Huevo

Although they are nowhere near obscure and even had a radio hit with Novacaine For The Soul, Eels are not mentioned anywhere near enough on here IMO. Started by Mark Everett, or simply E, their debut album Beautiful Freak was released in 1996 and ,like their other five studio albums, serves as a diary of the tragedies that have occured in E's life.

Here's some clips from their catalog.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zReJJDX4uAE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rjVpkEGAgiw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=czQYvZDcXlQ&feature...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1mD4jpZwTmY&feature...

So what are your thoughts? Aye, nay, or somewhere in between?

BQ: What's your favorite group named after an animal besides The Beatles?

Based out of Boston, the Drop Nineteens dropped only 2 full length albums, Delaware ( great album) and National Coma (meh, not so good). Along with fellow countrymen The Lilys, they served as American contributors to the shoegazing scene.

So what are your opinions? Aye, nay or somewhere in-between? The second clip, Kick The Tragedy, was one of my favorites back in the 90's. I could get lost in it for days. And the 3rd one, Angel, is an interesting cover of the Madonna song. And yes, the first one is a tribute to my ultimate 90's crush and favorite kleptomaniac, Ms. Ryder.

BQ: Favorite shoegazing band besides My Bloody Valentine?

http://www.imeem.com/people/NIL0pm-/music/5l6OuiGu...

http://www.imeem.com/crmirand/music/83BW04zp/drop_...

http://www.imeem.com/people/CyFm0NA/music/3lkkrzIz...

Formed in Leeds, England during the mid-1980's, The Wedding Present has been churning out solid albums for the last two decades. Taking a hiatus for about 9 years, David Gedge, the only remaining member of the band, reformed them about 5 years ago after his stint with the band Cinerama. They are definitely an example of one of the finest Brit-pop bands out there.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fzOHGE_dxVo&feature...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gcn0dQWRshE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IYZdS3Etn9A&feature...

So what is your opinion? Aye, nay, or somewhere in between? Listen to the clips and leave a comment if you like.

BQ: Favorite band from the UK in the last 2 decades?

Waking up this morning and scanning the computer before I got ready for work, one of the first things I noticed made me pause and reflect as I read the following article on the end of one of the greatest indie labels of all time.

http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/article/news/149244-...

I spent a large amount of time throughout the 90's listening to and expanding my tastes through those albums released byTouch & Go and SST Records, another label gone to the wayside. It is truly a sad day in the Huevo household.

MQ: What is your favorite album put out by Touch & Go?

I'm saying either The Jesus Lizard - Goat although I spent an insane amount of my time listening to Seam's The Problem With Me and Rodan's Rusty.

The band Tsunami was formed in late 1990 and served as an integral part of the indie rock scene for the following decade, releasing 4 albums in that span. In addition to helping form the band and serving as the vocalist, Jenny Toomey also cofounded the Simple Machines record label which released a numerous amount of their contempararies 7" records. Several of the songs released have been compiled onto either the Working Holiday and The Machines discs, true gems that include contributions from Velocity Girl, Lungfish, and Superchunk. Anywho, I'm throwing down some Tsunami tracks. Listen to the songs and comment if you like.

http://www.imeem.com/groups/dfHI-0CJ/music/525jXKD...

http://www.imeem.com/groups/dfHI-0CJ/music/GYa-7n-...

http://www.imeem.com/groups/dfHI-0CJ/music/FOscH32...

Today's band (oh who's kidding, I don't do this regularly at all) is Rocket From The Tombs, a protopunk band out of Cleveland during the mid-70's. Little known during their existence, upon disbandment the members broke up to form two of the top influential punk bands in America, The Dead Boys and Pere Ubu. Both bands went on to perform songs that were originally written during the time period of Rocket From The Tombs. I remember the band reforming a few years ago, not sure when, and going on a reunion tour to play their old classics. Unfortunately, work can suck at times and I was unable to attend these legends getting back together to do their thing.

