Overlooked #5 and #6

Not a whole lot of bands come from Ohio, and not many bands were well-known and respected that hailed from Canada until recently. But the Waitresses were a fantstic example of an overlooked Ohio band, and Martha and the Muffins was a damn good Toronto-based group, before that was the place to be.
It's expected that bands will usually live in or around NYC or LA. Critics and writers don't seem to be too interested in any other locations ... the "mid-west" seems to be description enough for any group that isn't from one of the above listed hot spots. In fact, it's sort of a novelty to be from the "mid-west" (think Saddle Creek here, folks) ... plus, the "mid-west" sounds oh so much better than like, Fargo, right?
Anyways, there was only enough room for approximately three Ohio-based bands in the 70s and 80s, and those lucky three were the Pretenders, Pere Ubu, and DEVO. The Waitresses were a close number three, but didn't quite make it for some reason. Formed in 1981, the group was one of the first "one-hit-wonder" bands, with "I Know What Boys Like" [almost] hitting the Top 40. The band was unique and ahead of its time in that they used their lack of talent in certain areas to their advantage. There was no singer, really ... instead, Patty Donahue perfected her dry, cheeky voice and made it blend perfectly with her group's pop nuggets (and utilized her sex appeal in an attempt to become more popular). The songs were tailored to fit Donahue's attitude, and that made them all the more interesting. Chris Butler was the obvious balls of the operation - writing and recording "I Know What Boys Like" and other early Waitresses songs back in the late 70s - however, and the band soon split (in 1983 or so) because of intra-band tensions.
Martha and the Muffins, on the other hand, was a more group-oriented effort. The band debuted with Metro Music, which featured their hit, "Echo Beach." They were an early light-hearted and fun new wave group before the style was dominated by Duran Duran and other lame "period bands" to put it nicely. Simple, yet dancey, Martha and the Muffins set themselves apart by also adding in a sax to many of their tunes. Really well done stuff ... much more timeless and classic than other 80s pop groups.