What are some great bands/singers that are not mainstream?
Asked by
sjmc1989 (
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)
July 27th, 2009
I have recently been to shows of singers/bands that are not mainstream and have loved the experience of the smaller concerts. I would love to have some suggestions. Thank you.
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22 Answers
Thousand Foot Krutch
Trust Company
Thomas Cunningham
Sons Of Bill
Trapt
The Seeds
Jackie Greene
The Avett Brothers
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I know incredibly little about music. Therefore, if I have heard of a band, I have a hard time believing that they are not mainstream. I have heard of Thousand Foot Krutch, Trapt, and The Seeds.
Well the seeds reside in Charlottesville and are are actually not mainstream, maybe it’s not the seeds you’re thinking of
House of Heroes, Capital Lights, and Anberlin. Check them out.
what kind of music do you like?
you’ll never meet a bigger concert junkie than I am, and I love off the grid bands, I’m you’re guy.
Oh, God. . . TV on the Radio. Frightened Rabbit. Elvis Perkins in Dearland. Passion Pit. Nation Beat. Yeasayer. Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings. White Rabbit. Camera Obscura.
Menomena, Merlinmoon, General Fuzz, Sonhos, Quicksilver Messenger Service
haha TVOR rocks my socks.
Three Silver Mount Zion Memorial Orchestra! Slint is awesome. ...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead is great, but it might be getting into the realm of semi-popular bands. Check out the Black Keys, an excellent blues-rock band – Danger Mouse produced their most recent album. Tegan & Sara, if they are not “mainstream” yet. David Byrne and Taj Mahal are always fun, small shows. Railroad Earth if you like good banjo and jam music – check out their song “Bird in a House” for a good idea of them. Gary Jules. The Yeah Yeah Yeahs. Dr. Dog. Mogwai. The Six Parts Seven.
The Weepies and Neko Case (though she was on Wait, Wait, Don’t tell me a few weeks ago…Does being on NPR make you mainstream?)
efritz and wildpotato had some great ones, others to check out along these lines: Okkervil River, The National, M. Ward, The War On Drugs, The Magnetic Fields.
By “not in the mainstream” I am assuming you mean more “someone you’re not likely to hear on most radio stations any time soon” and not “someone only 6 or 7 people like” or “not someone who NEVER got airplay,” so with that definition in mind, here goes.
Gogol Bordello, Helmet, the Melvins, Enuff Z’Nuff, Bad Religion, The Donnas, Cake, Cathedral, The Sword, Eels, Louis XIV, Lady Sovereign, Eagles of Death Metal, Mondo Generator, Reverend Horton Heat, and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. If you can see ANY of these acts live, you should NOT hesitate. Unless you’re more into quieter music…these are all by and large raucous bands.
Underground British rock: Reuben
They’re not even mainstream here, so I doubt many people (if any) will have heard them across the pond.
Umphrey’s McGee
Blame Sally
Riverside
Threshold
Satellite
@ABoyNamedBoobs03 I love all kinds of music but when i go to small shows i really enjoy acoustic music just a guy with his guitar is my weakness. The past two smaller shows i went to was Joe Firstman and Brian Wright and the Waco Tragedies and I really enjoyed them both.
One time I saw Owsley at a book store over the lunch hour, he did a great show, just him and a guitar. Jim Croce’s son A.J. does a great show with just him and a piano. And if you like harder rock, in addition to my initial suggestions, Danko Jones is one of the best hard rock bands out there right now that hasn’t yet hit the mainstream (at least not in the US, they’re much bigger in Canada where they’re from).
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