WAlternate Learning was a power pop/new wave band from 1977 to 1982, based in Davis, California and fronted by Scott Miller, a singer-songwriter later known for his work as leader of the 1980s band Game Theory and 1990s band the Loud Family.
WAnimotion is an American synthpop band from Los Angeles, California, best known for the songs "Obsession", "Let Him Go", "I Engineer", and "Room to Move".
WThe Aquabats are an American rock band formed in Huntington Beach, California in 1994. Throughout many fluctuations in the group's line-up, singer The MC Bat Commander and bassist Crash McLarson have remained the band's two constant fixtures. Since 2006, The Aquabats' members also include keyboardist Jimmy the Robot, drummer Ricky Fitness and guitarist Eaglebones Falconhawk.
WArt in America is an American progressive rock band that achieved success in the early 1980s. They are best known for their self-titled song "Art in America" released in 1983.
WBerlin is an American new wave band formed in Los Angeles in 1978. The band gained commercial success in the 1980s with singles including "Sex ", "The Metro", "No More Words" and the chart-topping "Take My Breath Away" from the 1986 film Top Gun. The best-known lineup consisted of singer Terri Nunn, bass guitarist and vocalist John Crawford, keyboardist David Diamond, guitarist Ric Olsen, keyboardist Matt Reid, and drummer Rod Learned.
WBig Deal were a pop/rock band composed of Kacey Underwood and Alice Costelloe. Underwood was raised near Yucca Valley in California while Costelloe came from an artistic household in London. They rose to prominence following the release of their second album June Gloom which received airplay on BBC 6Music in 2013. Support for the band from grass roots movements and Lauren Laverne of 6Music have seen the band invited to tour Europe with Depeche Mode in 2014. On 1 September 2016 they announced they had decided to break up.
WBlack Randy and the Metrosquad was an American punk rock band from the late 1970s and early 1980s in the Los Angeles punk scene. They gained notoriety not only for their surreal and smutty sense of humor, but also for their amalgamation of proto-punk, 1970s porn, pop, and avant-garde music.
WBlondie is an American rock band co-founded by singer Debbie Harry and guitarist Chris Stein. The band were pioneers in the American punk and then the new wave scene of the mid-1970s in New York. Their first two albums contained strong elements of these genres, and although highly successful in the United Kingdom and Australia, Blondie was regarded as an underground band in the United States until the release of Parallel Lines in 1978. Over the next three years, the band achieved several hit singles including "Heart of Glass", "Call Me", "Rapture" and "The Tide Is High". The band became noted for its eclectic mix of musical styles incorporating elements of disco, pop, reggae, and early rap music.
WBook of Love are an American synthpop and electronic band, formed in 1983 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and later based in New York City. Led by vocalist Susan Ottaviano, the band also includes keyboardists Ted Ottaviano, Lauren Roselli and Jade Lee. The band gained its first exposure as the opening act for two Depeche Mode tours in 1985 and 1986. The group has been described by the Houston Press as "forward thinking" for lyrics dealing with sexual orientation and gender roles.
WThe Breakfast Club was an American musical group. Their biggest hit single was "Right on Track", which peaked at no. 7 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart. The song was remixed for a commercial release in a 12" version for dance and club play by John "Jellybean" Benitez and became a top 10 hit on the Billboard Magazine Hot Dance Club Play chart.
WThe Call was an American rock band formed in Santa Cruz, California in 1980. The main lineup consisted of members Michael Been, Scott Musick, Tom Ferrier and Jim Goodwin. The band released nine studio albums over the next two decades before disbanding in 2000. Their 1986 song, "I Still Believe ", was covered by Tim Cappello and included in the 1987 film The Lost Boys. The band also achieved significant success with "Let the Day Begin" in 1989 which reached No. 1 on the Billboard U.S. Mainstream Rock chart and was later used as a campaign theme song for Al Gore's 2000 Presidential Campaign.
