The Red Krayola

Since its inception in the late 1960s, the Red Krayola have been one of the most consistently engaging bands of rock's avant garde. In its nearly four decades of existence, the band has had three distinct stages: the first as a fractured, Beefheart-esque psychedelic act in Texas; the second as something of a U.K. post-punk supergroup with founder Mayo Thompson at the helm; and the third as a post-rock supergroup headed, again, by Thompson. Despite the various incarnations, two things remain constant about the band: the presence of genius frontman Mayo Thompson, and a level of inventiveness, sonic experimentation, and songcraft rarely seen in rock music, its underground, or elsewhere.