Neil Michael Hagerty

• Genre: Indie/Alternative

About

Some say he is the reincarnation of Duane Allman, which would be impossible since the two were alive at the same time, but maybe Hagerty is the gift God gave us in return for taking Duane so early. As a member of Pussy Galore, he taught the band the songs from Exile On Main Street that ended up being their first, (cassette-only) release and a coveted bootleg item ever since. Later on he proved himself to be the true genius behind their music when he offered "Don't Jones Me" on Historia De La Musica Rock, a song that combines spaz punk dissonance with '70s Boogie sleaze and pure driven-by-addiction vocals. This affinity for Classic Rock has always been the thing that set him apart from the hipster indie underground world to which his music is inextricably connected. His music is too weird for the mainstream (Virgin Records dropped RTX like a hot potato one and a half albums into a three-record deal). At the same time, Hagerty's musical output is too connected to things considered uncool by the indie underground to be widely accepted in the snooty circles of college-grad hipsters. To be fair, Hagerty's work at times appears to be way off the mark and indulgent. But that's just because he evolves faster than the rest of us.

- Mike McGuirk