WThe Cars were an American rock band formed in Boston in 1976. Emerging from the new wave scene in the late 1970s, the line-up consisted of singer, rhythm guitarist and songwriter Ric Ocasek, bassist and singer Benjamin Orr, lead guitarist Elliot Easton, keyboardist Greg Hawkes and drummer David Robinson.
WCock Robin is an American pop rock band, mostly popular in the 1980s, particularly in continental Europe, where it achieved major success, notably with the single "The Promise You Made". The band was founded by singer-songwriter Peter Kingsbery in 1982, disbanded in 1990, and reformed in 2006.
WCrime was an early American punk band from San Francisco, California, United States. The band was formed in 1976 by Johnny Strike, Frankie Fix, Ron "The Ripper" Greco, and Ricky Tractor (drums). Their debut, the self-financed double A-side, "Hot Wire My Heart" and "Baby You're So Repulsive", appeared at the end of 1976, and is the first single released by a U.S. punk act from the West Coast.
WThe Del Fuegos were a 1980s garage-style rock band. Formed in 1980, the Boston-based band gained success in 1986 on success of their songs "Don't Run Wild" and "I Still Want You" and appearing in a widely seen television commercial for a beer company. The band's fans included Tom Petty, who appeared on one of the band's songs and featured them as an opening act on one of his tours.
WDevo is an American rock band from Akron, Ohio, formed in 1973. Their classic lineup consisted of two sets of brothers, the Mothersbaughs and the Casales, along with Alan Myers. The band had a No. 14 Billboard chart hit in 1980 with the single "Whip It", the song that gave the band mainstream popularity.
WDog Police is a short-lived 1980s new wave band from Memphis, Tennessee that briefly gained notoriety for the music video of their 1982 single, "Dog Police". In 1983, the video was featured on MTV's late-night show Basement Tapes, which aired homemade music videos and asked audience members to call in and vote for their favorites. "Dog Police" won a semi-final round in January 1984, but came in second in the finals. The video played in light rotation on MTV through February 1984.
WA Drop in the Gray are an alternative musical group formed in 1983, and a pioneer of the Los Angeles 1980's music scene. They produced one critically acclaimed album, and several lesser recordings before disbanding in 1986. Founding members Danny Phillips and Colin Campbell are apparently actively writing and recording again with a view to releasing new material as well as a planned re-mastering and re-release of their debut album.
WThe Epoxies were an American new wave band from Portland, Oregon, formed in 2000. Heavily influenced by new wave, the band jokingly described themselves as robot garage rock. Members included FM Static on synthesizers, guitarist Viz Spectrum, lead singer Roxy Epoxy, bass guitarist Shock Diode, and drummer Ray Cathode. They grew in popularity due in large part to extensive touring in both the United States and Europe where they showcased frantically paced, highly energetic on-stage productions. They were known for using special effects for their live act and sporting home-made costumes, sometimes made mostly of duct tape.
WFaded Paper Figures is an American indie pop electronica band from Los Angeles, California. FPF is known for their electro-organic sound sometimes compared to bands and artists like Weevil, The Postal Service, Belle and Sebastian, Lights and Morrissey. The band consists of three members, R. John Williams, Kael Alden, and Heather Alden (vocals). The band formed in February 2007 and released their debut album Dynamo in 2008. Their second album New Medium, was released on May 25, 2010. Their third album The Matter was released on October 22, 2012. The band's fourth album, Relics released on August 5, 2014. Their latest E.P Chronos was released on January 24, 2017. The band announced a new album "Kairos" for summer 2020.
WThe Fibonaccis were an American art rock band formed in 1981 in Los Angeles. The band consisted of songwriters John Dentino (keyboards) and Ron Stringer (guitar), Magie Song (vocals), Joe Berardi (drums) and later Tom Corey (bass).
WGet Smart! was a three-piece post-punk band formed in Lawrence, Kansas, in 1980 consisting of Marc Koch, Lisa Wertman Crowe and Frank Loose. The band released 2 studio albums along with some singles and EPs over a 10 year career.
WGhostland Observatory is an American music duo based in Austin, Texas, United States. Their music has been described as a combination of electro, rock and funk by Allmusic, and "electro-dance soul rock" by Gothamist.
