5 best underrated or unknown bands and why?

Hey, I can do a shameless plug for a friend of mine who's making some excellent music, right? If you're into amazing, often sublime lyrics with a very talented, folkey guitar back, this is the best stuff going, in my experience. Danny Schmidt Also a huge fan of an Argentine fellow by the name of Daniel Melingo. A celebrated tangoista who is known for stripping the veneer of respectability off and "putting the whorehouse back in the tango." First effort is Tangos Bajos -- well know in Argentina, but I've yet to find it here in the States. If Tom Waits were Argentine, into the tango, a little more sodden and a whole lot darker, he'd sound just like this. Finally, although it's definitely a little more widely known, check out the Orishas album, A lo Cubano (and that you can find on Amazon). Cuban rap blended with very traditional Cuban jazz, even with some of the folks from Buena Vista Social Club on a few tracks. Likely one of the most successful fusions I've heard, a really different and exciting sound, and a very solid and deep album to boot. I know lots of folks around these parts are quick to turn their noses up at anything that smacks of rap, but this is one that might begin to broaden horizons--a lot of good stuff going on.

Flim Flam Man...Mpls' best post-punk band...new Cd "Try to sell this"...

Sean and Ben Cambell thank you for your inputs,I like your choice for Foetus and his other projects like Steroid Maximus.I have few more like Death in June,Curent 93,Spk from Australia,Art Zoyd and Magma from France.For me I incline to like Artists who don't care how many records will sell,who don't go with trends and are not played on radio,those are my heroes not Top 10 artists!!!(I am not saying they don't deserve it).So now you guys undertand what I meant?Thanks

Eddie From Ohio -- (great vocals, lyrics, instrumentals and stage presence)

Tower of Power -- (best funk horn band on the planet)

Liquid Soul -- (great mix of jazz, R7B, hip-hop and funk)

Michael Tomlinson -- (best folk artist I have ever hear with an incredibly smooth, distinctive and expressive voice)

Mae Moore -- Michael Tomlinson' female equivalent

Hey Mike,
Gotta agree w/ the Uz Jsme Doma pick. The 1st couple of times I caught them live I thought I was gonna forget how to breathe...totally astounding stuff. The 3rd time (Ears tour) was a dud. I heard the same assessment from a couple of other Doma freaks who went to different shows. I really hope they can rebound.
Here are a few other interesting and mathematically twisted bands that can hog up and hold hostage lots of valuable cranial contents:

Miriodor, depraved, often sombre, rock influenced instrumental carnival music. These guys are playing at the Nearfest pre show on 6/27,(if your're there, introduce yourself ,I'll be the tall ugly bald guy in the 2nd row).

Lucas Niggli's Zoom, Trombone/Guitar/Drums trio, completely makes moot any line between improvisation and composition. The spiraling trombone flatulations, smearing guitar swells and amazingly inventive drumming all print in the head like the most carefully rehearsed and composed compositions.

Massacre (w/ Fred Frith) All 3 of their discs are HUGE! Every guy in the band is a #&*%!! musical genius who is constantly crunching tonal and percussive possibilities. When they put out a record there's a helluva' lot of cool previously unavailable angular poop to soak up. Sometimes you may get your head blown off and have to screw it back on before you can learn how to listen, but it's a small price to pay.

Loch Ness, Mexican instrumental guitar/bass/drums trio, you might end up w/ something like this if you stuck King Crimson (Red era) in a room and made them listen to early Black Sabbath non stop for a week and then got them to record a spaghetti western soundtrack. Has a great primitve underground feel alot like High Fidelity Orch. (also from Mexico)

Fermata, Start w/ the 1st two (available on one disc) This band was on fire! it's really obvious that new discoveries were popping up for them all the time. It's not a stretch to say this band was the Chech equivalent of the Mahavishnu Orch. (Inner Mounting Flame or Birds of Fire days). You'll hear guitar, bass and keyboard sounds from Fermata that aren't on any Mahavishnu records, so if you dig the best Mahavishnu stuff and you haven't heard this, you're really in for a treat.

X-Legged Sally, Slow Up disc is a good one to start with. Sound like a bunch of Zappa-fied Dolphy headed Bartok-ers. The Zappa element is pretty much from the Grand Wazoo/WakaJawaka period. Real groovy bass clarinet work and meticulously precise choppy passages are especially prevalent on Slow Up and Land of the Giant Dwarfs.

Okay, that was six, sorry.

Here are 5 more excellent brain fryers that ya' shouldn't ought to overlook:
Kada
Blast (Sringy Rugs is my fave)
Trettioariga Kriget (1st)
A Noise Fragment (live ep)
Tipographica