The Best Band You've Never Heard Of

[Guest LowSparkOfHighHeeledBoys]

Everybody has to have a few of these...bands that you think ought to be playing for thousands of people, but are playing for a couple hundred in general admission clubs, etc.

 

My vote goes to the Derek Trucks Band. For christs sake, the guitarist in the band is the nephew of Butch Trucks, and basically learned how to play guitar by listening to Duane Allman, Dickey Betts, and Warren Haynes, and he's currently the second guitarist in the ABB, as well...all this, and he's only 22 years old.

 

the DTB arent a southern rock beast, like the Allmans, but more of a jazzy style band, more likely to pull out a Miles Davis cover, or a Funky Meters tune, rather than an ABB song, but I'm amazed that they continue to tour and play for 2-300 people a night at most places they play.

 

I'm just glad that they allow taping of their shows, so I can gather up some sweet soundboard recordings and listen all I want.

[Guest CoreyLazarus416]

STUCK MOJO. They had everything it took to be successful during rap/rock's original explosion (catchy songs, great music, a vocalist that CAN rap, good lyrics), but they were just passed over, for some reason.

[Guest areacode212]

This is a cool idea for a thread. We can recommend bands other people may not have heard of. I don't know if they're very well known, but I've been listening to a group called Snake River Conspiracy a lot lately ("Coke and Vaseline" is a cool song).

[Guest mw679]

On my list, that would be King's X. Awesome band out of Houston. They just have a great overall rock sound, three part harmonies, heavy riffs, and they put on an excellent show. I'm actually going to check them out on Monday, they're in town so I gotta hit that club. Too bad, tho, they SHOULD be playing in larger venues with a lot more fans but....hey, the masses don't know what they're missing. Also on my list is the Kenny Wayne Shepherd Band, seen them 3 times in concert, great band. They're a mix of blues and rock, They definitely has what it takes to make it big, but just seem to be lacking that "radio push". Those are the two that pop into my head right now.

[Guest Kinetic]

There are just so many.  At the top of my list currently would be Clinic and the Dismemberment Plan.

[Guest hardyz1]

I agree on the Kenny Wayne Shepherd band.  I saw them when they opened for Aerosmith back in January 1998 and they were great.

 

Stepped On is pretty good.

[Guest mykatissatan]

Donnybrook.  

 

Hands down.  

 

From what I hear, they are very close to a deal with American records.....with SOAD and Slayer if I am not mistaken.  They have a totally original sound that is just awesome.  I have a few mp3's so if you want one then IM me.  Ill be glad to let you hear em.

[Guest MaxPower27]

Reveille. All the rap-metal crap out there can't hold a candle to Reveille.

[Guest Choken One]

Life of Agony. They are so much better at Misery Rock then Staind.

[Guest CoreyLazarus416]

bleedthesKY...have you actually heard the album of which your name comes from? Compare it to Laced. Total crap...

 

Now compare Reveille to the band I mentioned, Stuck Mojo. See the difference?

 

Reveille's frontman, Drew Simolldares, seems to try too hard to be a Beastie Boy and Zach de la Rocha at the same time. Mojo's frontman, Bonz, had his own distinct style, and Rich Ward and Corey Lowery/Dan Dryden (depending on the era) did great backing vocals.

 

Yes, I'm a Reveille fan, but saying they're better than EVERY rap/rock and rap/metal and rapcore band is just plain ignorance. Or do I need to teach you about Body Count, Candiria, and Biohazard as well?

[Guest LooseCannon]

I can think of quite a few.  The most obvious choice would be Clinic.  I've never met anyone who had heard Clinic, who wasn't amazed by them.

 

Another would be At the Drive In, but they've gotten kinda big in the last year or so.

[Guest the Goon]

Devin Townsend

And you will know us by the Trail of the Dead

One of Thurstons Astounding Mysteries

Keith Caputo

Constantines

Hives

[Guest Don Becker]

mw679 - I definitely agree with King's X.  I thought that when Dogman came out that it would push them over the top, but Atlantic lost all faith in them and did nothing to promote Ear Candy.  Interetsing tidbit: Ty Tabor's working with Jeremy's band.

 

My pick, based on bands that have never had hit singles (which eliminates Marillion) would be Porcupine Tree.  They sound like a cross between Pink Floyd and Radiohead.  In fact, their album The Sky Moves Sideways pretty much sounds like what Floyd would sound like if they followed up The Division Bell.  Their most recent album, Lightbulb Sun, was my favorite album of 2000.  Atlantic Records just signed them, so hopefully they'll do right by them and get them some airplay in the States... though I do enjoy seeing them in small clubs like the Knitting Factory...

