There are at least two artists with the name Rainman: 1. Rainman is the name of a soloproject by Frank Nuyens, a former member of the Dutch group Q' 65. He recorded the album 'Rainman' in 1971, a collection of songs influenced by British folkrock and songwriters from the American Westcoast. 2. For years, Rainman has been building serious skills on mic and decks alike, cementing his presence within the Brisbane and Sydney hip-hop scenes.
The sun-soaked hills of Southern California have inspired many a studio autéur - from Brian WIlson to Phil Spector to Harry Nilsson, each having paid tribute to California in song & craft. Frank Maston knows a little bit about craft (and Southern Cali to boot), having spent his youth in suburban Los Angeles, absorbing the meticulously crafted discography of Msrs. Spector, Wilson, Bacharach, & Morricone, all the while mentally re-scoring the music to old Prisoner episodes & other filmography from the sixties & seventies.
"Autre Ne Veut ('I want no other') was inscribed on the back of a gold and garnet hat ornament (ca. 1475) found at Hanley Castle in Worcestershire. It is rumored to be the gift of an English Duke to his French mistress, but this is simply conjecture." - Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City www.autreneveut.com
In the 60s, Colin Blunstone was the lead singer of the Zombies, a British band that developed a distinctive, jazzy sound, in which his soft, laid-back, almost hesitant voice was beautifully offset against the equally soft, but flexible and pointy instruments of organ, drum, and bass. The Zombies disbanded. In the early 70s, Blunstone re-emerged as a solo act, and scored several major hits. The music featured rhythm guitar now and ranged from string arranged melodies, to rock, to American folk.
Julia Shammas Holter is a classically-trained keytarist from Echo Park. After infiltrating Human Ear Music headquarters dressed as an intern, she wrote and recorded her own release on the label. Her music is witty, surreal and optimistic. She plays without sarcasm in the terrains that divide sentimentality, passion, and control. Her songs are written instinctively, and treated with an off-kilter fastidiousness, working orchestral variety from minimal instrumentation.
Lotus Plaza is the solo project of Deerhunter's Lockett pundt. His debut LP, entitled The Floodlight Collective, was released on March 23, 2009 by Kranky. Pundt has cited his greatest musical influences as being Stereolab, My Bloody Valentine, and Roxy Music, "on a subliminal level." A second album, Spooky Action at a Distance, was released on April 2, 2012.
Jacco Gardner is a neo-psych/baroque pop multi instrumentalist from The Netherlands. He creates a unique sound by combining the sounds of harpsichord, strings, flutes and other classical instruments with raw psychedelic effects. His music is influenced by artists like Billy Nicholls, Duncan Browne, The Zombies, The Beach Boys, Curt Boettcher, Pink Floyd, Bo Grumpus. Jacco released his debut 7-inch single in february 2012 called 'Clear The Air' with 'A House on the Moon' as its B-side on Action Weekend Records.
There is more than one band called The Herd. 1. The Herd is a hip-hop group from suburban Sydney. They have released four full-length albums since 2001's self-titled debut. Unusually for a hip-hop outfit, The Herd's full band format permits dynamic live shows. The Herd's members include MCs Ozi Batla, Urthboy and Berzerkatron, Unkle Ho (beats), Traksewt (piano accordion, clarinet and beats), Sulo (beats and guitar), Toe-Fu (guitar), Rok Poshtya (bass) and singer Jane Tyrrell. Their songs often feature politically-oriented lyrics.
There are several artists named The Outsiders (11 are mentioned here): (1) The Outsiders were a sixties beat band from Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Formed in 1960 as a neighbourhood band from Amsterdam East, The Outsiders became one of the most succesful Dutch groups of the 1960s. They made some lastingly great records and never recorded anyone else's material, with singer Wally Tax writing the lyrics and guitarist Ron Splinter the music for nearly all of the twelve 45s and three LPs they made.
Subrosa5 are a 6-piece Thames Valley band playing power pop with a dash of 60's psychedelia and Blues. Current members are Jonny Dickinson, Doug Peters, Neil Peters, Andy 'Duke' Boothroyd, Martin Pratt and Tony Bradford. Initially influenced by the shoegaze scene of the early 90's - Ride, Catherine Wheel, Slowdive etc. they added some New Wave, Americana and Psychedelia to their sound through influences such as Arthur Lee, The Doors, Joy Division & Gram Parsons. They released the All My Life EP in Summer 2006 and have recently released the much lauded 'Hellfire Raves' LP in Autumn 2009.