Reza is a mix of indie rock and melodic folk.

Queen embodied 1970s glam rock--mixing heavy riffs and intricate vocal harmonies with a gender-bending image. Freddie Mercury's operatic voice and Brian May's guitar were multi-tracked ad infinitum to create pomp-rock in the grandest sense. In the '8…

The comparisons between transatlantic duo the Kills and Detroit, Michigan's White Stripes are inevitable, especially since both units are comprised of only two members (one female and one male), utilize the same instruments (just guitar and drums), a…

Amidst a field overcrowded with teen-pop and nu-metal, Detroit's White Stripes emerged at the tail end of the 1990s as a new hope for gutsy, no-frills rock & roll. Their doggedly minimalist sound--just one guitar and a drum kit--heralded a return to …

This Boston quartet comprised Gary Cherone (b. 26 July 1961, Malden, Massachusetts, USA; vocals), Nuno Bettencourt (b. 20 September 1966, Azores, Portugal; guitar), Pat Badger (b. 22 July 1967, Boston, Massachusetts, USA; bass) and Paul Geary (b. 24 …

AC/DC is generally regarded as a titanic force in the world of heavy rock, occupying a sphere of seminal influence right alongside Kiss. These Australian guitar gods--led by Angus Young, an axe-wielding man-boy in a school uniform--churn out songs la…

Of all the artists to emerge in the late 1960s, none inspired greater awe than Jimi Hendrix. After touring with numerous R&B bands, the guitarist moved to London in 1966 and assembled the Jimi Hendrix Experience. His U.S. return at the Monterey Pop F…

From the youthful arrogance of their early 1960s recordings to their ambitious rock operas and the more introspective FM rock staples of their mid-1970s albums, the Who raged like a rock-&-roll inferno. Pete Townshend's guitar fireworks and Keith Moo…

Carlos Santana is one of those rare guitarists whose sound is instantly recognizable. His fiery, soulful blend of rock, blues, and Latin music made his band, also named Santana, an international success. From 1960s San Francisco psychedelia to '70s f…

The four neo-punk/pop upstarts from Toronto who make up Sum 41 formed the band while they were all still in high school, and the youthful exuberance of those days can still be strongly felt in their 2000 debut EP HALF HOUR OF POWER. The endearingly b…

Like Velvet Revolver (but with a more political bent), Audioslave appeared in the mid-2000s as a post-grunge supergroup pounding out stripped-down heavy rock. The band is spearheaded by Chris Cornell, whose wailing vocals formerly graced archetypal '…

Formed from the ashes of British blues-rockers the Yardbirds, Led Zeppelin shot to the stratosphere in the early 1970s. With Dionysian frenzy and a blast of blues-drenched riffs, they became one of the biggest bands of the era. Their intense musical …

In 2000, Coldplay emerged seemingly out of nowhere to become a worldwide smash with their debut album PARACHUTES and hit single "Yellow." They're generally lumped in with the Britpop crowd, but, like Travis, they favor a more thoughtful, melodic pop …

Late-1980s/early-'90s rock had totally lost the gritty feel of the '60s and '70s until Lenny Kravitz rediscovered the magic retro formula. Kravitz's sonic template was based on a combination of glam, soul, and psychedelia, and it made him a massive s…

From their first Syd Barrett-led psych-pop record to their concept albums and elaborately presented live shows of the 1970s, these space-rock pioneers reached unprecedented heights of commercial and aesthetic success. Their '73 opus, DARK SIDE OF THE…

From Detroit, Michigan, USA, Electric Six have performed under various names since their inception as the Wildbunch (a moniker the band still prefer) in 1996. Formed by Jackson Pounder (vocals) and Martin M (drums), the Wildbunch made their recording…

Coming from the heartland of America (Little Rock, AR), Evanescence mixes the heavy guitar crunch of nu-metal with the moody atmosphere and electronic flavoring of goth rock. Singer/keyboardist Amy Lee also bears the influence of singer/songwriters l…

Irish singer/songwriter Damien Rice started out in 1997 in a band called Juniper, which was signed to a major deal but fell apart before it could make a full album. Shortly after that, Rice hit the road as a solo artist. His first album, 2003's O, in…

Formed in 1999 in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, Hot Hot Heat looked back nearly 20 years for inspiration, as they fashioned their sound after quirky post punk outfits such as XTC and the Cure. After a number of personnel changes, the line-up se…

Musically minimalistic and visually outrageous, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs were at the center of the revival of post-punk and garage rock that made New York City a rock & roll hotspot again in the early 2000s. After the success of the Strokes, the trio (led…

Nebraska-born singer-songwriter Josh Rouse, who started his recording career after moving to Nashville, began in an organic, rootsy vein. By the time of his third album, UNDER COLD BLUE STARS, he had graduated to a more pop-oriented approach with inc…

When the garage rock revival hit big in the U.S. in 2001 with the Strokes, White Stripes, et al., it came as a surprise to many fans that a number of Swedish bands had been doing it longer and arguably better. Of these, the hyperactive Hives broke th…

John Mayer emerged in 2001 as the fresh young face for a new generation of earnest singer-songwriters. While Mayer's work is as confessional, intimate, and acoustic-guitar-based as that of old-schoolers like James Taylor and Jackson Browne, his appro…

The pride of Colleyville TX Bryce Avary recorded and released two initial EPs before taking the Rocket Summer to stages worldwide Avary signed with The Militia Group in 2002 and released the Calendar Days LP a short time after a gifted songwriter and…

The chart success of this Los Angeles, California, USA-based rock quintet's 2001 debut, Camino Palmero, can be attributed to the rise in popularity of radio-friendly melodic heavy rock acts such as Creed, Train and Nickelback. Alex Band (vocals) and …

The late 90s saw a resurgence of brash and politically incorrect rock outfits crop up in the USA, notably Buckcherry, D Generation, the Toilet Boys, and especially, Nashville Pussy. Originally formed in Georgia during 1996, the band comprising the hu…

When young singer/pianist Norah Jones arrived in New York City from Texas, few expected that within a couple of years she'd be a chart-topping, MTV-friendly, press-besieged sensation. Yet she charmed listeners by the truckload with her 2002 Blue Not…

Five Iron Frenzy were one of the seemingly thousands of ska-punk bands that dominated the post-grunge mainstream modern-rock scene of the late 90s The group -- comprised of Reese Roper vocals Micah Ortega guitar Scott Kerr guitar backing vocals Keith…

Singer-songwriter Ryan Adams started out as the leader of Whiskeytown, one of the most highly regarded alt-country bands of the late 1990s. By 2000, he was a solo artist, delivering a mostly acoustic set of Dylanesque tunes on HEARTBREAKER. By the ti…