Don Fleming

Don Fleming might very well be a genius, or at least one of the hardest-working men in Indie Rock. In addition to producing records for the likes of the Smithereens, the Dictators, Sonic Youth and Teenage Fanclub, he's been in a multitude of bands including B.A.L.L. (with Bongwater's Kramer), Dim Stars (with punk god Richard Hell and indie icon Thurston Moore), and his original outing, Velvet Monkeys, to name a few. His love of all things rock is apparent in the diversity of his solo outings and various group projects. Fleming is just as likely to churn out driving, Old-School Punk (with a sly sense of humor), as he is to deliver achingly pretty ballads featuring nothing more than his sweet voice, guitar and keyboards. And let's not forget the Noise Rock workouts in which Fleming and his cohorts du jour explode their amps in a sonic fury. Regardless of the degree to which he's involved with any given project, he always brings a vast knowledge of music, a wry sensibility and a keen intelligence.