Formed by drummer Evan Schiller and bassist Paul Hinklin as a "power duo," Sadhappy puts to shame the use of "drums n' bass" in other genres of music. Releasing albums on their own Periscope label, Sadhappy pushes the interplay of proggish bass and jazzy drumming to the front of the mix. The duo is joined by other musicians for each album-the saxophonist Skerik on 1992's Depth Charge, 1993's Live, and 1994's The Good, The Bad... and The Scary, by guitarist Bill Frisell on one track of Live, and by Windham Hill bassist Michael Manring on 1998's Good Day Bad Dream.

With their emphasis on bass guitar and song titles like "Home Lobotomy Kit" and "Everybody Thinks I'm an Asshole (But I'm Really Just a Skull Bongo)," comparisons to Primus have been legion. But their roots extend much deeper- namely, to the bass-fronted jazz-rock trio Back Door, which in the early 70s boasted a similar line-up of drums, bass, and sax. Sadhappy's current trio of two basses and a drummer might be compared to Magma's use of an "Air Bass" and an "Earth Bass." The double-bass format would be a disaster in the hands of the less talented, but it's worked brilliantly for Sadhappy. Their preference for spoken word also helps-not being tied to lyrics, the band is free to engage in every instrumental whim. ~ Paul Collins, Rovi