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Sunday, June 30, 2013

Drop Dead Famous

Happy Sunday everyone! I hope you're all having a great weekend. I've got yet another stellar indie band to share with you, so I hope you've got the volume cranked waaay up, because there's no better way to listen to today's installment!

Without further ado, I give to you, my faithful readers and lovers of all things indie music, Windsor, Ontario, Canada's very own Drop Dead Famous!!!


Drop Dead Famous are Rob Higgins, lead vocals; Chris Blais, synths/vocals; Dave Sinewitz, lead guitar/vocals; Chris Holmes, drums/vocals & Scott Holmes, bass/vocals.

I've been staring at that smiling skull on my Twitter feed for what seems like forever and I want to personally apologize to the guys for taking so long to check out their tunes. I downloaded their 3 EP set off of iTunes last night and haven't turned them off since! This is one of the most impressive 8 song EP sets that I've come across yet.

Just when I think I've decided that Again is their best song...


Surrounded comes on...


Then Ten-09 hits my earholes and I'm convinced this is the closest thing to indie rock nirvana that I can get!


Drop Dead Famous is here to show the "big boys" of today's mainstream modern rock what an indie band from Canada can do sooo much better than all of them. Intelligent lyrics combined with huge guitar riffs and pulse pounding percussions serve notice to the world that Drop Dead Famous is about to take over!



Don't let this one pass you by. When they hit it big, and they will, I don't want to have to tell you that I told you so!

The official Drop Dead Famous website 

Follow Drop Dead Famous on Twitter

Like Drop Dead Famous on Facebook

Follow Drop Dead Famous on SoundCloud

Download Drop Dead Famous on iTunes

I want to thank Drop Dead Famous for their song For You. It's a song about a soldier being deployed and his wife and child waiting for him back home. I have friends and extended family that have served and are still serving in our country's military defending our freedom here in the States, and my now 18 year-old nephew recently enlisted in the Navy. This song now takes on a new, more personal meaning for me. No matter what your personal beliefs are in regards to war or politics, remember that these soldiers are out there defending our freedoms every day. NEVER lose sight of that fact. Pray for our soldiers.


Support unsigned artists... give indie music a chance.

Wednesday, June 19, 2013

ROBĒ

It's happened again... I've found another obsession in the world of indie music.

Tonight, I give to you, my faithful readers, one of the most original indie bands I've had the pleasure of discovering for myself.

Hailing from Kansas City, Missouri, USA, I present, for your musical enjoyment, ROBĒ (pronounced Row-bee).


"Country is a state of mind, rock is a verb, and genres are irrelevant." I couldn't come up with a more perfect description of this band if I tried. Not at all like a traditional country band and not at all like a traditional rock n roll band, ROBĒ has created a sound so unique, it takes you a moment to realize there's a cello playing in a southern rock song!

ROBĒ is Jeff Robe, lead vocals & acoustic guitar; Ryan Jasperson, drums; Mike Schmidt, lead guitar & backing vocals; Mike Eager, guitar, backing vocals & mandolin; Luis Santos, cello & Dave Lucas, bass.

About 10 seconds into their first song that I listened to on their official website, Truth of Love, I downloaded their 2009 EP, Shine off of iTunes and have been listening to it nearly non-stop for 2 days. They are THAT good people! Drawing on many influences in traditional country music and classic southern rock bands, ROBĒ is forging a sound for themselves that will undoubtedly make them a force to be reckoned with in mainstream country music. And I have no doubt that this is going to happen very soon for them!




This is definitely one of those "can't miss" bands that come along all too infrequently these days. I hear they're working on new material these days. I can't wait to see that they give us next, or what the future holds for them. They've got a fan for life over here!

TheOfficialRobe.com

Follow ROBĒ on Twitter

Like ROBĒ on Facebook

Follow ROBĒ on SoundCloud

Download Shine on iTunes

Support unsigned artists... give indie music a chance.

