Band of the Week: Cry Monster Cry

 



Cry Monster Cry is a folk rock duo out of Dublin, Ireland. The band features the brothers' beautiful harmonies packed with emotion and lyrics full of shared experiences. Cry Monster Cry was formed by brothers Richie and Jamie Martin in late 2010.  The brothers have been involved in music together for many years before the band's formation, but it is now a central focus for them. In 2012 Cry Monster Cry recorded their first EP, "The Fallen." Upon the release of their debut EP, "The Fallen" went straight to #1 on the Irish iTunes Singer/Songwriter chart and was promptly followed by a sold out launch Upstairs in Whelan’s. The band's music was also recently featured in Tourism Ireland's Jump Into Ireland online. Since the success of the EP realease, Cry Monster Cry has been touring Ireland with their original material. Over the past few months of touring, the band has played gigs with artists such as Sea of Bees, Wallis Bird, Hudson Taylor and Jape.

In between touring, Cry Monster Cry has managed to begin work on their debut album. Jamie  commented on the upcoming album, "We're working with the same producer from the EP, Keith Lawless. We are trying to hone our skills and deliver something well thought out and mature. We were very pleased with the EP, the trick now is to do better this time round and to mature as song writers." The band should have show dates once the album completed and released.

 Below is a track from "The Fallen" EP. If you like what you hear, follow the link for a free download of the song. The full EP can be found on iTunes. If you're interested in following Cry Monster Cry, they can be found on Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, and on Youtube.
 

A Night At The Masquerade

The Masquerade. It is located in downtown Atlanta. The building is a mill from the mid to late 1800s, and looks like it could be the setting for an incredible haunted house. This was the first  concert I had been to here, and the venue was very different than what I was expecting. From the outside, it looked like a run down, abandoned warehouse with an old neon sign barely clinging to the side. Despite the look from the outside, the venue was nice on the inside: old stone walls, wooden floors, and three themed rooms - The Purgatory, Heaven, and Hell. The Purgatory was where the Bad Veins show was. It had a small, quaint stage in the back of the room and a bar off to the right of the room. (Unfortunately I didn't get the chance to see "Heaven" or "Hell," so they will have to wait until another time...)

(Outside)

(The Purgatory stage)

First to take the stage was the local, Atlanta based band, Darling Norman. The four-man band is high energy with a unique vocalist and interesting lyrics. They were a really fun band to watch. (We will be posting an exclusive interview with Darling Norman in a few days.) The post-punk, power-pop band played about a 30-minute set before Stagnant Pools took the stage.

(Darling Norman)

Stagnant Pools took the stage around 9:00. They are a two-piece alternative/punk rock band from Indianapolis, Indiana. I will be honest, I didn't think that their stage show was as good as it could have been. They come off well in their studio work, so I hope their live show improves with more experience and touring.

(Stagnant Pools)

By 9:45 it was Bad Veins's turn. The Cincinnati duo was wonderful, just as expected. The indie/alternative rock band has an excellent stage show - interactive, great presence, and good energy. They played about a 45-minute set and did a meet-and-greet and merch signing afterwards. I stuck around and had the chance to talk to them about doing an interview with us, which they agreed to. (We will be posting that interview soon.) Bad Veins was very excited about getting to meet with fans and were very appreciative of them for attending and supporting the band.

(Bad Veins)

All in all, my night at The Masquerade was well worth the $12 I paid to get in. I will probably be going back at sometime this September or October, so be on the lookout for another post about The Masquerade and its other rooms!

20 Top-notch Music Streaming and Discovery Sites

Streaming music online has become one of the most popular ways to listen to music in this day of age. It makes finding and sharing music simple and you can take it with you anywhere. Music streaming sites are a great tool for discovery of new music and bands, as well. Here is a list of some of the best music streaming sites and services out there, or at least ones that I like and use often...

