In June, after months of begging for submissions, we began our loose documentation of alt.rock’s history in the First State. We admitted in our first installment that we define alt.rock as “leftfield music—often punk, indie, electronic, and/or psychedelic—outside the mainstream.” We couldn’t possibly include everyone, and we (nicely) ditched our new friends for some old ones, leaving out recent bands “in favor of a historical approach.” Part one profiled Boysetsfire, Dead Loretta, the Elk-Tones, Facedown, Gangster Pump, Infection, and Jake & the Stiffs. Here are five more.

Licorice Roots Next to the Spinto Band (see last month’s cover story), Licorice Roots might be the greatest indie-rock band to ever come out of Delaware. But despite praise from Pitchfork, Rolling Stone, CMJ, Magnet, Melody Maker, and New York, and an early album produced by Kramer (the other Kramer), the lo-fi trio never broke big. They bang on with new recordings; their latest is the great Strangers in Marshmallow Boots. For more of what they’re up to, see pg. 42.

The Metrosexuals With influences by way of Billy Corgan and Trent Reznor, the Metrosexuals played a gadget-heavy live show in the mid-2000s, one that put rock, electronic, and well-crafted melody in one loud room. The promise of a debut—Kitsch—never panned out, and the band, which later morphed into Blackswan, called it quits.

Mother Nature’s Blacklight Rainbow Picking up where Infection left off—sort of—guitarist Sean Pierce returned to Delaware intent on avoiding the hardcore-punk scene. “I had done everything I wanted to do with it,” he says, “and things had gotten too violent. Too many shows ended in riots.” Pierce linked up with Newark’s MNBR in the early ’90s, just as Nirvana and the Seattle sound were taking over. “Everyone in the band was really talented,” Pierce says, “and there was this feeling that something big was happening.” MNBR’s metallic, disorienting, pyro-heavy sludge rock (think Melvins or Tool with more flash) was put on full display at many intense live shows, including those at Fire Fest and Wilbur Fest. The band even found a fan in Todd Phillips (Old School, The Hangover), who directed a couple of videos. MNBR’s run ended in 1997; Pierce now combines rock ’n’ roll and fire-breathing in the Toilet Boys, who’ve shared stages with Red Hot Chili Peppers, the Damned, and Motorhead.

Petland Space-rock concept albums have never been an easy sell, but Petland made a go of it—you remember Miss Roboto, don’t you?—from the late ’90s until 2007, when they released their appropriately titled fourth album, Watching Things Get Stopped. Most-recent guitarist Rick Martel also deserves a mention, having been in To Althea from Prison, Young Vulgarians, Lolita Nation, and Deaf Not Dead (several of those projects included Brian Bartling, who with Martel records many local bands).

The Scenic Route This Newark-based foursome caught the ears of critics in the mid-2000s for their mix of emotional rock and atmospheric soundscapes, which drew comparisons to Sunny Day Real Estate and Explosions in the Sky and culminated in an excellent album, North, released last year. They disbanded shortly after but remain good friends.

This is the second in a three-part series. Check back next month for the final installment.