The Kropotkins

Formed under a moniker borrowed from a 19th-century Russian anarchist, the Kropotkins served as Dave Soldier’s avant-garage rock outlet. Soldier, who composes for and plays violin in the Soldier String Quartet while holding a professorship in psychology and neurology at Columbia University, brought a broad and varied résumé to the group: he had performed on guitar alongside Bo Diddley, worked with John Cale and Elliott Sharp, scored the 1996 pictures I Shot Andy Warhol and Basquiat, and produced the orchestral piece “Ice-9 Ballade” in partnership with Kurt Vonnegut. The lineup also featured Memphis-based singer Lorette Velvette, percussionist Samm Bennett (leader of History of the Last Five Minutes and Chunk), drummer Jonathan Kane (formerly of Swans, Sirens, Rhys Chatham, and LaMonte Young’s Forever Bad Blues Band), improvisational violinist Mark Feldman, and bassist/guitarist Dog, born Mark Deffenbaugh. In 1996 the band released its self-titled debut, which fused punk, Delta blues, and avant-garde experimentation; 5 Point Crawl appeared in spring 2001.