Well Known Streaming Sites:

1.) Pandora: A music streaming site where you can create unique "radio stations" based on a specific band, song, or genre. For each station you make, Pandora will play songs based on previous songs and selections that you liked/disliked. The site allows you to create up to 100 unique stations. Since it's start up in 2000, Pandora has been using listener information to further their work with the Music Genome Project. It is said to be "the most comprehensive analysis of music ever undertaken." (Click here to learn more about the Music Genome Project.) Pandora says that their name comes from Greek mythology. "The name Pandora means "all gifted" in Greek. In ancient Greek mythology, Pandora received many gifts from the gods, including the gift of music, from Apollo. She was also, as we all know, very curious. Unlike those gods of old, however, we celebrate that virtue and have made it our mission to reward the musically curious among us with a never-ending experience of music discovery." This site is one of my go-to sites to discover new music and enjoy music I already know about. Pandora is a really well thought out system. I highly recommend it to anyone with a need for streaming music.

2.) Spotify: A Swedish music streaming service that was started in 2006 (Spotify wasn't available in the United States until late July of 2011). Creating an account with the free service allows users to have access to millions of tracks. They can create playlists, use apps specific to Spotify, and connect and share with other users. Not only do you have millions of tracks available for use, the service also adds your own music library to your available tracks. Spotify's Facebook integration system allows users to easily share music with friends on social networking sites. Spotify is great for finding new artists daily with a vastly growing collection of songs and artists. It is wonderful for home and office music streaming.

3.) iTunes: A media player from Apple for your computer. Itunes allows users to buy, play, download, and organize music, as well as videos, movies, books, TV shows, apps, and more. With iTunes, you can bring your music library with you anywhere, anytime. One of my favorite features on iTunes is the iTunes Radio. It has thousands of radio stations from all over the world, making it very easy to find new music. I also like the featured free downloads that are offered weekly. I have found some of my favorite bands through these downloads.

4.) Grooveshark: A music streaming and discovery site that allows you to stream and upload music for playlists or immediate playback. Share your music on Facebook, Twitter, and more with just one click. The site makes music discovery easy by offering artist suggesions based on past preferences and site searches.

5.) SoundCloud: SoundCloud is classified as a "social sound platform." The site allows anyone to create and share sounds. Users can share their sounds privately with friends or publicly with blogs, social networks, and other sites. You can find nearly any kind of music/sound imaginable on SoundCloud. Often the songs and albums on SoundCloud are available for download and a lot of times are a free download. It is an incredible music disovery experience.

6.) YouTube: Nearly everyone knows what YouTube is all about, but for those of you that don't, I will explain. YouTube is a video sharing site for originally-created videos. It creates a forum for billions of people to connect, share, discover, inform, and inspire others. It's hard to fathom the amout of videos available on this site. I use it to my advantage, video jumping (as I like to call it) from one music video to the next. It's amazing the amount of obscure and unknown bands you can find by using the suggested/related videos on the side bar to video jump. It's fun once you get the hang of it.

Other Streaming Sites:

7.) 8tracks: Described as handcrafted internet radio (although I don't exactly consider it "radio"). 8tracks people can discover and share music through an online music mix/playlist containing at least 8 tracks (hence the name 8tracks...). Users can either listen to other people's mixes or make their own. Mixes can be found by a genre, artist name, or mix name. 8tracks say their service allows "listeners get a unique blend of word-of-mouth sharing and radio programming — long the trusted means for music
discovery — on a global scale." All in all, 8tracks is a really wonderful site and I use it extremely often.

8.) Jango: When Pandora still had limited listening time, I used Jango as a back up once I ran out of hours on Pandora. It is very similar to Pandora in that you can create stations based on bands, songs, or genres you like to listen to. The main difference between the two is that you can tune in to other user's stations. This site allows station sharing  with the Jango community as well as easy social network sharing. So, if you get tired of Pandora, give Jango a try.

9.) Musicovery: A very simple, but unique music streaming site that picks songs according to your chosen mood. The site allows listeners to choose "I like" or "I don't like" option for every song played as well as pick a familiarity level: listen to songs or artists you know and like, or discover lesser-known artists. Playlists are customized according to the choices of the listener (mood, genres, decades, artists, ratings, etc...).

