Formed in Brooklyn in 2003, The Consultants were Marisha Chinsky, Brett Whitmoyer, and Mike Hollitscher. Their music is beautifully layered and cinematic, while the lyrics are a neurotic cocktail of hope and discontent. Chinsky sings and writes most of the words, and they are often windows into a compelling world where self-confidence and self-doubt are perpetually vying for the upper hand. In The Mark, for example, she sings
In early 2008, a musical experiment was put in motion between friends and acquaintances. The idea was to put together four musicians from diverse musical backgrounds and see what could happen. Within a few months, Jurojin was born. Featuring a rock singer, a classical Indian tabla player, a jazz bassist, and a metal guitar player, this unlikely combination has been gathering attention and critical acclaim since their live debut in June of 2008 at London’s Borderline club.
The June Brides were an English pop music group, formed in London in 1983, by Phil Wilson and Simon Beesley of International Rescue. Influenced by Postcard-label bands such as Josef K and punk-era bands such as The Desperate Bicycles and The Television Personalities, their mix of guitar pop with viola and trumpet formed a blueprint for many of the c86 bands that would follow. First playing live as a band in August 1983...
Wolfie is a band from Champaign, IL. Consisting of Joe and Amanda Ziemba, Mike Downey and RJ Porter, they rock pop to a different level. Pick up any of their many CD's and if you enjoy this check out Amanda and Joe's husband and wife duo, The Like Young, an amazing, but retired, Chicago Indie rock duet. Fans of the Like Young be warned, with the exception of 'Tall Dark Hill,' their sound is pretty different than what you're used to.
A Witness were an alternative rock band formed in 1982 in Stockport, Cheshire, England, by Rick Aitken, Vince Hunt and a drum machine, in 1986 replaced by Alan Brown (ex Big Flame). Keith Curtis and Noel Kilbride joined the group in 1983. Initially signing to the Ron Johnson label, debut EP Loudhailer Songs put them at the forefront of a wave of Beefheart-influenced bands that emerged in the mid-1980's. They gained further attention due to the inclusion of the track "Sharpened Sticks" on the NME's C86 cassette in the following year.
Close Lobsters were a Scottish indie pop band. According to legend, the band's name was derived from their inability to decide between two prospective names: The Close and The Lobsters. First coming to prominence with the track "Firestation Towers" on the NME's famed C86 compilation, they signed to Fire Records and released their debut single "Going To Heaven To See If It Rains" in October 1986. After landing a support slot with The Jesus and Mary Chain on their tour...
Formed in early-‘80s London, the band were initially a trio centred around singer Jim Shepard. After sending a demo tape to Melody Maker, the band were recruited by Alan McGee to record for the fledgling Creation label. Their self-titled debut album was released in 1985, and in 1986 the band recorded their only Peel session. Further albums Another Age (1988) and Scratch the Surface (1989) drew critical acclaim before the band split. They reunited in 2000, releasing the album Veritas, before the band signed to McGee's Poptones label for the release of Popartglory (2001).
BMX Bandits are a Scottish 1960s-influenced guitar pop band who have been making music from 1986 to the present day. They have shared members with other Bellshill bands Teenage Fanclub and The Soup Dragons. BMX Bandits were formed by songwriter and lead vocalist Duglas T. Stewart out of the ashes of The Pretty Flowers, a group that featured Stewart alongside Frances McKee (later of The Vaselines), Sean Dickson and Norman Blake. The group have had many line up changes throughout the years. Their songs mix melodic qualities and humour with, at times, raw and heartbreaking pathos.
At long last a band is being recognised for the influence it has had without the commercial acclaim that some of their songs deserved.
This seminal Bristol band consisted of a nucleus of Chris Galvin (bass) and David Woodward (vocals and guitars) with Bob Morris (drums) plus various others during their ten years of existence.
Through various styles they created a unique Bristol slant on the 80's which was never deemed glamorous by the press or music gliterrati in general. Some may say that the Bristol scene was insular but it was really about being yourself and getting on with things.
The origins of the Motorcycle Boy go back to Scotland 1985 when a band named after a Fire Engines b-side were formed - Meat Whiplash. They signed to Creation Records releasing one single for that label (which was produced by The Jesus & Mary Chain). In 1987 the band recruited vocalist Alex Taylor from The Shop Assistants and changed their name to The Motorcycle Boy (from a character in the movie Rumblefish).