WThe Go-Go's are an American new wave band formed in Los Angeles, California in 1978. Except for short periods when other musicians joined briefly, the band has had a relatively stable line-up consisting of Charlotte Caffey on lead guitar and keyboards, Belinda Carlisle on lead vocals, Gina Schock on drums, Kathy Valentine on bass guitar, and Jane Wiedlin on rhythm guitar. The Go-Go's rose to fame during the early 1980s. The band is the first all-female band that both wrote their own songs and played their own instruments to top the Billboard album charts.
WThe Hooters are an American rock band from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. They combine elements of rock, reggae, ska, and folk music to create their sound. The Hooters first gained major commercial success in the United States in the mid-1980s due to heavy radio airplay and MTV rotation of several songs including "All You Zombies", "Day by Day", "And We Danced" and "Where Do the Children Go". They opened the Philadelphia portion of the Live Aid benefit concert in 1985. In Europe, they had success with the singles "All You Zombies" and "Johnny B" but their breakthrough across Europe came with the single "Satellite".
WInformation Society is an American band from Minneapolis–Saint Paul, initially active from 1982 to 1997, primarily consisting of Kurt Harland Larson, Paul Robb, and James Cassidy; the latter two reconvened the band in 2006, initially with Christopher Anton as lead vocalist, then with Harland rejoining them as lead vocalist by 2008.
WThe Knack was an American rock band based in Los Angeles that rose to fame with its first single, "My Sharona", an international number-one hit in 1979.
WThe Micronotz, also known as the Mortal Micronotz, were an American punk rock/alternative rock quartet formed in 1980 in Lawrence, Kansas, that, along with bands like The Embarrassment and Get Smart!, were prominent on the local music scene in Lawrence in the early 80s.
WMissing Persons is an American rock band. The band was founded in 1980 in Los Angeles by guitarist Warren Cuccurullo, vocalist Dale Bozzio, and drummer Terry Bozzio. They later added bassist Patrick O'Hearn and keyboardist Chuck Wild. Dale's quirky voice and heavy makeup made the band a favorite on MTV in the early 1980s.
WThe Motels are an American new wave band from Berkeley, California that is best known for the singles "Only the Lonely" and "Suddenly Last Summer", each of which peaked at No. 9 on the Billboard Hot 100, in 1982 and 1983, respectively. In 1980, The Motels song "Total Control" reached No. 7 on the Australian chart, and their song "Danger" reached No. 15 on the French chart.
WMr. Mister was an American rock band from Phoenix, Arizona, active from 1982 until 1990. The band consisted of Richard Page on lead vocals and bass guitar, Steve George on keyboards/backing vocals, Pat Mastelotto on acoustic and electronic drums/percussion and Steve Farris on guitars/backing vocals. Mr. Mister was the successor to the band Pages, fronted by Page and George from 1978 to 1981.
WThe Network are a six-piece new wave band. A secret side-project of punk rock band Green Day, they released their debut album Money Money 2020 on Adeline Records on September 30, 2003. After a seventeen-year hiatus, the band became active again in 2020, announcing a followup album entitled Money Money 2020 Part II: We Told Ya So!
WNew Collisions is a new wave pop band from Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA.
WNovember Group were an alternative musical group, and a participant of the Boston new wave scene in the early 1980s. The group was formed primarily around two female musicians, vocalist and guitarist Ann Prim and keyboardist Kearney Kirby. Other members included Joel Beale and Alvan Long. The band took their name from a group of early twentieth-century German expressionist artists known as November Group. The group's musical style has been described as cold wave.
WThe Plimsouls are an American rock band formed in Paramount, California in 1978. The band recorded two full-length albums and an EP before splitting up in 1984. Different configurations of the original members have reunited intermittently since.
WPolyrock was an American post-punk/new wave band formed in New York City in 1978 and active until the mid-1980s. Strongly influenced by minimalism, the group was produced by the composer Philip Glass and Kurt Munkacsi. The band, led by singer/guitarist Billy Robertson, had a keyboard-heavy, pattern-based sound strongly reminiscent of Glass's work; in fact, Glass performed on their first two albums.