10.) City Sounds: A global streaming site where you can listen to local music from almost every city in the world. The site has three sections: the latest chart, the popular chart, and individual city pages. The latest chart is a list of the recently updated cities. The popular chart is where City Sounds list the 32 most popular cities, which are based on tweets and Facebook posts about the cities. The individual
city pages allow you to find more tracks, genres, and stats for individual cities. City Sounds is a really neat site and I love it because you have so many kinds of music at your fingertips. It's an excellent cultural experience.

11.) thesixtyone: This is one of my favorite sites at the moment. Thesixtyone is a "music adventure" streaming and discovery site which uses collaborative filtering to organize, promote, and sell music uploaded by artists, many of whom are independent musicians. Each day thesixtyone has listener "quests." Listeners must listen to and vote on the available artists/songs to complete these quests. The webpage was named after Highway 61 (the route has many deep connections to American music culture). According to the site, "thesixtyone's guiding principle is to enable the creative middle class, providing talented artists the opportunity to make a living making music." Not only is this a great service to unknown artists, it is also a unique and fun way for music lovers to find these artists.

12.) Songza: A free music streaming site in a web radio format that is unlike similar web radios for two reasons. One being that the stations are made by members of the Songza community. The other being that Songza helps users find stations through personal interests. Not only are stations available by artists, songs, and genre, but they are also listed by themes, interests, and eras. The site's goal is "to help you find the radio station that perfectly fits your mood or whatever you're doing right now; in other words, to help you find your soundtrack." Songza is a really interesting site if you are in the mood for a different music streaming experience.

13.) The Hype Machine: This is actually a music blog collective. The Hype Machine keeps track of what music bloggers write about. The blogs they pick are showcased on the site and the music they write about is also showcased. It makes it easy for readers to find new blogs and new music. Their focus "is on making the most culturally rich music discovery experience on the web." The Hype Machine is "creating tools that empower independent voices that write about music. We think a select group of passionate people can produce more engaging conversation than a huge social mob, or a rigid hierarchy of editors. We amplify their posts and the audio they choose, to help this vibrant culture spread." Who knows? Maybe The Lesser Known will end up on The Hype Machine at some point...

14.) Musictonic: Musictonic is sort of like YouTube, but is specifically for music videos. The site combines related artists from last.fm with music videos from YouTube. It's great if you don't have the patience to search YouTube on your own. All you have to do is pick an artist or song and Musictonic does the rest. You can't hardly make music discovery easier than that.

15.) Drinkify: This is a really interesting streaming site. I haven't been able to find anything else like it. Drinkify automatically generates the "perfect" cocktail recipe to accompany any music. All you have to do is tell Drinkify what you're listening to or want to listen to (it will play music from the selected artist so you don't have to find it yourself) and it gives you the cocktail name and recipe to go with your selection. The crazy thing is, this site was created in 24 short hours.

16.) Stereomood: Similar to Musicovery and Songza in that it finds music for you based on your mood or what you are doing. It gives listeners "a tool to create playlists for every occasion, a tool to share emotions through the music." Stereomood is based out of Rome, Italy, so it is yet another way for you to find endless amounts of music you've probably never heard of.

17.) uwall.tv: This site is literally a wall of music. Scroll through and pick an artist of your choice and discover from there. It is very straight forward, so there's not really much else to say about uWall.

18.) We Are Hunted: An online music chart that features up-and-coming artists from all genres and streams their music. We Are Hunted says, "We listen to what people are saying about artists and their music on blogs, social media, message boards and P2P networks to chart the top 99 songs online right now. Looking at music this way, we detect sentiment, expression and advocacy to better understand what people like and dislike at any given moment." We Are Hunted is one of the apps that are offered on Spotify. Just one more way to discover music.

19.) Everyone's Mixtape: Actual mixtapes died out a long time ago, but with this music streaming site, mixtapes are back in style. The site allows users to add songs to an existing mix or to create their own and then share it with the world. Everyone's Mixtape's motto: "It's more than a playlist."

