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What is The Upper Crust?

The Upper Crust is a community of recording artists dedicated to the preservation of original music through creative experimentation, exploration, and improvisation, whose ultimate objective is to expand the boundaries of recorded sound while simultaneously promoting positive aesthetic arousal.  The Upper Crust is not limited to one specific genre; in fact, we prefer not to categorize the groups contained herein and usually refer to everything simply as "original music."  "Original" being the operative word, enthusiasts of rock, funk, jazz, groove, experimental, space, novelty, electronic and more may find that The Upper Crust has much to offer, yet asks very little in return.  All of the artists that comprise our collective are eager to find an audience.  They're interested in making their music available to a wide variety of listeners, and what medium provides such a powerful distribution of information than that of the internet?

Our goal is to create a community where free-thinking individuals interested in genuine original music can discover and purchase new, exciting recordings by various artists that comprise "the crust". The list is quite extensive, covering many styles of music by groups located in or around the central Pennsylvania area.

You'll find new releases from Planet Ass and Cosmic Vending Machine, plus the self indulgent Ffej's Career Capsule: The Evolution of Ffej in a Box, a retrospective that chronicles almost 20 years of recording activity! Our fantastic back catalog includes selections from Blather's Kite, Bunker Hill and more.

You'll also find various recordings by community artists, along with complete track listings, musicians' names and year of release, plus a brief overview of the album.  To give you an idea of what you're purchasing, we've also included a list of popular groups that have been cited as influences of the groups within The Upper Crust.  Songs also reminiscent of, or influenced by, certain artists are included solely to provide a starting point and compass with which to guide you, NOT as a labeling tool!  We only include these comparisons to help you select the music best suited for your personal tastes.

We hope you enjoy our web site and encourage you to purchase some new music right away! Many exciting bands are waiting to be heard!  The prices are cheap (usually $3 to $4 per selection) and include postage and handling.  All material has been copyrighted by law, but feel free to make copies for friends and family!  And, as always, any feedback is greatly appreciated!  If you'd like your group and/or recordings to be a part of The Upper Crust community of artists, please e-mail us with any info regarding your music. Thanks!

For a brief history of The Upper Crust, click here.

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