Let’s not forget the ladies:
Patty Smith
Slits
Romeo Void
Laurie Anderson
Sinead O’Conner
Bjork! (Sugarcubes)
Sara Lee (bass: League of Gentlemen, Gang of Four)
Bowwowwow
From my understanding he just felt it was time to move on. The new drummer is a “technically” better player but the old one fit the music better. The bassist justin harwood (ex chills bassist) also just left the band =(
He had a kid and moved back to new zealand I believe. He was replaced by Britta phillips. I dont know if she’s any good but she’s cute. They have a new live album due out Feb 6th. Eveyone should have some LUNA in their collect. Your life will be increased tenfold.
PS: I do not play with the band, just a big fan
Ihave heard not heard enough of Luna, but what I have heard, I like.
Godspeed you black emperor! are my favourite band, more or less.
Not yet mentioned are Disco Inferno. Their early stuff sounded a bit like Joy Division. Then they got a very layered, quirky sound. Sadly, they are no more.
AR Kane are another sadly defunct band who made one fantastic album, 69, and another not quite so good one, i.
Sadly very few people in the US have heard of the great band from Finland SENTENCED. Also Sweden’s Opeth is great. One day Opeth will be finally recognized as being as great as Rush.
Do these count? I mean, I haven’t heard of most of any of the other ones people have mentioned, but I think Sinead, at the very least, is well-known enough (in the US at least) to not count as “unheard of”. But I should mention I adore her, along with Bjork. Sara Lee also played bass for the B-52’s, that’s where I heard of her from (she’s in the bathtub in the “Love Shack” video, BTW). Maybe “underappreciated” more than “unheard”?
Anyhoo, my two picks are:
Trashcan Sinatras
Trip Shakespeare
I think both are now defunct…
I also love Rickie Lee Jones and the Cowboy Junkies, but hopefully some of you have heard of them…
This is sort of a popular band, but I’d guess some people haven’t heard of them:
Isotope 217
Yes, they rock and they rock hard. If you are unfamiliar, think Tortoise with a funky twist.