Simple Plan　

Simple Plan is one of Canada’s most successful punk-pop acts, featuring a lineup comprised of former high school pals Pierre Bouvier (vocals), Jeff Stinco (guitar), David Desrosiers (bass) ..more

Jeff Tweedy　

Jeff Tweedy first rose to prominence with Uncle Tupelo in the late ’80s and early ’90s, but with his own group, Wilco, he would step out from the shadow of that legendary alt-country group an ..more

Joy Division　

Formed in the wake of the punk explosion in England, Joy Division became the first band in the post-punk movement by later emphasizing not anger and energy but mood and expression, pointing a ..more

Jonny Greenwood　

Best known as Radiohead’s innovative jack of all trades -- a multi-instrumentalist equally comfortable playing guitar, xylophone, sampler, or keyboards -- Jonny Greenwood also pursued a solo car ..more

The Style Council　

Guitarist/vocalist Paul Weller broke up the Jam, the most popular British band of the early ’80s, at the height of their success in 1982 because he was dissatisfied with their musical direction. ..more

Stiff Little Fingers　

A taut, explosive Belfast-based punk band, Stiff Little Fingers (named after a Vibrators song) had the dubious distinction of being referred to as The Irish Clash. What must have seemed ..more

Split Enz　

Best known for their early-’80s new wave pop hits, particularly I Got You, Split Enz -- after surviving a dizzying array of image and personnel changes and a full decade without any reco ..more

The Smashing Pumpkins　

Of all the major alternative rock bands of the early ’90s, the Smashing Pumpkins were the group least influenced by traditional underground rock. Lead guitarist/songwriter Billy Corgan fas ..more

Sex Pistols　

The Sex Pistols may have only been together for two years in the late ’70s, but they changed the face of popular music. Through their raw, nihilistic singles and violent performances, the band revo ..more

Soft Cell　

Art students Marc Almond and Dave Ball formed Soft Cell, a synth pop duo famed for its uniquely sleazy electronic sound, in Leeds, England in 1980. Originally, vocalist Almond and synth pl ..more

Dinosaur Jr.　

Dinosaur Jr. were largely responsible for returning lead guitar to indie rock and, along with their peers the Pixies, they injected late-’80s alternative rock with monumental levels of pure guit ..more

Tame Impala　

The sound of spacy, guitar-heavy psychedelic pop has never really gone out of fashion since the Beatles brought it to the mainstream in the late ’60s, with proponents like Pink Floyd and the F ..more

Deftones　

Deftones were one of the first groups to alternate heavy riffs and screamed vocals with more ethereal music and hushed singing -- spawning a fair amount of imitators in their wake. The group first ..more

Depeche Mode　

Originally a product of Britain’s new romantic movement, Depeche Mode went on to become the quintessential electro pop band of the 1980s. One of the first acts to establish a musical identity based ..more

David Sylvian　

Following the 1982 dissolution of Japan, the group’s onetime frontman David Sylvian staked out a far-ranging and esoteric career that encompassed not only solo projects but also a series of fasc ..more

David Byrne　

Talking Heads　

This eclectic, sometimes eccentric, and highly acclaimed rock band was formed in early ’70s when David Byrne, Chris Frantz and Tina Weymouth met at the Rhode Island School of Design. Almost 10 years s ..more

Durutti Column　

The Durutti Column was primarily the vehicle of Vini Reilly, a guitarist born in Manchester, England, in 1953. As a child, Reilly first took up the piano, drawing inspiration from greats like ..more

Nine Inch Nails　

Nine Inch Nails were the most popular industrial group ever and were largely responsible for bringing the music to a mass audience. It isn’t really accurate to call NIN a group; the only officia ..more

Nick Heyward　

Nick Heyward (vocals, guitar) left his band Haircut 100 just when they were cruising through the pop charts in the U.K. Instead of destroying his career, the move actually provided him with m ..more