Excepter is an experimental music group from Brooklyn, founded in 2002 by No-Neck Blues Band member John Fell Ryan. They have released their work on labels such as Load Records and Animal Collective's Paw Tracks, and are known for their improvisational approach to playing both live and in the studio.
The Village Voice alt-weekly has mentioned the subject of the band's attire, with blogger and (former) Voice writer, Nick Sylvester referring to them as having "ousted Animal Collective as the Village People of Brooklyn Noise". The significance of their hats was noted several more times.