Late Century Dream looks at a number of underground regional scenes in the US through the fertile years of the 1980s and 90s, encompassing many different genres under the DIY banner. The book's six key texts each revolve around a key city and/or creative hub of groups. These include: a definitive alternative take on grunge-era Seattle, largely circumnavigating the populist Sub Pop hegemony; the early cop-baiting punk rock, weirdo skronk and post-psychedelic rock of Austin, Texas; a varied oral account of the art school-derived post-punk scene in Athens, Georgia; a personal account of an immersion in the college rock hotbed of Chapel Hill, North Carolina; an in-depth look at Phoenix, Arizona's rich history of left-field alternative and punk; and a geographically de-centralised primer on Chicago s Drag City Records. Illustrated with a wealth of archival and unseen promo, live and 'zine imagery from bands including The Accused, The Gits, Butthole Surfers, JFA, REM, Big Boys and Meat Puppets, Late Century Dream gives an alternative insight into the lasting legacies carved out by bands for whom making it big was rarely an aim. Alongside extended appendices of new interviews and oral material the book provides an insightful social history, featuring newly commissioned texts from Noel Gardner, Pavel Godfrey, Brian Howe, Jimmy Martin, Kevin McCaighy and Louis Pattison who have collectively contributed to various music publications and websites of note including The Quietus, BBC Music, The Guardian, Pitchfork, Independent Weekly, Paste and Edge Mag.