Showing 1 - 25 of 25
Artist: boyfriendgirlfriend
n a small room, curtains drawn, in a grafitti covered building in Brooklyn, Em opens his eyes. He climbs out of bed and sits down in front of a screen. His black headphones clamp to his head as he aggregates a downloaded file.
18 hundred miles away, in Denver, Colorado, Se is turning off his machines for the evening. He just finished compiling... [+] Read More
Artist: Star of Ash
Star of Ash is the side project of Norwegian vocalist Heidi S. Tveitan -- aka Peccatum singer Ihriel, who also happens to be the wife of Emperor leader Ihsahn. Still with us? Ok. Counting with assistance from many of her friends within the local experimental music scene, Star of Ash's debut L.P., Iter.Viator was released it in spring 2002 via... [+] Read More
Artist: Pilotdrift
Often compared to Radiohead for its epic, orchestrated rock, Pilotdrift is multi-instrumentalists Kelly Carr (primary songwriter and vocalist), Jay Budzilowski, Ben Rice, Eric Russell, and John David Blagg. After forming in Texarcana, TX, the band self-released Iter Facere in 2004, which caught the attention of Tim DeLaughter and Julie Doyle,... [+] Read More
Artist: A440
Houston psych-punks A440 formed in 1966 but did not release their first album until 12 years later. Roster information on the band's earliest incarnation is slim -- the flip side of their 1967 Soma label debut single "It's Just Your Mind," the superior "Torture" (later featured on the Acid Visions compilation series) is credited to Rock Romano,... [+] Read More
Artist: Messengers
There is much debate on the topic, but depending on who you ask, the Messengers were either the first -- or merely one of the first -- white acts ever signed to Motown Records. Their history is so convoluted it required a book, Gary Myers' Wisconsin rock history tome, Do You Hear That Beat, just to make some sense of it. The group was founded in... [+] Read More
Artist: Anglo-Saxon Brown
Philly soul combo Anglo-Saxon Brown began their career in Richmond, Virginia under the name Ujima, formed in 1972 by bassist and frontman Carlton Robinson, guitarists Clemente Burneette and Anthony Ingram, keyboardist Dwight Smith, saxophonist Charles Manns, trumpeter Alvin Brown, and drummer Clemente Burneette. Ujima itself evolved from the... [+] Read More
Artist: Bojax
Greenville, SC, freakbeat combo Bojax formed in 1964. Originally dubbed "the Knights," the group was founded by singer/guitarist Bobby Holliday, guitarists Roy Woods and Edwin Bayne, bassist Mack Sanders, and drummer Lyn Cook. Changing their name to the Bojax -- a moniker inspired by the box artwork of a Big Daddy Roth model kit, according to an... [+] Read More
Artist: Trophy Scars
With their prominent use of piano, progressive rock guitar solos, and occasional feints towards hip-hop and funk rhythms, post-hardcore act the Trophy Scars have a wider range of influences and musical shadings than many similar bands, at times sounding like the '80s art rock U.K. group Talk Talk given an emo makeover. Similarly, singer Jerry... [+] Read More
Artist: E-zel
When describing E-zel, one must take into account the many iterations and transformations that led up to the finished product. Ryan Anderson (Guitar, Vocals) and Javier Berlanga (Bass) met when Javier transfered to St. Giles. It was in eighth grade that Javier and Ryan both learned of each other's musical inclinations but it wasn't until their... [+] Read More
Artist: Plaid
Although Plaid pre-existed the association, the duo's Ed Handley and Andy Turner spent most of their early recording years with Ken Downie as the dancefloor-confounding Black Dog Productions. Meshing well with Downie's vision of heavily hybridized post-techno and obscurantist thematics, the pair brought several nascent Plaid tracks to the Black... [+] Read More
Artist: Top Notes
Rhythm and blues combo the Top Notes formed in Philadelphia circa 1950. According to an article in the e-zine JammUpp, the group featured vocalist and pianist Curtis Harmon and built its reputation thanks to a relentless touring schedule that included extended, months-long stays at nightclubs, including Montreal's Maroon Club, Hamilton,... [+] Read More
Artist: Coen Wolters
Since the release of the band’s latest album "As The Crow Flies" (2006) everything changed for the band. Coen's long history of self released CD's and continual live performances, cumulating in the release of his debut "Broken Glass" (2005) CD on Cryingtone Records, established him as an up and coming blues slinger with an original twist... [+] Read More
Artist: The Raelettes
As the longtime backing singers behind R&B immortal Ray Charles, the Raelettes deftly navigated the tightrope separating the sacred and the profane, infusing their gospel-inspired call-and-response vocals with a powerful eroticism that vaulted Charles to new levels of commercial and creative triumph. The roots of the Raelettes lie in another... [+] Read More