The WHY (band) Weep official video viral challenge

Good evening my faithful indie music junkies! I'm getting ready to post another blog for you of a new band I've discovered, but before I do, I want to give something a shot. Hopefully you'll go along with this so that we can see what the power of the people can accomplish!


WHY is an alt/rock band based out of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada that many of you will recall from my post introducing them to you this past February (http://supportunsignedartists.blogspot.com/2013/02/why.html). Just a few weeks ago, they released their official video for their latest single Weep. This song is full of emotion and has such an inspirational message about not losing hope that it deserves and needs to go viral on YouTube. This is where you come in. As best as I can tell, any video on YouTube becomes viral sometime after 100,000 views. I know that seems like a lot for a video that's been out for just a few weeks, but it can be done. 

What I need for each and every one of you to do is this: I normally post videos within the context of this blog, but for the views to actually count, the video MUST be viewed on YouTube itself. Here is the link:

WHY - "Weep" official video

I often put myself out there for the indie artists that I follow and support because I believe in them and the music that they give to us. WHY is another example of my unwavering support. It's time that the whole world is introduced to this amazingly talented band, and the fact that this very blog is currently being viewed by people in 21 different countries around the world, there is no reason why we can't get Weep to go viral!!!

What is it that you need to do you ask? You already know the answer to that. Click on the link to the video, watch it. Like it. Comment on it. SHARE it with your followers on Twitter. SHARE it with your friends and family on Facebook or MySpace (yes, it's making a comeback!), Pinterest, Tumblr, whatever social networking site you prefer, SHARE, SHARE, SHARE!!!!!

WHYTheBand.com 

Follow WHY on Twitter

Like WHY on Facebook

WHY on ReverbNation

WHY on MySpace 

Buy music from WHY on iTunes 

Buy music from WHY on CdBaby 

Subscribe to the WHY YouTube channel 

I have faith in you, my faithful readers, that we can do our part to help Weep go viral. Now get out there and watch and share!!!

Support unsigned artists... give indie music a chance.


Sunday, June 16, 2013

Don't let the music die...

Hey everyone! It's Father's Day. I was spoiled this morning by my wife and daughters with a delicious breakfast. Now I'm relaxing before we head to the lake for the afternoon. As I'm relaxing, I've got my trusty iPad pumping tunes out for me. And of course, it's as loaded with indie music as my equally trusting iPod is!

This brings me to today's impromptu post. I started to think back on the past few years of my indie music discovery, more in particularly the past year and the indie artists that we've lost. For me, the past year exemplifies what Don McLean sang about back in '71, because for me, the music has died somewhat.

Just this past year, we have lost three of the greatest bands to ever strap on a guitar or pick up a drum stick; Lit on the Flash, August Rising and You vs Me. These are just three bands within my limited (so far) circle of indie artists that I follow and support, but it got me to thinking about how many other bands/solo artists there are that have called it a day lately. Anyone who reads this blog or follows me on Twitter knows how I feel about the state of today's mainstream radio. There's no need to rehash that here, although I can not be held accountable for the words that will leave my fingers as I type!

Today's mainstream radio is chock full of acts that are hand picked by record execs to maximize their profits and line their pockets. Period. There really is no other way to describe it. Did you notice that I didn't refer to them as "artists"? In my dictionary, an "artist" first and foremost is one who exhibits originality and creativity. There isn't much of that going around the radio dial these days. Everyone seems so concerned with having crossover appeal that they turn their back on their own beginnings and hook up with acts from other genres and create train wreck after train wreck that end up on MY iPod thanks to me not turning off the auto download feature (thanks of course to my soon to be 11 year old daughter). EDITOR'S NOTE: I unfortunately do preview any song that my daughter asks me about buying. She gets, as part of her allowance, a $25 iTunes gift card each month. She earns that by keeping up with her chores and keeping her grades up in school, so I can't deny her the right to buy music with the money she has earned. I can, however, nix any song I deem as flat out crap or for having inappropriate content for her age. I frequently exercise those rights, by the way :)




I was asked once by a co-worker what I would do if any one of the indie artists I support happened to hit it "big". When I started supporting indie music, I never considered that question. After I was asked, I thought long and hard about it, and the answer is, not one single thing different than what I've always done. What those who aren't into the "indie scene" don't realize is that this is more than a fan following a band or solo act. We become family in a sense. Friendships are forged. I have had the pleasure to get to know several of these artists on a personal level and it's their friendship that I value above everything else. They exhibit the human qualities that, should their time come and they do hit it "big", will keep them the same humble, grateful people that they are today.