20.) This Is My Jam: A music sharing site in which you pick one song to share that means the most to you at the time (one that's stuck in your head or just one you really like). That song becomes yours for up to seven days. This Is My Jam allows users to follow other users and friends and listen to their jams. All of the jams are then put into playlists on the This Is My Jam Spotify app. This site was created by the creators of Drinkify.

And there you have it, 20 sites and services to find, stream, and share music. I hope you will find at least a few of these to be interesting and helpful in your music endeavors!

Band of the Week: Bad Veins

Bad Veins is an indie/alternative-rock duo out of Cincinnati, Ohio. Benjamin Davis and Sebastien Shultz create very distinct sound through their use of less than traditional instruments, including telephones, megaphones, and various other gadgets. Their overall style is very similar to The Killers and Davis's voice is much like that of The Killers' lead singer,  Brandon Flowers.

In 2009, Bad Veins released their self-titled debut album on Dangerbird Records. The album was well received, being named #7 on ABC Amplified's Best Albums of 2009 list, the album's final track "Go Home" was listed on the USA Today's  Top 20 Songs of 2009, and the single "Gold and Warm" was featured on the blockbuster movie, Chronicle. The EP, Outliers, was released in 2010. In April of this year, they released their second full-length album, The Mess We've Made. Both Bad Veins albums are meant to tell a story of perspective and self-acceptance. "The first album feels a little bit like I'm dwelling on my own instability, whereas in the second record I'm confronting the instability and the issues. There's been a total evolution of Bad Veins since it started. If you listen to the first EP, and then the first album, and then the second album, they seem somewhat linear, [like] chapters in a story," says Davis.

The band has recently been listed on Paste Magazine's 50 States Project: 500 Bands+ on the Rise, along with their fellow Cincinnati local band, Pomegranates. Bad Veins has had a fairly extensive US tour this year and just got back from their first UK tour with We Are Scientists.

I had the chance to see Bad Veins live about a month ago at Bunbury. I had not heard of them before this and I imediately fell in love with their music. It was a wonderful concert. Fun, but simplistic. What amazed me most was variety and amount of sound this two man band produced. Incredible, to say the least. I will be seeing them again this Sunday in Atlanta at The Masquerade. I am expecting another fantastic show from Bad Veins!

(Bad Veins live at Bunbury)

Below are some tracks off of Bad Veins' full-length albums. Go on, give them a listen. They will make your ears happy! You can find out more about Bad Veins on their band page or on their Facebook page.

"If Then" - The Mess We've Made

 

"Afraid" - Bad Veins

 

"Don't Run" - Mess We've Made



"Falling Tide" - Bad Veins

"Go Home" - Bad Veins

"Dancing On TV" - Mess We've Made

Band of the Week: Joe Hertler & the Rainbow Seekers

Joe Hertler & the Rainbow Seekers hail from Detroit, Michigan and have become fairly well known in the Midwest. They smoothly combine a wide variety of genres like indie, folk, soul, and pop. With energetic lyrics and the playful sound of folk instruments, they easily pull the listener into their songs (in some ways they remind me of Matt Costa). The band has played along side several bigger name bands including The Civil Wars, Electric Six, and Frontier Ruckus, as well as having many sold out shows of their own. Joe Hertler & the Rainbow Seekers released their debut album, "On Being," in 2011 and just recently released the single, "Home For a Funeral."

So, how did I find Joe and the Rainbow Seekers? I found them on one of those pesky Facebook ads (just another of many ways that I stumble upon new music). When I followed the link and liked the page, I discovered that their new single, "Home For a Funeral," was available for a free download. Who doesn't like a free download (especially when it's good music)? You can find more about Joe Hertler & the Rainbow Seekers on their Facebook page and at their band website. Below are a few notable songs by them. Enjoy!

"What It Feels Like To Drown"

 "We Are Everything"

"Good Times"

Seeing Scars on 45 Live, Twice

Scars on 45 is hands down one of the best bands I've ever seen live, and trust me, I've seen A LOT of bands. Seeing them twice in one week, at two completely different venues, gave me huge respect for the band's music and the band's members.