Listen to the tracks and leave a comment if you like.

http://www.last.fm/music/Rocket+From+the+Tombs/_/3...

http://www.last.fm/music/Rocket+From+the+Tombs/_/S...

http://www.imeem.com/nashvilleskyline/music/9AFHsy...

For this band, I'm just going to copy from IMEEM what has already been written. It's a wonderful description, and let's face it, it's Friday and I'm just feeling pretty lazy about now. I will say I never listened to Drive Like Jehu until after the band had already broken up, unfortunately. It would have been a heck of a live show to see.

"Although they weren't around for long, Drive Like Jehu had a tremendous impact on the evolution of hardcore punk into emo. Underappreciated during their existence in the early '90s, the band was sometimes overlooked next to post-hardcore kin like Fugazi and Quicksand; at the time, many critics also lacked the frame of reference to place their music in a broader context. The term "emo" hadn't yet come into wider use, and while Drive Like Jehu didn't much resemble the sound that word would later come to signify, they exerted a powerful pull on its development. Moreover, they did fit the earlier definition of emo: challenging, intricate guitar rock rooted in hardcore and performed with blistering intensity, especially the frenzied vocals. Drive Like Jehu was arguably the most progressive of the leading post-hardcore bands: their lengthy, multisectioned compositions were filled with odd time signatures, orchestrated builds and releases, elliptical melodies, and other twists and turns that built on the innovations of the Dischord label. The result was one of the most distinctive and ferocious sounds in the loosely defined post-hardcore movement."

Listen to the clips and leave a comment if you like.

http://www.imeem.com/people/lKuSan/music/LLknIWH2/...

http://www.imeem.com/punkmusic/music/9UNRjjGV/driv...

http://www.imeem.com/people/ScHnw44/music/2g5dAWaD...

Formed in Olympia, Washington by indie legend Calvin Johnson (who also founded K Records), Beat Happening had a prolific influence on the way the music scene looks today. Drawing off a lo-fi sound, major fans of the band included Kurt Cobain and Ian McKaye. In fact I found this excerpt on Wikipedia which I found to be pretty funny.

"Perhaps because of his staunch DIY ethos, Johnson became friends with the members of Fugazi, and Beat Happening was the opening band on one of Fugazi's first tours. The choice of Beat Happening as an opening band for Fugazi, who, especially during the late 1980's, were still attracting an audience of hardcore punk fans, could be considered brilliant or foolish. The Fugazi crowds came to see a hardcore show, and the sassy-queer jangle-pop of Beat Happening was about as opposite to what they expected as possible. This garnered two reactions: the first was obviously the one that the members of Fugazi were aiming at (unless of course their goal was simply to bring along a band they liked), and that was to provoke thought. The statement was that music can take on varied forms, but it was the message of any music that was important, and any little box that music fans worshipped at the expense of anyone different, needed to be confronted. The second reaction was violence or pseudo-violence--this was still close enough to the classic "punk rock violence" era that people in the audience didn't fear retribution for throwing things at the stage. In an especially important moment in the progression of punk rock thought, an ashtray was thrown at Johnson during a show at the Country Club, in Reseda, California, while he was onstage singing and playing guitar. The ashtray struck him directly in the nose, cutting his nose and spurting blood instantly. Johnson never missed a beat, kept on playing the song, and finished the show. The first thing that Ian MacKaye said, rather in disgust, upon walking on stage, was "that dude (Johnson) is way more punk rock than the pussy who threw that ashtray." The incident got a lot of publicity in the independent music circles and, at least to some extent, elevated Johnson's status amongst traditionally more "punk rock" enthusiasts."

I don't know what else to say, I'm not a writer, just an avid music listener. Listen to the clips and leave a comment if you like.

http://www.imeem.com/jukeboxmusic19/music/lvJ8naki...

http://www.imeem.com/jukeboxmusic29/music/iRObWPWd...

http://www.imeem.com/jukeboxmusic29/music/fsb4s88D...