Bottom line, support unsigned artists. There's a reason I put that tag at the end of EVERY post on this blog. Without the support of their fans, these artists can't go on forever. There is no money from the big record execs lining their pockets. They rely on us to buy their music (don't expect them to give it to you for free all the time... it wasn't free for them to record it, so give back to the artists EVERY chance you get). They rely on us to show up at their gigs. I lost track a long time ago of how many miles I put on the roads of Maine and New Hampshire following Lit on the Flash around from town to town, gig to gig. Every mile is a memory that I will forever hold near and dear. One of the biggest advantages that you as fans have is living in the digital age we're in. Social networking can be a very effective tool for supporting your favorite artist(s), but you have to be willing to put in a little time and effort. Facebook, Twitter, Pintrest, LinkedIn, MySpace (yes, it's making a comeback), Google+... whatever your flavor, use it to your advantage. We can't take back music if we don't all do our part!

DON'T LET THE MUSIC DIE!




Thanks again for taking the time to read my ramblings. These three bands are undoubtedly just a small sampling of the indie acts that we've lost recently. All of their music is still available for you to purchase and download online. DO NOT miss the opportunity to keep their sounds alive and kicking. Who knows, even though they've individually moved on to other projects, there always has been and hopefully will be a "who knows" mentality for each of them!

Buy music by Lit on the Flash on BandCamp

Buy music by August Rising on iTunes

Buy music by You vs Me on BandCamp

Support unsigned artists... give indie music a chance.

Saturday, June 15, 2013

Project Dirty

Good Saturday night to you, my faithful readers of all things indie music! How has everyone's weekend started out? Good I hope!

It's time to introduce you to a pop music duo that's about to take over mainstream radio. I'll be the first to admit that I haven't exactly been the biggest supporter of most artists on mainstream radio. I can probably count on one hand the number of mainstream artists that I still follow since I've embarked on my journey of indie music discovery. Of that handful, there isn't a single one on the pop radio charts today. Sad, I know. Just a few short years ago, the genre was still somewhat enjoyable. Didn't take long for it to slide into the abyss that it currently is. But never fear, there's always an indie act out there ready to save pop radio. And I've got that act for you right here!



I give to you, from Los Angeles, California, USA, Project Dirty!



Project Dirty is Rhett Fisher and Micah Faulkner. My obsession with their sound started the first time I heard their song Radio Love Song on Wise Radio last summer. I immediately downloaded their EP,  Act 1 and followed that up with, you guessed it,  Act 2, this past January.

What I enjoy most about Project Dirty is their originality. Looking for straight forward pop music? Check. How about those of you into the dance scene? Check. Want some good old fashioned rock n roll? Check. Electronic? Check. See where I'm going here? They have a sound that crosses barriers in music but stands on its own merit. No need to compare their sound, because this is 100% Project Dirty!




It's time for you to discover this immensely talented duo NOW so I don't have to tell you that I told you so. Their current single, Knockout, off of their EP, Act 2, is currently on rotation on SiriusXM channel 3 (20on20) and I have no doubt that they'll be moving up the dial very soon!!!



ProjectDirty.com 

Follow Project Dirty on Twitter

Follow Rhett Fisher on Twitter

Follow Micah Faulkner on Twitter

Like Project Dirty on Facebook

Project Dirty on iTunes 

Follow Project Dirty on SoundCloud

Subscribe to the Project Dirty YouTube channel

Project Dirty on ReverbNation

Support unsigned artists... give indie music a chance.