The first time I became aware of Scars was when one of their songs was featured on Itunes this past April. I had honestly kind of forgotten about them until I saw that they were playing at the Bunbury Music Festival. They were the opening act for the outdoor music festival and there was a surprisingly small crowd. Scars on 45 is one of those bands that you can't help but be captivated by as soon as they take the stage. They had amazing sound, especially on the outdoor stage. Aimee's voice is unbelievable live. It makes you wonder how someone can have such a naturally pure voice. Their incredible sound, memorable lyrics, and wonderful personalities had me hooked. Before the show was over, I was already looking at their next tour locations, and it just so happened that they were playing at The Vinyl in Atlanta less than a week later.

Of course after seeing Scars on 45's show at Bunbury, I had to see them again. The Vinyl is a very small, bar style venue in downtown Atlanta. The band took the stage around 10:00 p.m. and had about an hour and 45 minute set. The small setting allowed the band to be much more interactive with the audience, which made the show even better than I had expected. The band members had conversations with the audience off and on throughout the show and, at a few points in the performance, they even came off the stage and mingled with the crowd during songs. With the smaller venue, the sound wasn't as good, but the band made up for that otherwise. It was yet another fantastic show from Scars on 45.

After both shows, the band did meet and greets with fans, talking and taking pictures with them, signing merchandise. All of the band members were genuinely excited to meet their fans and more than happy to sign merch. When bands truly appreciate their fans like Scars on 45 does, to me, it is priceless.

In conclusion, Scars on 45 is a band you should definitely see live if you ever get the chance! Believe me, you will be shocked at how good they are live. I know I was. And, as of now, I plan on seeing them again in the very near future.

My friends, my sister, and I at the Bunbury Fest. with Scars on 45

My friends and I at The Vinyl with Scars on 45's co-lead singer, Aimee Driver 

How Scars on 45 Came to Be

This is Scars on 45's official full biography by Melinda Newman:
How Scars on 45 Came to Be

And this is the song that set everything into motion (which I might add, I saw them perform this live and it was unbelievable in person):

"Friday, I'm In Love" Cover

(Includes the song and a band interview that goes along with the above article)

This band was obviously meant to be. Everything seemed to fall into the right place at the right time for them. It's incredible how things like that happen. Some of this may be a slight recap of my previous post, but I wanted give the full story and this is the best way to do it. Hope you find it interesting and enjoy the read!

One last thing! Here is the Scars on 45 Q&A with Billboard!!

Band of the Week: Scars on 45

There are so many wonderful things to say about Scars on 45 that I barely even know where to start. So, I will start with a short band bio and then have some posts about other  Scars on 45 things later this week...

Scars on 45 is a 5-person, indie/acoustic rock group from Leeds, England. After breaking his foot at the age of 21, co-founder Danny Bemrose's professional soccer career with England's Huddersfield Town F. C. came to and end. “I was in limbo, without knowing what to do with myself,” he said. Danny ended up turning to music, which in turn led to the formation of Scars on 45: Danny Bemrose (vocals/guitar), Stuart Nichols (bass), David “Nova” Nowakowski (keyboards), Aimee Driver (vocals), Chris Durling (drums). After their song "Beauty's Running Wild" was featured on an episode of CSI: New York, they were quickly picked up by Atlantic Records' Chop Shop Records label. 

In January of 2011, Scars on 45 released their first EP, Give Me Something. After the release of their successful debut EP, the EP Heart On Fire was released in October of 2011. They went on to release a self-titled full-length album in April of 2012. The album was ranked 7th out of 50 on Amazon.com's "Best Albums of 2012" list. 

Scars on 45 has had their songs featured on several television shows, including Grey's Anatomy, CSI: New York, and Pretty Little Liars, and have been at the top of several charts. The song "Breakdown" was featured on Itunes' "Single of the Week" download in April of 2012. 

Here are a couple of their better known songs. "Give Me Something" gives you a good feel for Scars on 45's overall style, while "Heart On Fire" really shows off both Aimee's and Danny's incredible vocal talents and how well each of their voices compliment the other's. Enjoy!


"Give Me Something"

"Heart On Fire"

I'm hoping to make my next Scars on 45 post about how the band was formed, which, I must say, is a very interesting story. Keep checking back for more! Thanks!

