One of the first unknown artists to capitalize on the MTV craze of the early '80s was a tongue-in-cheek New York band called Blotto. The group's novelty video for "I Wanna Be a Lifeguard" debuted on MTV during the initial hours of their premiere telecast and became an instant hit, remaining on their airwaves for months. Blotto originated as the... [+] Read More

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While frequently lumped in with such Southern alternative pop bands as R.E.M. and Let's Active, Guadalcanal Diary was distinctly different from its peers, with a sound that was at once melodic and rhythmically aggressive, and a decidedly literary and spiritual bent to the group's lyrics. And at a time when Athens, GA, was being hailed as the new... [+] Read More

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Like most bands, Australia's Hoodoo Gurus were largely the product of their influences; unlike most bands, however, the Hoodoos channelled their insipration from the vast entirety of the American pop cultural landscape, drawing on such disparate sources as B-movies, bad sitcoms, and junk food -- in tandem with the usual suspects like garage... [+] Read More

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During the 1980s, rock had become completely segregated and predictable; the opposite of the late '60s/early '70s, when such musically and ethnically varied artists as Jimi Hendrix, Sly & the Family Stone, and Santana ruled the Earth. But bands such as New York's Living Colour helped break down the doors by the end of the '80s, leading to a much... [+] Read More

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