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Draplin Design Co., North America
Bands We Dig
The “DDC Top Ten of All Time” are as listed:

01. The Goddamn Flaming Lips
02. Son Volt
03. Uncle Tupelo
04. Dinosaur Jr
05. Replacements
06. Paul Westerberg
07. Pavement
08. Richmond Fontaine
09. Red House Painters
10. Wilco

It’s funny how this list dates me. I mean, this list shows just how “locked in the early ’90s” a guy can get. But, those were my formative years, and, these bands are attached to powerful, powerful things like “moving out on yer own” and “falling for a gal” and “getting run over the coals by that same dame” and “missing home” and “being in a northern state that’s a little too remote for my own good” and other heavy situations. You know how that goes. These guys won’t let you down, that’s for sure. Old standards.

Regionally speaking:

Favorite Minneapolis Bands:
01. Replacements
02. Paul Westerberg
03. Hüsker Dü
04. Jayhawks
05. Cows
06. Lifter Puller
07. The Evening Rig
08. Hammerhead

Favorite Detroit Bands:
01. MC5
02. Mule
03. Dirtbombs
04. Bob Seger System, and hell, even the Silver Bullet Band.
05. Death
06. The Stooges
07. Grand Funk Railroad
08. The Spinners
09. Sonic’s Rendevous
10. The Romantics

Favorite Portland Bands:
01. Richmond Fontaine
02. Poison Idea
03. Elliot Smith
04. Red Fang
05. Anything Jicks.
06. Hazel.
07. Danava.

Favorite Chicago bands:
01. The Jesus Lizard
02. Shellac
03. Wilco
04. The Sea and Cake
05. Sam Prekop
06. Tortoise

The Outlaws:
01. Willie Nelson
02. Johnny Cash
03. Waylon Jennings
04. Kris Kristopherson
05. Merle Haggard
06. Johnny Paycheck
07. David Allan Coe
08. Charlie Pride
09. Townes Van Zandt.

Sonically speaking:
01. Flaming Lips
02. Mercury Rev
03. My Bloody Valentine
04. Spiritualized
05. Swervedriver
06. Galaxie 500
07. Jesus & Mary Chain
08. Spacemen Three
09. Polyphonic Spree

Heavy Metal:
01. Black Sabbath. (And none of that Dio crap.)
02. Metallica (Up to the black album.)
03. Baroness
04. Mastodon
05. High On Fire
06. Sleep
07. Red Fang
08. Lord Dying
09. Orchid
10. Danava
11. Pentagram
12. Uncle Acid & The Deadbeats
13. Motörhead

Frontmen:
01. David Yow of The Jesus Lizard.
02. Wayne Coyne of the goddamned Flaming Lips.
03. Gibby Haynes of the Butthole Surfers.
04. Craig Finn of The Hold Steady and Lifter Puller.
05. Bob Pollard of Guided by Voices.

Drummers:
01. Steven Drozd of the goddamned Flaming Lips.
02. John Convertino of Calexico, Giant Sand.
03. Jim White of The Dirty Three, Cat Power.
04. Patrick Keeler of The Greenhornes, Raconteurs.
05. Cody Willis of Big Business, Melivins, Murder City Devils.
06. Todd Trainer of Shellac, Rifle Sport.
07. Mac McNeilly of The Jesus Lizard.

