Discovering new bands has become pretty easy. These days, we've got music blogs, Soundcloud, Rdio, and Spotify. But among the more "traditional" methods of music discovery, there's one people have been trying less and less: going to live shows for bands you've never heard of.
So that's what we did. During North by Northeast, we picked shows by bands we'd never heard of, ideally at smaller venues, and with the earliest slots we could manage. These are some of the bands we found.
The media frames below let you play a two minute interview with the band, listen to one of their singles, or navigate through the photos by clicking on the dots in the frame's lower-right hand corner. Try them out!
Alvvays
Toronto-based Alvvays have been making waves since they first released their single, "Adult Diversion," over eight months ago. Produced by Chad VanGaalen, Alvvays' dream-pop aesthetics borrow as much from The Smiths as they do Beach House and Best Coast. Alvvays' debut album comes out July 22nd. Check them out on Soundcloud here.
WHIMM
WHIMM's post-rock is a recent addition to Toronto's noise scene. Since forming last year, WHIMM have self-released their first EP, layering guitars and faded vocals into a sound reminiscent of California-based Ty Segall and Toronto darlings Odonis Odonis. WHIMM's EP can be purchased and downloaded here.
Briar Rabbit
Hailing from Chicago, singer-songwriter Briar Rabbit's quippy lyric-heavy folk pop – or, as he's come to call it, thought pop – has been winning over critics and music blogs one by one for years. More Briar Rabbit can be heard here.
Josh Geddis
Josh Geddis' soulful Canadian folk has been one of Bayfield, Ontario's best-kept secrets for years. He's shared stages with the likes of Joel Plaskett and Jason Collett, and has just released his second full-length album. Check him out on Soundcloud here.
Benjamin Booker
New Orleans-based Benjamin Booker's raging blues-punk is primed for a big entrance. With only a handful of singles out and a debut album on the way, Booker has already played sets on Daytrotter, David Letterman, and is opening for Jack White over the summer. Benjamin Booker's album comes out August 19th. Check him out on Soundcloud here.