Greatest bands nobody has heard of

[Big_Hitter]

The Blasters - some good Americana/rockabilly.

https://youtu.be/HQLMPWVx_pk

https://youtu.be/cCbajj3k4mg

saw them live in 83. great show. have all of their records, even the new one

 

[Big_Hitter]

Some that I enjoyed from the 60's:

Quicksilver Messenger Service
Blues Magoos
Marmalade
Moby Grape
? & the Mysterians
New Colony 6
The Electric Prunes
Sopwith Camel

spooky tooth? blue cheer?

 

[Big_Hitter]

Some great Americana acts that come to mind...

Drive by Truckers
The Bottle Rockets
Old 97's
Ryan Bingham
Hard Working Americans (Todd Snyder Super Group)
Pokey LaFarge
James McMurtry

(I will also second a vote for Blackberry Smoke, Drivinncrying and can't not mention the great Marty Stuart!)

saw old 97s in town last year, saw james mcmurty last 3 years in a row, he loves boise

old 97s are probably my favorite band

 

[Mr._Graybeard]

? & the Mysterians

I recently heard a public radio piece on ? and the Mysterians. They were the kids of farm workers in Michigan. They even interviewed ? (who demands in interviews that he still be addressed by that punctuation).

There's a great "96 tears" video on YouTube:

 

[Mr._Graybeard]

The Blasters - some good Americana/rockabilly.

I was glad to see Phil and Dave Alvin get back together. Dave's music was OK, but Phil's vocals and sweaty delivery are pretty distinctive.

 

[HFWR]

Hiromi Uehara

https://youtu.be/kR8HinFaQhk

 

[HFWR]

Goose Creek Symphony

https://youtu.be/fTVRFThX4jo

https://youtu.be/1uW7plTTVO4

https://youtu.be/IYobju9lRTY

 

[candrew]

Well if we're going with the classics, how bout Dan Hicks & The Hot Licks?

+1

Talented, entertaining and a great live act, as well. Dan Hicks passed away last year.

 

[WestUniversity]

So I ran across this group a couple of years ago. Their name comes from a line in a Monty Python skit. Great alternative music and this song is probably my favorite of their list. They are from the Santa Barbara area...



https://youtu.be/4nDZp3-h-7o

 

[calmloki]

Mariachi El Bronx. Saw them up at Pappy and Harriets in Pioneer Town. They play mariachi music and then the next night play as the Bronx, a LA punk rock band. Really like their mariachi music and the stories in their lyrics.

 

[sanfanciscotreat]

Try The Stray Birds. bluegrass/folk mix.
Heard them at the Grey Eagle, Asheville

 

[harley]

Hiromi Uehara

https://youtu.be/kR8HinFaQhk

She's amazing, but I hadn't realized she had James Earl Jones playing the 6 string bass for her.

 

[WestUniversity]

One more from me... This is a Texas artist, Randy Rogers , from the Dallas area. It's a song with a Texas country rock vibe, about life on the road as a musician and trying to balance that with having a life at home...



https://youtu.be/1w1YjsI2Ohc

 

[DrRoy]

McGuffey Lane.

 

[Amethyst]

I love this thread.

 

[RunningBum]

I just learned of this musician, she is now my favorite:

I had that recorded and just watched it last night. I thought it was just going to be about a young girl who could play the piano and violin really well, the next Yo-Yo Ma. So, so much more than that with her composing complex arrangements. (I'm not a classical music expert, but they seemed complex, and very good.) Comparison to Mozart! Incredible! Really good voice too.

 

[Mr._Graybeard]

Robbie Fulks is a North Carolina native who had made Chicago his base, so I get a chance to see him every now and then. His stage act is witty and urbane but his style is pure country. He plays regularly in a Chicago bar called The Hideout, and one of his favorite gimmicks is to perform one artist's music in the style of a similarly named but wildly different musician. You have not lived until you've heard Lou Reed's "Walk on the Wild Side" performed in the style of Jerry Reed!

 

[golfnut]

Greta Van Fleet

Our son alerted us to this band - kids sounding like Led Zep.

Apparently very popular - nice change from the usual hip hop the young generation play today.

https://youtu.be/zXdM1rqSlSQ

 

[HFWR]

mcguffey lane.

 

[mystang52]

I agree, this is a great thread. Not sure if this is an "unknown" band, but none of my friends ever heard of them. The Decemberists:

 

[HFWR]

McKendree Spring

https://youtu.be/s06XeUP13C0

 

[harley]

There are a lot of bands/performers in this thread that I would consider fairly well known, and even very well known. A number of them had pretty big hits at one point (Commander Cody, Asleep at the Wheel, James McMurtry, and a lot of the 60s bands listed). A bunch of others have had a lot of airplay like the Decembrists, although maybe on alternative stations. Others, like the Aristocrats, aren't very radio friendly (long, complex jams), but you run into them in music magazines and such. It's really interesting to see the groups people are listing. Lots of fun, and educational.

Here are a couple more. Chris Smither is an amazing bluesman and guitar player. He's written songs that others have made fairly famous, and performed with a lot of big names, especially Bonnie Raitt. I've seen him in concert multiple times, and he never disappoints.

And since someone posted the Decembrists, here's another alternative radio hit band that may not be on everyone's radar. I've seen them once, and I think they won't be "unknown" for long (if they even qualify now). The Lumineers.

 

[calmloki]

Very surprised and like the old timey music of the Carolina Choclate Drops:
Home - Carolina Chocolate Drops

Shovels and Rope:

 

[Big_Hitter]

anyone listen to galaxie 500?

 

[mh]

Hiromi Uehara

https://youtu.be/kR8HinFaQhk

We seem to like the same music . Anything with Simon Phillips and Anthony Jackson can’t be all bad