The Residents

Nowhere in music will one find a band as artfully odd as The Residents. Hailing from San Francisco (by way of Louisiana) and cloaked in anonymity, the band has produced a massive number of avant-garde recordings dating back to the late 1960s. Primarily known for such '70s masterworks as Eskimo, Duck Stab and The Commercial Album, The Residents has managed to keep its bizarre stage show and prolific recording career going well into a fourth decade.

The "music" the band creates can be atmospheric, noisy, dense and challenging, usually all at the same time. Normally wearing giant eyeball costumes with top hats, the four tormented minds behind the project have hidden their real identities as they have continued to push the boundaries of performance art. Hugely influential on such bands as Primus and They Might Be Giants (but sounding nothing like either act), The Residents is truly a unique combo.

Releasing upward of 70 Albums and EPs, The Residents have rarely found an idea worth dismissing. Occasionally such mass production has resulted in a few clunkers along the way (avoid 1989's misguided Elvis send-up The King & I), but as a concert experience, The Residents shouldn't be missed.