthews' records grew out of orchestral theories and practices, and revelled in the stately elegance of... [+] Read More

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The story of Honeybus is almost a cautionary tale. Considering that most have never heard of them, it's amazing to ponder that they came very close, in the eyes of the critics, to being Decca Records' answer to the Rubber Soul-era Beatles. The harmonies were there, along with some catchy, hook-laden songs and usually tastefully overdubbed brass... [+] Read More

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Boston's Orpheus made four albums in the late '60s and early '70s that were something of an antecedent to soft rock. Although some of the members had roots in the folk scene, and although they were lumped in with the heavier and more psychedelic bands that comprised the short-lived "Bosstown Sound," Orpheus was in fact much closer to the... [+] Read More

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So much has been said and written about the Beatles -- and their story is so mythic in its sweep -- that it's difficult to summarize their career without restating clichés that have already been digested by tens of millions of rock fans. To start with the obvious, they were the greatest and most influential act of the rock era, and introduced... [+] Read More

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No popular music act of the '60s, '70s, '80s, or '90s has experienced more ups and downs in its popularity, or attracted a more varied audience across the decades than the Bee Gees. Beginning in the mid- to late '60s as a Beatlesque ensemble, they quickly developed as songwriters in their own right and style, perfecting in the process a... [+] Read More

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The Canterbury Music Festival recorded one of the rarest late-'60s sunshine pop albums, Rain and Shine, of which only 150 copies were pressed upon its initial 1968 release. The album mixed some decent if innocuous original compositions from lead singer Roger Gernelle with less impressive material supplied to them by their producers, the Tokens.... [+] Read More

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Influenced by psychedelia and California rock, pop/rock producer Curt Boettcher (the Association) decided to assemble a studio supergroup who would explore progressive sounds in 1968. Millennium's resultant album would find no commercial success and only half-baked artistic success, but nonetheless retains some period charm. Influenced in... [+] Read More

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After touring and collaborating with rock 'n' roll soul man Cody Chesnutt, singer/guitarist/keyboardist and Los Angeles native, Sharif Dumani and bassist Aaron Ebensperger, made The Moon Upstairs their fulltime project, along with guitarist Mark Sogomian and drummer Josh Mancell (later bringing on keyboardist/guitarist Dave Baine, ex-player in... [+] Read More

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The Palace Guard didn't make much of a splash anywhere but Southern California. The band didn't chart nationally, but one of its songs, the folk-rock "Like Falling Sugar," was well-received regionally. The group debuted on Orange Empire Records, a Los Angeles-based label, with the single "All Night Long." Later, Verve Records picked up... [+] Read More

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This New York group recorded an accomplished album of psychedelic pop in 1968, drawing liberally from the Lovin' Spoonful and Magical Mystery Tour-era Beatles, as well as the block harmonies of the 1967-era Zombies. Bassist, 12-string guitarist, and singer Joe Arduino; rhythm guitarist, keyboard player, and singer Sandy Napoli (who also played... [+] Read More

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They weren't British, they weren't brothers, and their real names weren't Walker, but Californians Scott Engel, John Maus, and Gary Leeds were briefly huge stars in England (and small ones in their native land) at the peak of the British Invasion. Engel and Maus were playing together in Hollywood when drummer Leeds suggested they form a trio and... [+] Read More

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Thomas & Richard Frost (born Thomas Martin and Richard Martin) were members of several San Mateo, CA-based groups during the early to mid-'60s -- including a surf group (the Impressions), a folk-rock group (the Newcastle Five), and a fuzz rock group (the Art Collection, teaming up with visiting New Zealand singer Ray Columbus) -- before forming... [+] Read More

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