Along with Low and Codeine, Bedhead helped to pioneer the slo-core movement in the early '90s. Based out of Dallas, the band released 4 e.p.'s and 3 full-length albums before breaking up. Not long after, the two founding brothers formed The New Year.

Listen to the clips and leave a comment if you like.

Crushing

http://www.imeem.com/standardlipsum/music/durn5Vw6...

The Rest Of The Day (my personal favorite)

http://www.imeem.com/people/BhHq81y/music/OQ6Q-7r6...

Parade

http://www.imeem.com/salmonellus/music/bNBN1enD/be...

In order to bring exposure to a lot of top quality bands that deserve the exposure, I'm going to bring up Terrastock, the premiere rock festival in my eyes. Providing random locations and dates, the line-up includes the best psychedlic indie bands out there today. Included is a location of each previous festival and a list of the bands having played. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terrastock

I had the chance to go attend the festival in Seattlein 2000. Outside of not having the cash to see My Bloody Valentine open for Dinosaur Jr on the Green Mind tour, it is the one major musical regret I've ever had. While I am not familiar with a lot of the bands on the pages, it is a great place for the experimental music lover to look for new bands.

Here's samples from some of the bands included.

Bardo Pond - Tommy Gun Angel

http://www.imeem.com/nashvilleskyline/music/sMO63T...

Green Pajamas - She's Still Bewitching Me

http://www.imeem.com/jukeboxmusic8/music/yoyo7d0H/...

Damon & Naomi - Beautiful Close Double

http://www.imeem.com/nashvilleskyline/music/Ma6A02...

Linus Pauling Quartet - Alien Abduction

http://www.imeem.com/sxsw/music/S7FAjc41/the_linus...

Lightning Bolt - Birdy

http://www.imeem.com/rockmusic11/music/w16OIXW1/li...

The Bevis Frond - The Daily Round

http://www.imeem.com/jukeboxmusic8/music/JaXOsRKg/...

As always, listen to the clips and comment if you like.

Jawbreaker was the ultimate punk band coming out of the Bay Area back in the 90's (sorry, Greeb Day!). Putting out four albums in the span of their career, their sound used more complex arrangements and deeper lyrics than their peers but still hit just as hard. Listen to the clips and leave a comment if you like.

http://www.imeem.com/people/27UJhk/music/Qi8q68ZJ/...

http://www.imeem.com/people/uJGr2hV/music/y0oNmkbw...

http://www.imeem.com/people/o_QuCq7/music/-guAZQho...

Sorry, the clips on Youtube were of pretty bad quality so I posted them from IMEEM. Then again, IMEEM is probably the best music sharing site I've found on the web.

Best known as the vocalist for Screaming Trees, Mark Lanegan's projects are vast, including contributions with the Queens of the Stone Age and The Twilight Singers and most lately as a member of The Gutter Twins with former Afghan Whigs frontman Greg Dulli. His solo material, IMO, is his best to date, stripping down the music to showcase his unique soulful voice. Listen to the clips and leave a comment if you like.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VWRfK6F2744

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wzdTv7d72O0&feature...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DvwEkZFfmPk

A former member of the R&P board turned me on to the Murder City Devils about a year ago. A garage band out of Seattle, they put out 4 studio l.p.'s and 1 live CD before breaking up in 2003. Listen to the clips and leave a comment if you like.

http://www.imeem.com/jukeboxmusic8/music/bSO4MNIa/...

http://www.imeem.com/jukeboxmusic8/music/kWAbfP8N/...

http://www.imeem.com/jukeboxmusic9/music/wFcReUpJ/...

IMO, The Waterboys are the Irish band that formed in the 80's that should have made it big (nothing against U2 as I like most of their material). Blending traditional Celtic music with rock, Mike Scott and company released 6 studio albums before he went on to create his own solo carer. The year 2000 came around and the group got back together and have been playing as a band since. Listen to the clips and leave a comment if you like.