WThe Pretenders are an English–American rock band formed in March 1978. The original band consisted of founder and main songwriter Chrissie Hynde, James Honeyman-Scott, Pete Farndon, and Martin Chambers. Following the deaths of Honeyman-Scott and Farndon in 1982 and 1983, the band experienced numerous personnel changes; Hynde has been the band's only consistent member.
WPylon was an American rock band from Athens, Georgia, United States. The band's danceable sound, a blend of new wave, post-punk, jangle pop, alternative rock and funk rock, influenced the Athens music scene and the 1980s American pop underground. AllMusic wrote that Pylon's "role as elder statesmen of the alternative rock explosion is unassailable".
WThe Romantics are an American rock band, often put under the banner of power pop and new wave, formed in 1977 in Detroit, Michigan, United States. The band's first show was on Valentine's Day at My Fair Lady Club, in Detroit, opening for the New MC5 in 1977. They were influenced by 1950s American rock and roll, Detroit's MC5, the Stooges, early Bob Seger, Motown R&B, 1960s North American garage rock as well as the British Invasion rockers.
WRomeo Void was an American new wave/post punk band from San Francisco, California, formed in 1979. The band primarily consisted of saxophonist Benjamin Bossi, vocalist Debora Iyall, guitarist Peter Woods, and bassist Frank Zincavage. The band went through four drummers, starting with Jay Derrah and ending with Aaron Smith. The band released three albums, It's a Condition, Benefactor and Instincts, along with one EP. They are best known for the songs "Never Say Never" and "A Girl in Trouble "; the latter became a Top 40 pop single.
WThe Sharks were a new wave band founded in Lancaster, Pennsylvania in 1979, by Doug Phillips, Steve Zero (guitar), Sam Lugar, and Dave Sheaffer. Shea Quinn later joined the band in the 1980s.
WShiny Toy Guns is an American rock band formed in Los Angeles, California in 2002. The band is composed of guitarist/vocalist Chad Petree, vocalist Carah Faye Charnow, keyboardist Jeremy Dawson, and drummer Mikey Martin.
WSparks is an American pop and rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1967 by brothers Ron (keyboards) and Russell Mael (vocals). Known for their quirky approach to songwriting, Sparks' music is often accompanied by sophisticated and acerbic lyrics, often about women or Shakespearean literature references, and an idiosyncratic, theatrical stage presence, typified in the contrast between Russell's animated, hyperactive frontman antics and Ron's deadpan scowling. They are also noted for Russell Mael's distinctive wide-ranging voice and Ron Mael's intricate and rhythmic keyboard playing style. They were much more successful in the UK compared to their native US.
WThe Split Squad is a Rock and Roll band composed of Clem Burke (drums), Michael Giblin (bass/vocals), Josh Kantor (keyboards), Eddie Munoz, and Keith Streng (guitar/vocals). Each member came to the public's attention as a member of another band, e.g., Burke is in Blondie, Giblin founded the Parallax Project, Kantor is in The Baseball Project, Munoz is in The Plimsouls, and Streng is in The Fleshtones. Since many of the members of the band follow baseball, this led Annie Laurent Streng, Keith Streng's former wife, to propose the band's name. The term refers to the practice, during Major League Baseball's Spring training, of teams often playing "split-squad games". This occurs when a team splits into two sub-teams, or squads, and each squad plays a game against another team on the same day. In addition to touring on both coasts, Canada, and Europe, the band's debut album, Now Hear This... was available for sale at shows in late 2013, and officially released through the usual online vendors in CD format on January 21, 2014. The album was released on vinyl in time for Record Store Day - April 19, 2014.
WSue Saad and the Next was an American new wave band from Los Angeles, California. Its self-titled first album reached No. 131 in the US Billboard 200 in 1980. Sue Saad and the Next also provided part of the soundtracks for several films during the 1980s such as Roadie (1980), Looker (1981) and Radioactive Dreams (1985). Saad performed in Radioactive Dreams and voiced the main theme for Looker.
