On a Friday night in 1989, the word started drifting through certain circles that a band called The Warlocks was putting on a show outside of Hampton, Virginia. Considering this was the Grateful Dead's original name (they changed it in 1965), many people along the eastern seaboard began scratching th

Classic rock, Expansive, Hypnotic, Improvised, Kaleidoscopic, Open-ended, Organic, Psychedelic music

Carlos Santana is known for his long, drawn-out solos that soar into the highest registers of the guitar. But it would be reductive to say that Carlos Santana is a rock 'n' roll guitarist. Incorporating Afro-Cuban rhythms with jazz and blues influences, his sound is undoubtedly multiple. For more tha

Classic rock, Ecstatic, Improvised, Open-ended, Pathos, Psychedelic music, Spiritual

The electrifying artistic force that was Elvis Presley can't be contained in a single account. Variously thought of as the King, Elvis the Pelvis, a degenerate, and a teen icon, Presley was the living confluence of America's multiple cultures. Born to poor parents in Tupelo, Mississippi, he lived w

Charming, Cool, Lush, Masculine, Mythic, Oldies rock, Pioneering, Pop, Sexy

With lyrics that range from musings on the Eiffel Tower to thoughts on the nature of space, The Pixies clearly transcend the categories of pop, punk, and rock 'n' roll. Their songs, which vacillate between light, almost airy pop tunes and grinding, sci-fi punk, might as well have come from another pl

Absurd, Alternative rock, Intense, Pop, Post-punk, Slangy, Smarty arty pop, Visceral