Lately I have been using YouTube to discover bands more than any other source (other than the ACRN CD stacks). There is a lot of nonsense on YouTube, but there are also a lot of channels that produce some gems. Here are my favorite musical channels:
1. KEXP Radio – A Seattle radio station with some killer in-studios. An incredible selection that varies from punk to hip hop to soul to folk. I’ve found mostly Seattle-based bands here, which makes me want to go to Seattle really badly, but even Athens’ own Southeast Engine has appeared. Here are The Cave Singers, one of those Seattle bands.
2. The Mahogany Sessions - A series of busk-esque performances by phenomenal musicians in London. These videos are extremely pure when it comes to music, as most are stripped down, leaving the vocalist vulnerable. Here is Marques Toliver, a violinist singer/songwriter who has performed with the likes of Grizzly Bear and TV On the Radio.
3. 97X – A Tampa Bay radio station that used to be a lot more active on making in-studio performances. Yes, they do post a lot more mainstream rock and punk, but I am not ashamed to like mainstream music. I give you Blue October, and I defy you to present me with more genuine emotion in a track.
4. 95WIILROCK – This is the station I listened to growing up so I can’t help but follow it. There is a lot of DJ nonsense on this station, but if you stick to the Studio East recordings, you can find some nice acoustic versions of hard rock songs.
5. Cover Artists – YouTube has always been a place where people like to show off their skills, whether they have them or not. These are three people that don’t suck (usually).
- Alex Pelzer (lots of covers of intolerable chart-toppers, but a really good voice) - "Ain't No Sunshine"
- Dustin Prinz (goofy dude and great guitarist who arranges songs well for solo acoustic) - "Feel Good Inc."
- Lucas Silveira of The Cliks (Transgender vocalist of The Cliks who posts covers of songs occasionally) - "I'm Your Man"
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