All the warts and moles:
Aerial M, Afghan Whigs, Al Green, Album Leaf, Alison Krauss, Amalgated Sons of Rest, Ana Caram, And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of The Dead, Appendix Out, Archers of Loaf, Arcwelder, Ashtray Hearts, Autumn Defense, Avett Brothers, Azure Ray, Backsliders, Bad Brains, Band of Horses, Barry Black, Bash & Pop, Beatles (From England, y’know?), Belle & Sebastian, Bellwether, Bevis Frond, Black Keys, Big Business, Big Boys, Bill Callahan, Bill Fox, Bill Frisell, Black Diamond Heavies, Black Eyed Snakes, Black Flag, Black Keys, Black Lips, Blonde Redhead, Blitzen Trapper, Blue Cheer, Blue Mountain, Bo Diddley, Bob Dylan, Bob Mould, Bonnie “Prince” Billy, Boss Hog, Bottle Rockets, Bread, Breeders, Brian Eno, Broken Social Scene, Broken West, Bruce Springsteen, Buck Owens, Richard Buckner, Buffalo Killers, Buffalo Tom, Built To Spill, Butthole Surfers (pre-1995), Byrds, Calexico, Califone, Cardinal, Cash Money (bacon friers)Catfish Haven, Cat Power, Caustic Resin, Centro-Matic, Chavez, Cheap Trick, Chet Atkins, Chicago, Circle Jerks, Coachwhips, Cobra Verde, Cows, Crooked Fingers, Cro-Mags, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, Cult, Dag Nasty, Damien Jurado, Danava, Danzig, Davide Bowie, David Vandervelde, Dead Moon, Dearhoof, Deerheart, Deerhunter, Decemberists, Descendents, Dexateens, Dianogah, Dinosaur Jr, Dirtbombs, Dirty Three, Don Caballero, Drive-By Truckers, Dungen, Early Day Miners, Elf Power, Elliot Smith, Eric Bachman, Evan Dando, Evening Rig, Explosions in the Sky, Faces, Feelies, Feist, fIREHOSE, Fluid, Frank Black, Fridge, Friends of Dean Martinez, Fuck, Fucking Champs, Fugazi, Further, Galaxie 500, Gang of Four, Gary Louris, Gastr Del Sol, Giant Sand, Girls Against Boys, Greenhornes, Godspeed You Black Emperor, Golden Smog, Gordon Lightfoot, Gossip, Grand Champeen, Grateful Dead’s first couple “folk” albums, Giant Sand, Guided By Voices, Gutter Twins, Guy Clark, Handsome Family, Harvey Milk, Hazel, Hazeldine, Heartless Bastards, High on Fire, Hold Steady, Hüsker Dü, Ida, Idaho, Jason Isbell, Jay Farrar, Jay Bennett, Jayhawks, Jesus Lizard, Jim O’Rourke, Johnny Cash, Josh Ritter, Josh Rouse, Junior Brown, Juno, Karp, Kathleen Edwards, Kid Dakota, Kill Creek, Kings of Convenience, Kinks, Ladyhawk, Lambchop, Lanterna, Laughing Hyenas, Lifter Puller, Loose Fur, Low, Lucinda Williams, M. Ward, Magnolia Electric Company, Maritime, Mark Kozelek, Meat Pupperts, Meices, Melvins, Mercury Rev, Mudhoney, Mule, Metallica’s first four albums, Modest Mouse’s first couple records, Muslims, My Bloody Valentine, My Morning Jacket, Mike Johnson, Minutemen, Misfits, Neko Case, Neutral Milk Hotel, Night Marchers, Nick Drake, Owen, Oxes, Oxford Collapse, Palace Brothers, Paw, Pentagram, Pernice Brothers, Polvo, Poison Idea, Polyphonic Spree, Poison Arrows, Portals, Preston School of Industry, Archer Prewitt, Promise Ring, P.W. Long, Sam Prekop, R.E.M., R.L. Burnside, Red Fang, Red House Painters, Red Sovine, Richard Buckner, Rogue Wave, Scud Mountain Boys, Sea and Cake, Seam, Seawhores, Sebadoh, Screaming Trees, Scud Mountain Boys, Seven Seconds, Shellac, Shins, Silver Jews, Smog, Smithereens, Spiritualized, Springsteen, Stephen Malkmus, Stereolab, Steve Earle, Stooges, Sufjan Stevens, Sun Kil Moon, Swervedriver, Swell, Tad, Tanner, Texas Is The Reason, Thee Shams, Todd Rundgren, Tortoise, Townes Van Zandt, TV on the Radio, Twilight Singers, Unwound, Urge Overkill, Tom Waits, Whiskeytown, Will Johnson, Will Oldham, Willie Nelson, Witch, X, U2 (1980-1984) and a little band from New Jersey called Yo La Tengo.
There Are 23 Comments

johnny cash ain’t on your list? how can you call yourself a guarronteed midwesterner without the likes of johnny and the boys (waylon, willie, merle, kris and any other highwayman that can hold there own with em)

Posted by: styk on 06/24/05 at 2:37 PM

You should ahve Archers of Loaf on there. They are quite possibly my favorite band of all time and you turned me on to them. Otherwise the list is very well thought out.

Posted by: Chris Owen on 08/23/05 at 6:03 PM

Check out Scott Steele’s new CD “Collected In My
Steps” at www.minorbroadcast.net. The song called
“The Circle Of Things” is awesome. I know you are quote “too busy”, but take 5 minutes out of your life and listen to a great song. If I’m wrong, then tell me………UP

Posted by: Patrick Steele on 10/02/05 at 3:55 PM

where are the fucking Gourds, dawg? WTF?

Posted by: mikealley on 10/25/05 at 5:55 PM

Wow! Quite a list you have there! It’s just missing Galaxie 500, Lee Hazelwood and those party animals The Rutles!

You may (or may not) like my band Silver Springs….we describe ourselves as “amped-up country noisepop soundscapes” but have been called, “A spot on take on the melancholy beauty previously modelled by the Silver Jews and Palaceâ€
(Crud Music Magazine). I can’t vouch for either as I’m biased, but click the link for our mp3s if you get a chance.
Many thanks! Mo Silver.