Sweet Thing http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wMaePl1HCIM

This Is The Sea http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hk469q3-EIc

Fisherman's Blues http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_VKouBHarIo

For today's band, I decided to pick one from my town that I've been listening to since I moved up here 12 years ago.Dead Moon, formed by the husband & wife team of Fred and Toody Cole, formed back in 1987 and played a mix of dark garage/punk rock until they disbanded 3 years ago and reformed (minus their drummer) into the band Pierced Arrows. Legends in the garage scene, they are better known in Europe than in their own home country despite putting out enough records to make most most-label artists jealous. Rock'n'roll the way it should be. Their live shows had a great tradition; they'd put a candle in an old Jack Daniels bottle and play until the candle burnt down to the base. For more history on the musical legacy of Fred Cole, here's a Wikipedia page detailing his life.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fred_Cole

The Tombstone General Store mentioned in the article was close to where I used to work so I'd stop in there quite frequently during work to pick up whatever I needed. Every once in a while Toody would be in there; I'd talk with her for a minute and she'd tell stories about their time on the road. Real interesting character. Listen to the links and comment if you like.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5_TTecB6s9g&feature...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uPxGleTTvdE&feature...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ZNiv6RISK0&feature...

Despite the dysfunctionalism of founder Antone Newcombe and the fact that he makes the Gallagher brothers look like Mathama Gandhi and Mother Teresa with his selflessness, I absolutely love the sounds of the Brian Jonestown Massacre. A neo-psychedlic group out of San Francisco, their sound is influenced by both the UK shoegaze scene and the 60's psychedelic sound, they ar e probably best known for their relations with The Dandy Warhols as documented in the film Dig! and the fact that they got in a fight on stage before a group of music industry representatives that were looking to sign them to a major label. Needless to say, they are still recording on an indie. Take a listen to the clips and comment if you like.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pkf6jdxrE70

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lEa5ANoKFNQ&feature...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=crb5DFhxRHE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQ_QyKRYo9U

Today's band I'm not all that familiar with as a friend of mine just introduced me to them recently. While I'm still checking out some of their material, I figured I'd bring them up as members of Godspeed You! Black Emperor appeared on their last album and I know there are some big fans of GY!BE in the house. A husband and wife team out of Montreal, they have a really calming sound and I'm definitely getting into them big time. Listen to the clips and leave a comment if you like.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4t16xF5bpv0&feature...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PMOyBHIGjnY&feature...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ygp_jJjKDbY&feature...

IMO, one of the most overlooked indie/alternative/whatever bands here in the R&P is Yo La Tengo. Based out of Hoboken, N.J., Ira and Georgia Kaplan have been putting out music under the monkier for over the last 20 years. Highly acclaimed by both critics and fans, hopefully they will not end their run anytime soon as they keep churning out excellent material. Listen to the clips and leave a comment if you like.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hircSEEbw_8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Az3SHeMHC6c&feature...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-MxCUdEI7_k

Along with Superchunk, Polvo, and Ben Folds Five, the Archers of Loaf helped put Chapel Hill, North Carolina on the indie rock map back in the early 90's. Listen to the clips and feel free to comment.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wJpV_JjrGlU&feature...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=25hYfyM2hu8&feature...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=25ymumzyWMU&feature...

And for poops and giggles, a criminally underrated track from Eric Bachmann's later band Crooked Fingers.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gscvIcAHoCE&feature...

OK, this is geared more towards a specific album today as I've never explored a lot of their material past this album. Mighty Joe Moon by Grant Lee Buffalo is another 90's classic album that was overlooked by the masses at the time. Somewhat nestling in with the alt-country scene of the time, I've listened to this album over and over, always ending it with a heartfelt presence of serenity. Listen to the clips and leave a comment if you like.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D5v16s9mA6A

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=86zN6k7LsBI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=utOw0B6O3Yw&feature...

If you ever get the chance to see him live, Grant Lee Phillips is one heck of an entertainer. Having been to countless shows over the years, I'd put him easily in the top 5 of artists I've seen who can truly connect with the audience. He is an exceptional storyteller who can banter with the audience with the best of them.