The Sidewinders / Sand Rubies

The Sidewinders were a band from Arizona - the southwest of the US - and their music reflected their arid, sun-parched homeland. Unfortunately, after 2 major label releases, they were forced to change their name to Sand Rubies, which seemed to break any momentum they had.

Tamikrest

Tamikrest is a group of Tuaregs from Mali playing a kind of desert blues. It is a trance-inducing, highly addictive music that lies at the crossroads of African and Middle Eastern traditions. Highly recommended.

Iggy Pop

Mild-mannered James Newell Osterberg slips on some skin-tight Levi's, rips his shirt off and transforms into The Iguana.

The Stooges

Legendary.

Pixies

At this point, I would think every fan of indie-alterna-rock would have everything by the Pixies... but maybe not.

Concrete Blonde

One of the all-time great L.A. bands.

The Church

One of those albums I never really get tired of listening to. Starfish has some of my favorite dual-guitar interplay ever. It's shimmering and dark and mysterious and completely immersive. And what a treat that they're still making great music almost 30 years later.