with so much writing on mog about new bands, i thought it might be nice to offer some suggestions to some of the younger moggers of bands to check out from the indie days of yore. my dad is dead was one of the most underrated indie acts of the late 80s/early 90s. in fact, mdid is not really a band. it's a man. a guy named mark edwards, who will strike most, upon first introduction, as a man with an axe to grind, a guy who's been dealt a lousy hand. a great deal of his music reflects this perception. mark began making noise on a national level in 1985 in clevland, ohio. he put out several albums on the now-legendary indie labels homestead, scat, trance syndicate, and emperor jones. i spent a lot of time with these records, and they had an emotional, visceral, brooding quality that is rarely acquired in rock music without veering into self-parody or silliness. this guy meant business and was honest in a way that seemed rare, especially in the superficial, glossy, me era of the 80s.several years ago i received a recording of a band called interpol. a fellow musician and friend was married to the drummer of this band. at the time, they had not exploded. i immediately felt that i had heard this music before - this brooding, flat-vocal delivery amid swirling walls of guitar. a joy division influence, for sure. but whether intentional or not, this was treading in the footsteps of my dad is dead (who also was surely influenced by joy division). instead of becoming hip on interpol, i dug out my old mdid releases and rediscovered a great artist that had gotten lost in the shuffle. edwards didn't have the pretty-boy look, or trendy haircut. he didn't have the dapper goth appeal of a carlos d. in fact, he walked with a slight limp, was bespectacled, and resembled a recluse more than a rock star. mark has since transplanted to chapel hill, nc, where he continues to make music under the mdid moniker. unfortunately he will probably never be appreciated to the extent that he deserves, but he remains a vital artist who has left behind a compelling legacy. many great artists that i knew personally throughout the 80s and 90s were influenced by his music, and many covered his songs in concert (my band also performed a version of one of his compositions, and we were fortunate to have been able to have performed with mark). it'd be great if someday someone put together a mdid tribute record, or if at the very least (thanks to the internet) became late-blooming fan of the man.on mark's mdid website, he has posted numerous mdid albums for FREE. among them you'll find the masterpiece 'the taller you are, the shorter you get', as well as 'let's skip the details', 'the best defense', and numerous rarities and compilation tracks. unfortunately, 'chopping down the family tree' is not available (the track 'without a doubt', below, is from that record, but this version is from a john peel session and still excellent) , but i would urge anyone who digs 'taller' to seek out 'chopping down the family tree', as well as his later (and current) releases.please check out the following free tracks. they won't disappoint. and they very well may suck you in to the entire catalog.whirlpoolwhat can i dobabe in the woodsnothing special