The game is afoot!! re: semi-famous bands

[McGoo]

So I am talking with one of my staff the other day at work, he just returned from a working holiday as one of the artists in the Gibson Show/Allstar band with gigs in Toronto and Detroit, and we are discussing various bands that were semi-famous or ones that acheived some radio play but were not necessarily Super-Star famous.
I got to thinking that this thread might lead to a whole group of music that might be well known in the local area but perhaps had not spread too far.
So here is the game!! Name a band that you have seen or know of, not your own current or previous bands, that would have either some radio play or youtube sites that showcase the band. Share with the rest of us and feel free to share commentary on genre, style etc.
Since it's my game, I'll go first; The song "Rockin' Is My Business", The band is the Four Horsemen out of the L.A. area in the mid/late 80's - early 90's

 

[McGoo]

Not quite sure where a thread like this should go??
Advice from Moderators??

 

[Baird6869]

Wrong place for the thread but.....

From a proud Canadian......

The Tragically Hip

Not my favorite band but they are arguably the biggest band in Canada and have next to ZERO presence in the USA. Even Dan Ackroyd made a point to demand they were the musical guest about 10-15 years ago when he hosted SNL. They played.... still no USA success.

The are HUGE in Canada and if anyone is interested, LimeWire......

Courage
Blow at High Dough
Nautical Disater
50 Mission Cap
New Orleans is Sinking (written about 20 years ago...)
Weat Kings
Long Time Coming

Good examples of a solid band. Not great musicians but the songs are catchy.

P.S. They used to sell as many tickets in Canada as Rush, Bryan Adams and Barenaked Ladies......

 

[McGoo]

Baird; you do realize that some of our Southern border brethern may never have heard of any of the bands you mentioned!!

 

[gkbass13]

the tragically hip are phenominal. i saw them play at a relatively small club in upstate new york last eyar and it sold out almost instantly...mostly canadians comign from montreal and toronto looking to seee them in an intimate atmosphere without payign more than 20 bucks....awesome show!

"in view" "ahead by a century" "nautical disaster" locked in the trunk of a car" and "grace, too" are some of my favorites by them.

another band that i dont think got nearly enough love before breaking up in the late 90's was The Bogmen, from Long island new york....their album "life begins at 40 million" is amazing, beginning to end. "suddenly" "englewood" and "yellar" are three of the more easily found songs of theirs...all very very good.

currently, Nicole Atkins is my big musical obsession...."neptune city" is one of my favorite albums of the last few years....all you have to do is listen to the song "the way it is" to see what she is all about....one of the best voices in popular/rock music that i have ever heard. period.

 

[Baird6869]

Guided by Voices is a band that I am really getting into these days. They broke up many years ago but are an incredible alternative band.

 

[Buskman]

Being on the Jersey Shore, I'd have to mention Southside Johnny & The Asbury Jukes.

They gained some fame over the years (mostly from their connections to Springsteen & their popular cover of Sam Cooke's 'Havin' A Party'), but IMO they're mostly a big name/draw in Jersey as opposed to other areas of the country/world (although they seem to be a bit of a big thing in the UK).

They're still kickin' (great band, BTW), but never achieved the "Super Stars" tag...

youtube:


I actually jammed with Johnny one night a few years ago. He came up the band I was in at the time and sang & played harmonica on a few tunes. Pretty cool!

 

[JimmyM]

Polysics from Japan. Take Devo, mix in NIN and Yoko Ono, and you've got Polysics. One of the most original bands I've heard. Apparently they're pretty big in Japan, but they come to America and play 1000 seat clubs.

 

[RickenBoogie]

Deep Blue Something had a hit with "Breakfast at Tiffanys", a horrible song, but a good band. They broke up long ago, but one of the main writers, Kirk, is now playing in an acoustic duo with the guitar player in my cover band. They're called Whiskey Pants. Hilarious.

 

[Marcus]

Polysics from Japan. Take Devo, mix in NIN and Yoko Ono, and you've got Polysics. One of the most original bands I've heard. Apparently they're pretty big in Japan, but they come to America and play 1000 seat clubs.

I would have never seen the day that you recommend Polysics.

They are certainly a strange bunch!

 

[Hoover]

The Dark, from Boston circa 1981-85. Their percussionist went on to become the drummer with 'Til Tuesday (Aimee Mann's band), their original guitarist quit & was replaced by Reeves Gabrels (guitarist w/ David Bowie), their keyboard player quit, they subsequently morphed into a quartet called Life On Earth, & they finally imploded sometime in early 1990s.

