While there have been a handful who have had the distinction of pulling a Guest List together from shows they have played, attended, or even worked, none have had such a direct relationship with the tracks as to actually have recorded a handful themselves.

Meet R.J. "home by midnight" Gordon - one-third of Shea Stadium's starting lineup of sound engineers. And although he may rule the stage with the iron-fisted attitude of an old vet who's seen and heard it all, you would be hard pressed to find someone with a more genuine and vibrant appreciation for the live show.

A founder of the now defunct, but fondly remembered, Big Snow Buffalo Lodge, few have logged more hours behind the mixing console at such a young age than Mr. Gordon himself. When he's not too busy making adjustments to the sonic environment, he can be seen and heard as the deep, hazy baritone voice at the forefront of DIY supergroup Baked, in addition to supplying low end of a different kind in both Leapling and Lost Boy.

Easily one of the busiest big dogs in Brooklyn, R.J. manages to do it all with the kind of effortlessness of someone you would be quick to assume spends entirely too much time just sitting around doing nothing all day. If that is the kind of thing that only experience can teach, then RJ has tons of it. It is for this reason that the bands on this list should feel an extra sense of accomplishment - the cream of the crop as declared by the farmer himself. -AR