Independent rock, known as indie rock (rock independent of the major label corporations), is music dedicated to the art of rock: it's adventurous, eclectic, defiant, inventive, and restlessly creative. For over 40 years, indie bands have prided themselves on the back-breaking efforts of self-promotion, self-produced albums, homemade album cover art, and even, for the stalwart artist, self-run record labels. Encyclopedia of Indie Rock chronicles the history and development indie rock, providing students, scholars, and music fans with an extensive overview of the musical and cultural phenomenon.

Inside this engaging volume readers will find over 150 entries on the singers and songwriters, producers, labels, and icons who have shaped the genre from the humble beginnings of lo-fi homemade records in the 1960s through the history of seasoned veterans who mastered the fine art of staying afloat despite every obstacle that the cutthroat industry threw at them.

This work also includes a timeline; a resource guide, which includes recommended books and articles, Web sites, and festivals; and indices in both the front and back of the book to make navigation very user-friendly. Necessary and entertaining reading for any indie rock fan who has ever adorned their locker, backpack, or car with a band's logo, Smith captures the history and evolution of the movement in this thorough, illuminating encyclopedia.

Kerry L. Smith is Boston-based music journalist who has written for Rolling Stone, Rolling Stone online, Vh1.com, MTV.com, the Associated Press, Time Out New York, Allmusic.com, Music.com, Alternative Press magazine, The New York Sun, and The Boston Phoenix.