No-Fi Soul Rebellion

This Bellingham, Washington duo is known for its kinetic mash of soul, new wave and gospel music, not to mention a live show that combines karaoke with guerilla audience interaction tactics. No-Fi Soul Rebellion began life in Missoula, Montana, where Alaskan native Mark Heimer began home recording his eccentric but irresistible funk/punk mutations, choosing to avoid the hassles of inter-band politics by going the solo route. Heimer's work sweats with fat funk riffs, smooth soul passages, and chaotic left turns to ensure the listener is paying attention, put to the service of joyful anthems that target the spirit and the body in equal measure. Performing live with prerecorded instrumentals allowed Heimer to develop his wild, uninhibited on-stage style, and eventually he added wife Andrea Heimer to his lineup of one. She was outfitted with "the Soul System," a homemade instrument made of a hollowed-out guitar body and a mini-disc player, making her one of the few professional air guitarists in music history. The Heimers self-released The Olden Days: Pure Gold and The Varitable Rainbow of Song on their own label, The Glad Sound, but Missoula-based Wantage Records stepped in to help with 2005's Lambs to the Slaughter and a split 7" with local rock institution the Volumen.