Posted by: Me outta Silver Springs on 12/05/05 at 9:07 AM

classic punk…Hot Water Music…gotta love it!
also a Michigan band that unfortunately called it quits…Small Brown Bike. Label mates Casket Lottery also one to check out.

oh, Alkaline Trio, Interpol, American Analog Set, all the Saddle Creek Artists, Cursive, The Faint, Criteria, etc.

if you ever shred Vail…let a fellow designer/snowboarder know.

peace

Posted by: mark beresniewicz on 03/04/06 at 10:58 PM

bloc party rulz

Posted by: dave on 08/24/06 at 5:09 PM

Fuck me…I live in Portland and I had no idea The Shins were local.

Time to pull my head out.

Posted by: erat on 08/22/07 at 10:42 AM

Caustic Resin, WARLOCKS, BlackAngels, THE FUCKING GITS!!!, SunKillMoon, and I agree with Chris about the Archers of Loaf as you turned me on to them as well…Crooked Fingers,TransAm,Pelican. Jesus Christ Draplin, your list should be at least three times as long. You’re getting lazy with age.

Posted by: Hottois on 09/03/07 at 6:08 PM

You might like Oliver Future. I heard just one song of theirs and was hooked. Heard online listenting to KUT out of Austin’s eklektikos show, song called “Seppuku Sunday”.

My son’s bands are NOT your style - prog rock - Dysrhythmia, Behold…the Arctopus, Byla. So it goes…

Posted by: Bill Marston on 09/04/07 at 5:47 PM

Need some fresh music? Some music I’ve enjoyed in Gainesville recently: Bridge & Tunnel, Cutman, How Dare you, Lemuria, The Swellers, Towers Of Hanoi, Austin Lucas, Ninja Gun.

I guarantee you’ll like at least one of them.

Posted by: J on 02/16/09 at 7:21 PM

I am stoked to see Neutral Milk Hotel on your list, I just picked up “In The Aeroplane Over The Sea”
On vinyl.

Posted by: Joseph Sheffer on 10/13/09 at 9:43 AM

03? Hüsker Dü? Hüsker Dü is the original cell for 90% of these bands. I’m not gonna redo your list for you or anything but the only way bob and grant should ever be #3 on a list is if it starts with, like, “God” and “Jesus.”

Posted by: colin on 07/13/10 at 5:07 AM

good ear, but I’m a little surprised reading through to not see Kyuss, Queens of the Stone Age or Eagles of Death Metal. Would seem to me that Josh Homme would fit into your style.

Posted by: chase on 07/20/11 at 3:03 PM

Mule, Dirtbombs..must check out Bantam Rooster (T. Jackson Potter & various drummers)..Best two piece from Mi.
Ride in the Wind.

Posted by: Tone on 08/22/12 at 12:58 PM

MOTHER FUCKING CRO MAGS

Posted by: Alex on 11/22/12 at 4:05 AM

We should be in a band (in your 18 minutes of free time per week). Love of 80s MPLS bands + RFontaine = a rare goodness. Rock.

Posted by: dave c on 03/13/15 at 9:25 AM

Great list, man. Just a bit surprised I didn’t see some Pearl Jam, Soundgarden and Nirvana in there. Also Pantera and Sepultura for extra trashing.

Posted by: Thiago on 04/10/15 at 6:31 AM

Yo man!, saw your thing on Collective Podcast with Ash. Awesome stuffs, also saw a few vimeo seminars online. Was bitchin…

I’m headed out to portland, oregon in late june. Gonna do some adventure time with the lady, and I’m looking for some awesome bands to check out during my visit. LET ME KNOW. I’m a 15 year veteran in a punk band, but I’m open to anything rock that rocks. PLZ let me know and I will check it out.

Posted by: Antonio Joyce on 05/12/15 at 12:08 AM

Might I add a #8 to your drummers list? If so, that would be Kevin Garrison of Rabbits.

Posted by: Scott on 07/09/15 at 1:24 PM

I was a little surprised not to see The National in there…they seem so syncopated with the DDC concept and brand and so Americana.

Posted by: Giles or Webconomist on 08/28/15 at 5:31 PM

Hell Yea ! Swervedriver is on your list and Mercury Rev and Archers of Loaf! YOU guys are awesome!

your whole list is amazing…

With what you have there i bet you would love
Roller Skate Skinny - “Horse Drawn Wishes”
Lift To Experience - ” Texas Jerusalem Crossroads”
Idaho -” This Way Out” (or anything or theirs)
The Church Of Philadelphia
Pixies - Bossanova
Brainiac
ect

Posted by: brian tharpe on 08/13/16 at 10:32 PM

I just finished your book and feel compelled to share a punk rock band from Milwaukee with you. I think your team would appreciate the music and the album art. Thanks for the design and work-your-ass-off inspiration!

Posted by: Maddy on 12/26/16 at 10:11 AM
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