Imagine a band with the eclectic imaginations of Talking Heads, Bowie, Zappa, and George Clinton, combined with furious yet restrained chops and a relentless, airtight groove. They freakin' killed every time they played out. Only released one 45rpm single, one 12" EP and one full length LP (plus a 4-song cassette after they became Life On Earth), any one of which you should grab if you ever find it in a used record store.

Oh, and speaking of Aimee Mann: Young Snakes was her Boston trio before 'Til Tuesday, and they were as angular, thorny, skronky, and weird as 'Til Tuesday was smooth, polished, and pop...but they were unbelievably exciting to hear live. Imagine Gang Of Four with less politics and more sex. Fabulous band. I think they only ever released one LP.

But both those bands got a lot of airplay on WBCN as well as the Emerson, MIT, BU, & Tufts stations.

 

[UncleBalsamic]

See: Half Man Half Biscuit

Popular but not in the charts at all. They are one of the late John Peel's favourites and got some play on the radio from him. They also made an appearance on The Old Grey Whistle Test in the 80s with their first album I think.

There are songs on youtube but many reference British pop culture so I can understand why they haven't conquered America yet.

Their latest album CSI: Ambleside is fantastic though.

They are amazing though, check them out.

 

[JimmyM]

I would have never seen the day that you recommend Polysics.

They are certainly a strange bunch!

Yeah but they're totally original. I'm all for originality in a market where copying what's hot is the order of the day.

 

[waynobass]

The Tragically Hip... they are arguably the biggest band in Canada and have next to ZERO presence in the USA.

They're hardly obscure here. I'd say they're moderately well-known.

P.S. Yes they are great musicians, just not showoffs.

 

[Fishheadjoe]

Well, as a fellow Canuck I'm obviously very familiar with "The Hip". Personally, not one of my favorites either, but many here do like them.
As I'm sure many here do, we have many "local to Canada" bands that may not be recognizable names else where, but virtually all of us up here in the frozen north know well.
To name a few;
Max Webster - signed to Rush's lable for many years
Kim Mitchell Band - was the guitar player in Max Webster
April Wine - been at it since the early 70's
Saga - excellent musicians - art rock
BTW -
Courage
Blow at High Dough
Nautical Disaster
50 Mission Cap
New Orleans is Sinking (written about 20 years ago...)
Wheat Kings
Long Time Coming
-Theses are songs by The Hip!
fishheadjoe

 

[MtManiac]

They're hardly obscure here. I'd say they're moderately well-known.

P.S. Yes they are great musicians, just not showoffs.

I agree, they are all very good musicians. Some of my favorite P-bass tone and bass lines are found in Hip songs, and the guitar work in New Orleans Is Sinking (long before Katrina by the way) is in my opinion awesome.

There's also Little Bones, 38 Years Old, Fiddler's Green, Wheat Kings, Fireworks, etc. The list goes on. They're a staple for Canadian cover bands.

 

[obviousmrfuller]

If you are a fan of inventive basslines, check out fIREHOSE. Their bassist, Mike Watt, is one of the most respected musicians in alternative rock. He was also a contributor to this site for a while. He's more well known for his earlier band, Minutemen. I, however, like the musicality of the earlier fIREHOSE stuff. Check it out, if you get a chance.

 

[Buskman]

currently, Nicole Atkins is my big musical obsession...."neptune city" is one of my favorite albums of the last few years....all you have to do is listen to the song "the way it is" to see what she is all about....one of the best voices in popular/rock music that i have ever heard. period.

LOL - I actually know Nicole. We're not best buds, but we've shared a bill on a few occasions.

Neptune City is the name of the town she's from - roughly in between where I live & the famous Asbury Park.

She's great & I've been (pleasantly) surprised over what amazing exposure she's been getting - she's been on Letterman, Conan O'Brien, her music has been used in Old Navy commercials, good billing position on some big festivals, etc... pretty awesome. Her "people" are definitely earning their money!

 

[Dark Horse]

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[Sound Chaser]

Wrong place for the thread but.....

From a proud Canadian......

The Tragically Hip

Not my favorite band but they are arguably the biggest band in Canada and have next to ZERO presence in the USA. Even Dan Ackroyd made a point to demand they were the musical guest about 10-15 years ago when he hosted SNL. They played.... still no USA success.

The are HUGE in Canada and if anyone is interested, LimeWire......

Courage
Blow at High Dough
Nautical Disater
50 Mission Cap
New Orleans is Sinking (written about 20 years ago...)
Weat Kings
Long Time Coming

Good examples of a solid band. Not great musicians but the songs are catchy.

P.S. They used to sell as many tickets in Canada as Rush, Bryan Adams and Barenaked Ladies......

I'm from the Falls/Buffalo area, and all of us know who the hip are. T-Shirts, radio play, there was even a Hip cover band that used to play like two miles from where I live every weekend.