Artist: Jack London & the Sparrows
A kind of missing link in the history of Canadian rock, Toronto beat group Jack London & the Sparrows formed in Oshawa, Ontario, in early 1964. Singer London (born Dave Marden) was recently transplanted from London, England, when he founded the group with lead guitarist Dennis Edmonton, whose brother Jerry was soon installed on drums. After... [+] Read More
Artist: James Williams
Pianist James Williams channeled the gospel and R&B influences of his youth to forge a soulful, deeply expressive approach to contemporary jazz. A gifted soloist and accompanist, he was also a respected producer and educator. Born in Memphis on March 8, 1951, Williams began piano lessons at age 13. A fan of Ray Charles, Stevie Wonder, and Ramsey... [+] Read More
Artist: Fernanda DeUtrera
Singer Fernanda de Utrera articulated the anguish and drama of flamenco with supernatural intensity--famed for her mastery of the soleares form, she was nevertheless fluent in all of the music's iterations, communicating the depths of the human heart with a piercing cry that transcends language and culture. Born Fernanda Jiminez Peña in Utrera,... [+] Read More
Artist: The Del-Vetts
Not to be confused with the girl group of the same name, Chicago garage band the Del-Vetts formed on the city's north shore in 1963. Originally comprising singer/guitarist Jim Lauer, guitarist Lester Goldboss (soon replaced by Jeff Weinstein), bassist Bob Good, and drummer Paul Wade, the group started out playing Chuck Berry and surf rock... [+] Read More
Artist: The Delroys
Long Island, NY-based doo wop quartet the Delroys formed in the city's Queensbridge Projects in 1956 -- according to Marv Goldberg's profile in the July 1989 issue of Record Collectors' Monthly, brothers Ronald (first tenor) and Robert Coleman (baritone) lured away bass Reggie Walker from a rival group, and with the subsequent addition of lead... [+] Read More
Artist: The Sparkles
Though affiliated with the fertile Texas garage and psych scene of the 1960s by virtue of their underground classic "No Friend of Mine," the Sparkles dated back to 1957 and continued their performing career until 1972, a longer run than virtually any of their Lone Star State contemporaries. Formed in Levelland, the Sparkles were originally... [+] Read More
Artist: Michael & the Messengers
Michael & the Messengers are best remembered for their frenetic garage-rock reading of the Reflections' "(Just Like) Romeo and Juliet." The band's history is so convoluted it required a book, Gary Myers' Wisconsin rock history tome, Do You Hear That Beat, just to make some sense of it: Originally dubbed simply the Messengers -- there was never a... [+] Read More
Artist: Atom Heart
Composer and designer Uwe Schmidt is one of experimental electronic music's most prolific and prodigious post-techno experimentalists. Issuing a flood of material under a variety of pseudonyms (from singles and compilation tracks to scads of EPs and full-lengths) and maintaining an almost daunting album-a-month release schedule through his own... [+] Read More
Artist: Don Covay
The career of singer Don Covay spanned virtually the entirety of the R&B spectrum, from the electrifying rock & roll of his earliest records to the gritty, swaggering deep soul of his most enduring efforts -- the scope and diversity of his catalog no doubt contributed to his failure to enjoy consistent commercial success, however, and the... [+] Read More
Artist: The Valiants
The labyrinthine history of Los Angeles doo wop group the Valiants dates to early 1955, when second tenor Sheridan "Rip" Spencer formed the Sabers with his cousin Brice Coefield, who assumed baritone duties. According to Marv Goldberg's profile on his R&B Notebooks website, the cousins added first tenor Billy Spicer and bass Walter Carter prior... [+] Read More
Artist: Rupert's People
For a band that released just three singles and had no significant commercial success, the story of Rupert's People is enormously complicated. The band went through three separate lineups, and none of the musicians who were in the iteration that was by far the longest-lasting and most visible played on their most celebrated single. What... [+] Read More
Artist: Night Shadows
The Atlanta-based Night Shadows were one of the earliest and longest-lived garage bands in the U.S., with a career that extended from the formative days of rock & roll to the psychedelic era. Guitarists Ronnie "Goose" Farmer and Johnny "Cha Cha" Pitner and drummer Craig Wemmers formed their first band, the Kavaliers, in 1956 -- the teens soon... [+] Read More