[Guest mw679]

Don- Wow, Ty's working with Jeremy's band? Sweet! Saw KX last night...Holy crap, what an amazing show! Got to shake Ty's hand after the show, he tore it up on those solos! Dogman is a great album, and it is too bad that Atlantic dropped them, but Metal Blade seems to be treating them well. Can't wait until Ty's solo album comes out, they were playing it in between bands last night and it sounded really good. The new Jelly Jam sounds awesome as well.

[Guest Red Hot Thumbtack In The Eye]

Anathema.

The finest band of the last 20 years.

anathema.

go seek out all their material.

Anathema.

[Guest Vyce]

I second the notion of SRC.  I wish they were more popular than they are.

 

Personally, I'd rather have white-hot needles inserted into my eyeballs than listen to any rap-rock band.

[Guest The Masked Yodeler]

And you will know us by the Trail of the Dead

 

They recently signed a deal with Interscope, they'll get their shot at the big time.

 

Like someone else said, the Dismemberment Plan is frickin' awesome.

 

Of Montreal is one of the best pop acts out there.  They remind me of pschydelic era Beatles, only even more whacked out.

[Guest Youth N Asia]

I'm also chiming in on Kenny Wayne Shepherd...I saw them open for Jimmy Page and the Black Crows, they played an awesome show...Although "Blue on Black" got an insane amount of airplay in Michigan.

 

None of these bands are completly unknown, but none are bigtime...all have had minor successL

 

Local H...they had a minor hit that got a little MTV play...they've put out 4 cds now. As Good As Dead is a must own for stoner rock fans (you don't even have to be a stoner)

 

Better Then Ezra...almost a rock/country/blues mix...I think they have 4 cds out...Deluxe is one of the best cds I own.

 

Lagwagon...picture Blink 182...but picture them better and less commercial.

 

Soulcracker...one hell of a live band.

[Guest KOR420]

Less Than Jake

[Guest saturnmark4life]

I heard At the Drive-in split recently?

 

I love the Hives at the moment, though they are getting pretty alarmingly popular here in the UK right now. The thing that bugs me about their success is RFTC were doing the same sort of vibe just a little bit better years ago and never quite made it.

 

I thought Less Than Jake were pretty big as well by now. Though I always preferred Reel Big Fish & Mad caddies, far as ska goes.

[Guest Boring_Liferik]

Hey look, my first post. Who cares? Raise them hands! Anyways, in my own humble opinion, Far shoulda been huge. Hell, anything involving Jonah shoulda been huge. Genius i tell ya, genius.

[Guest Boring_Liferik]

And in my first post i forget to officially log in! Booya! The legacy begins. yeah. Oh and i bow to whoever it was that mentioned Candiria earlier.

[Guest LooseCannon]

I heard At the Drive-in split recently?

Yeah, they did unfortunately about 7 mos ago, though I think officially they're calling it a "hiatus."  I think they were just about to get pretty big too.

[Guest Narcoleptic Jumper]

Angie Aparo, Athenaeum, and Fountains of Wayne.

[Guest skyhigh]

Here in the UK some of my favourite bands get no recognition. Names like Third Eye Blind and Vertical Horizon are met with blank stares when mentioned here. Witness are another great band without recognition.

[Guest converge241]

AFI , but they probably will be soon, now that they are on dreamworks.

 

Life Of Agony should have been huge, now Stereomud is bigger than they ever were.

 

God Lives Underwater, who have fallen off the face of the earth.

 

My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult

[Guest hobu0]

I wish DiamondHead would've somehow gotten big back in the day. A fuckin awesome rock group. Basically the forerunners to Metallica.

[Guest redbaron51]

Liquid Tension Experement.

 

So what if they have three members of Dream Theater and Tony Levin of King Crimson.

 

Also, with the locals,

 

Red Light District.

 

Picture, Opeth mixed with Pantera

[Guest Loss4Words]

I never understood why the Squirrel Nut Zippers didn't make it big during the short swing movement a few years ago.

 

And what's up with Portishead never charting in the US? Some people have no tastes. And while everyone knows who Bjork is, she's never been very popular, which baffles my mind.

[Guest Kwik]

Looking at bands no one has heard of, going in a whole new direction, I recommend Mumiy Troll out of Russia.  They have actually been around since the early/mid 80s, but because of that whole Communism thing, and the minor fact that all their music is in Russian, they are not what you'd call a household name to most people.  Anyone who caught Eurovision 2001 might remember "Lady Alpine Blue", which was probably the band's first venture into an English-language competition.  (though not the last).  The main drawing point?  Lead vocals, Ilia Lagoutenko, interesting voice, makes you want to listen, and if you can overcome the language problems, it's actually some damn good music.  MT is in the process of recording some of their songs in English, and just released their first English-language single "Lucky Bride?"  It's some solid rock music, and hopefully, a band that can catch at least into the European mainstream, if not into America as well.