Showing 1 - 25 of 77
Artist: The Mansions
Spooky Los Angeles combo the Mansions began in the '90s as an American alternative to the music that was coming out of Britain at the time. Consisting of drummer/keyboardist Chris Cano, vocalist Eddie Olguin, guitarist Johnny Burke, and bassist Jeff Rodriguez, the band took their musical inspiration from bands like Pulp and Blur. The Mansions... [+] Read More
Artist: Crystal Mansion
The Crystal Mansion's relatively short story is that of a white R&B band moving towards groovy psychedelic rock in the '70s. At times they sound like Rare Earth but lack some of their force. The origins of the band are found in a cover band called the Secrets that existed from 1962 to 1968. The original setting included drummer Rick Morley and... [+] Read More
Artist: Fatima Mansions
Named in honor of a crumbling Dublin housing estate, the edgy, assaultive Fatima Mansions formed in London in 1989. The group was led by the acerbic Cathal Coughlan, who first emerged with Microdisney, and completed by guitarist Andrias O'Gruama, bassist Hugh Bunker, drummer Nick Allum and keyboardist Zac Woolhouse. Almost immediately upon... [+] Read More
Artist: Wadsworth Mansion
Artist: Benoit Mansion
Artist: Haunted Mansion Mystery
Artist: Red Hot Chili Peppers
Few rock groups of the '80s broke down as many musical barriers and were as original as the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Creating an intoxicating new musical style by combining funk and punk rock together (with an explosive stage show, to boot), the Chili Peppers spawned a slew of imitators in their wake, but still managed to be the leaders of the... [+] Read More
Artist: Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley may be the single most important figure in American 20th century popular music. Not necessarily the best, and certainly not the most consistent. But no one could argue with the fact that he was the musician most responsible for popularizing rock & roll on an international level. Viewed in cold sales figures, his impact was... [+] Read More
Artist: Harvest Ministers
The Harvest Ministers' brand of melodic folk-rock owes more to American roots music than to the sounds of their native Ireland. The band is led by vocalist and songwriter William Merriman, who is often joined by co-vocalist Maeve Roche. Their album roster includes 1995's Little Dark Mansion and A Feeling Mission, and 1996's Orbit. Spring 2000... [+] Read More
Artist: Damon McMahon
Damon McMahon was a member of Inouk, a New York-based band that made an EP and an album for Say Hey prior to breaking up. McMahon then gathered up some of the off-the-cuff recordings he had made by himself -- predominantly recorded with guitar and vocals -- and released them as Mansions, which found a home on the Astralwerks label in 2006. ~... [+] Read More
Artist: Boas
In addition to solid musicianship, the Boas are blessed with the sort of creation story that makes even the most hardened music hacks feel a bit warm and fuzzy inside. The gist of the tale is that Chicagoans (transplants, really) Graeme Gibson, Jonathan Van Herik, and Gabe McDonough had been trying to form a band together, but thought that what... [+] Read More
Artist: Greg Maroney
Contemporary instrumentalist Greg Maroney's solo piano compositions evoke wistful stories and images of the rural American countryside, in particular central Pennsylvania, where he resides with his wife and many animals. Maroney began studying both classical and jazz piano at age five and later, in the early '70s, studied classical Indian music... [+] Read More
Artist: MC Hammer
There had been hit rap singles and albums before him, but MC Hammer was the man who truly brought rap music to a mass pop audience. Armed with a flamboyant wardrobe (particularly his trademark baggy parachute pants) and a raft of sampled hooks lifted straight from their sources, Hammer's talents as a dancer and showman far exceeded his technique... [+] Read More
Artist: Nas
Heralded instantly as one of New York's leading rap voices, Nas expressed an outspoken, self-empowered swagger that rallied the streets of his city and elsewhere. Whether proclaiming himself "Nasty Nas" or "Nas Escobar" or "Nastradamus" or "God's Son," the self-appointed King of New York battled numerous adversaries for his position atop the... [+] Read More
Artist: Juan Gabriel
Juan Gabriel is one of Mexico's most successful vocalists. A six-time Grammy nominee, Gabriel has sold 30 million copies of his albums and has performed sold-out concerts throughout the world. In addition to recording numerous hits on his own, Gabriel has produced albums for Rocio Durcal, Lucha Villa, Lola Beltran, and Paul Anka. His songs have... [+] Read More
Artist: Doug Stevens
Doug Stevens and the Outband are consistently winning fans in the gay and straight country music communities. In the short time this band has been together, they've played Gracie Mansion, Town Hall in N.Y.C. with Joan Rivers, the Rainbow Room at Rockefeller Center, and the 1993 March on Washington. There they were seen by three million people... [+] Read More
Artist: Scottie Sparks
Singer, guitarist, and banjo picker Scottie Sparks, born in Dayton, OH, landed his first real music job when he was 15 years old. It was playing lead guitar with the Wilson Brothers. He went on to perform with groups like Redwing, Unlimited Tradition, and Dave Evans & Riverbend.
In 1999, Sparks, working under the Doobie Shea Records label,... [+] Read More
Artist: DJ Green Lantern
DJ Green Lantern, aka the Evil Genius, rose to prominence practically overnight when he aligned himself with Eminem, who wanted to get his Shady Records label into the mixtape game. Green Lantern first hooked up with Em for Shady Invasion, which highlighted the Detroit rapper's then-ongoing battle with Benzino, among many other highlights,... [+] Read More
Artist: Tina Novak
With a longtime love for Motown music and soul artists, Tina Novak pursued her singing talents in a variety of ways. From various pageants in and around the Florida area, Novak was a finalist at the Miss Florida pageant in 1999. She also honed her skills performing at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics and various halftime shows for NFL and NBA contests.... [+] Read More
Artist: Nox Arcana
The band's name Nox Arcana is derived from two Latin words, which roughly translate to "mysteries of the night." It is a great interest in ancient lore, gothic literature and classic horror that unites these two composers, Joseph Vargo and William Piotrowski, in their neverending quest into shadowy and dangerous realms. Nox Arcana's music ranges... [+] Read More
Artist: The Beach Boys
Beginning their career as the most popular surf band in the nation, the Beach Boys finally emerged by 1966 as America's pre-eminent pop group, the only act able to challenge (for a brief time) the overarching success of the Beatles with both mainstream listeners and the critical community. From their 1961 debut with the regional hit "Surfin,"... [+] Read More
Artist: Howard Wales
Organist Howard Wales was best known for his collaborations with Grateful Dead frontman Jerry Garcia. After honing his chops during the mid-1960s backing acts ranging from Ronnie Hawkins to the Four Tops to James Brown, Wales eventually settled in San Francisco, joining the group A.B. Skhy; he first performed with Garcia at the guitarist's... [+] Read More
Artist: Darin Talbot
Dubbed "Lake Tahoe's Troubadour," easygoing folk-rocker Darin Talbot uses his music primarily to celebrate the snowboarding lifestyle, much in the same way that Jimmy Buffett celebrates beach bumming and Jack Johnson does surfing. His odes to that leisure life, bearing a similar sound to the Samples, found an unexpected fan in Dr. Demento, and a... [+] Read More
Artist: Billy Jones
This producer and recording engineer can take delight in having nabbed one of the most important credits in hip-hop history by being part of the team behind "Rapper's Delight." Rappers and fans of rap also took great delight in what was considered to be the first hip-hop hit, even though there are listeners who feel the Sugarhill Gang were not... [+] Read More