WSuzy Saxon and the Anglos were an American musical group formed in the early 1980s, a part of the new wave rock music scene. Based in Richmond, Virginia, the band was a creation of vocalist Suzy Peeples and guitarists Bob Bonham and Ray Fralin; drum and bass lineups changed often over the years but most often featured Nat Warriner and Jon Heckel respectively. Attractive blonde Suzy and her four male bandmates evoked comparisons to early Blondie, and the group's first single was heralded enthusiastically by fanzines and college radio. Though large-scale commercial success eluded them, they performed and recorded for over a decade.
WTalking Heads were an American rock band formed in 1975 in New York City and active until 1991. The band was composed of David Byrne, Chris Frantz (drums), Tina Weymouth (bass), and Jerry Harrison. Described by the critic Stephen Thomas Erlewine as "one of the most critically acclaimed bands of the '80s," the group helped to pioneer new wave music by integrating elements of punk, art rock, funk, and world music with avant-garde sensibilities and an anxious, clean-cut image.
W'Til Tuesday was an American new wave band formed in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. The band, consisting of Aimee Mann, Robert Holmes (guitar), Joey Pesce (keyboards), and Michael Hausman (drums), was active from 1982 to 1989. They are best known for their 1985 hit single "Voices Carry".
WTom Tom Club is an American new wave band founded in 1981 by husband-and-wife team Tina Weymouth and Chris Frantz, both also known for being members of Talking Heads. Their best known songs include "Wordy Rappinghood", "Genius of Love", and a cover of The Drifters' "Under the Boardwalk", all released on their 1981 debut album Tom Tom Club.
WTuxedomoon is an experimental, post-punk, new wave band from San Francisco, California, United States. The band formed in the late 1970s at the beginning of the punk rock movement. Pulling influence from punk and electronic music, the group, originally consisting of Steven Brown and Blaine L. Reininger, used electronic violins, guitars, screaming vocals and synthesizers to develop a unique "cabaret no-wave" sound. Bassist Peter Principle joined the band and in 1979 they released the single "No Tears", which remains a post-punk cult classic. That year they signed to Ralph Records and released their first album, Half-Mute. Eventually, Reininger left the group, and Tuxedomoon relocated to Europe, signing to Crammed Discs and releasing Holy Wars in 1985. The band separated in the early 1990s, only to reunite later that decade. They all have remained together since releasing the album Cabin in the Sky in 2004.
WUh Huh Her is an indie/rock/electropop band that was formed in January 2007. The band's name came from an album by artist PJ Harvey, titled Uh Huh Her.
WVietnam is a rock, post-punk and new wave band from Atlanta, Georgia on Scared Records. Vietnam first appeared at the dawn of a new decade—the 80's, and ushered in a fresh era of music to the Atlanta new wave scene. Embraced by the early 80's cavalcade of Athens bands such as R.E.M., Pylon, Method Actors, Love Tractor, etc., Vietnam wowed the patrons of the legendary 688 club, 40 Watt club, and the Agora Ballroom. Their first performance was opening for Public Image Ltd. in April 1980, and the next year they played the Noise Fest in New York, appearing on the ZG compilation release of the same name along with Sonic Youth, Glenn Branca, Y Pants and others. They released their first full-length album on Scared Records in 2004, Past Away.
WVoice Farm is a musical group and video collective based in San Francisco. Vocalist Charly Brown and sound designer Myke Reilly form the core of the group, who met in 1980. Voice Farm's musical style has evolved from their influential early-1980s synth-pop sound. In 1991 they released a hit single, "Free Love". A fascination with popular culture and media continue to fuel Voice Farm's creative projects, including videos that they have on their website. Guitarist Ken Weller and back-up singer Marilynn Fowler are featured on the group's latest album, entitled Super Nova Experts (2009).
WWall of Voodoo was an American rock band from Los Angeles, California, United States, best known for its 1983 hit "Mexican Radio". The band had a sound that was a fusion of synthesizer-based new wave music with the spaghetti Western soundtrack style of Ennio Morricone.