Taking their name from a 19th century Russian anarchist, the Kropotkins were the avant-garage rock project of Soldier String Quartet composer and violinist Dave Soldier, a professor of psychology and neurology at Columbia University with an extensive and eclectic musical background: in addition to playing guitar with Bo Diddley and collaborating with John Cale and Elliott Sharp, he arranged the scores to the 1996 films I Shot Andy Warhol and Basquiat and produced "Ice-9 Ballade," an orchestral collaboration with Kurt Vonnegut. Also comprised of Memphis-based vocalist Lorette Velvette, percussionist Samm Bennett (the frontman of History of the Last Five Minutes and Chunk), drummer Jonathan Kane (an alumnus of Swans, Sirens, Rhys Chatham, and LaMonte Young's Forever Bad Blues Band), improvisational violinist Mark Feldman, and bassist/guitarist Dog (born Mark Deffenbaugh), the Kropotkins issued their self-titled debut -- a synthesis of punk, Delta blues, and avant-garde experimentation -- in 1996. 5 Point Crawl followed in spring 2001. ~ Jason Ankeny