Top Picks: The Best Sites on the Web To Find New Music

Through many late night web searches for new music, I have discovered several great sites that offer thousands of artist profiles, free (legal) downloads, and a very wide array of genres. Here are a few of my go-to sites. (Click on the site name to follow the link to the site.)

1.) Noise Trade: This site allows you to discover relatively unknown artists and a few "bigger name" artists. Noise Trade makes it easy to connect with other music lovers and the artists through their email system. The site is extremely easy to navigate and easy to use. EVERY song on Noise Trade is FREE AND LEGAL to download, but you have the option to support the artists through donations of as little as $1 up to $100 (again, completely optional).

2.) PureVolume: PureVolume is very similar to Noise Trade. It offers lesser known artists and bigger names. The website is great for finding and promoting new music and emerging artists. Each artist has a profile that typically contains basic info, updates, photos, shows and music for streaming. Artists have the option of making each of their songs available for free download. Listeners and fans can also create profiles to interact with artists and each other, as well as track and share music they like.

3.) Myspace: This may come as a surprise to some, but some of my favorite bands have been the ones I have found on Myspace's music profiles. Although Myspace is dead to the general population, it is still a gold mine of incredible musical talents.

4.) Amazon: Amazon.com has an infinite amount of music to download and listen to. You can find literally any music you could ever want. They have over 22,000 free songs to go through. I have found some very interesting music in their free downloads section. It's definitely worth the look, besides, you never know when an "up and coming" artist will be featuring a free song on Amazon (I have found many of these!).

5.) Free Music Archive: This site is by far the most diverse when it comes to genres offered. It offers anything from hip-hop to rock to "old-time/historic" restored records. Free Music Archive is yet another website that provides you with completely free and legal downloads and has something for everyone!

There are all kinds of music sites out there! Some are harder to find than others, but don't be discouraged if you can't find what you are looking for on the first try. Keep searching and you will definitely be rewarded for your efforts. I have several other sites I use, so if these aren't your style or you need help getting started, let me know! I will be more than happy to help.

The Lesser Known Band of The Week: CHAPPO

CHAPPO is one of my favorite bands. I don't remember where I came across them, but I know I have been listening to their music for several years now.  I got to see the band perform this past weekend at the Bunbury Music Festival in Cincinnati, OH.  After the show I headed over to their "Meet & Greet" session, and I must say they are wonderful both on and off stage. They're an incredible band to see live. If you ever have the opportunity to see CHAPPO, do so! You will be glad you did. 

Band Bio:

CHAPPO is a four-member band out of Brooklyn. The band was formed in 2007 and consists of Baton Rouge native lead singer/songwriter and guitarist Alex Chappo and Seattle-born keyboardist Chris Olson, drummer Zac Colwell, and guitarist Dave Feddock. They have a very unique sound, a blend of psychedelic and post-punk influenced indie rock. 

They released their debut independent album, Media Machine, in 2008. The EP Plastique Universe followed in 2010. In 2012, CHAPPO released their sophomore full-length album, Moonwater, on Majordomo Records in partnership with their own label, Rouse Records. You can find more on CHAPPO at their website.

Below is the music video for CHAPPO's song "Come Home," on their EP Plastique Universe. This is a somewhat well known song, as it was used for the 4th generation Ipod Touch commercial in 2010.  It's a fun song with catchy lyrics and a good beat. Enjoy! 

There will be more to come on CHAPPO throughout the week! Keep checking back!

About "The Lesser Known"

I have been talking about creating a music blog for several years now. After attending a music festival in Ohio, I decided that the time was right. Over the past few years, I have discovered thousands of incredible bands with an unbelievably small fan base. Through The Lesser Known, I want to share these bands with the world and other music lovers. This blog will be a resource for readers to learn about and share bands, concerts, music sites, personal music experiences, and everything in between.  Music is master when it comes to The Lesser Known. 

Suggestions of any kind are always welcome and encouraged. I hope you like what you see and please share The Lesser Known with your friends! Thanks!