The ONE little Known artist you would like to promote

Xavier Smith



XAVIER

 

I don't know if she qualifies as little known, but I'm going to say Z Berg - formerly of the Like. I think she's a great singer and songwriter. Looking forward to her upcoming solo debut.

this is from a few years ago when she was in Phases

 

Grace VanderWaal.

Followers of pop culture may know her name, because she won Season 11 (2016) of America's Got Talent by singing four original songs, all of which were far more nuanced and complex than should have been possible for someone her age (she wrote the four songs when she was 11 or 12).

Her first EP, which came out in November 2016, made the top 10. Her first full-length album, hopefully titled Just the Beginning, only got to #22 and left the charts almost as quickly as it arrived. She has a lot of support within the industry -- she won the Rising Star award at the Billboard Women in Music ceremony for 2017 and was by far the youngest ever to be so honored -- but the thing missing in her resume is that big radio hit. Alas, she sounds nothing like anything else on pop radio today (for example, she refuses to use AutoTune), and because of her age (now 14), the only place she's gained traction is Radio Disney.

It's a shame, because she's immensely talented and is still writing great songs. She has collaborators now, but most of them have said that they sit back and let her do her thing, and all they have to do is tweak.

This summer, she's touring as the opening act for one of America's most popular current bands, Imagine Dragons. Again, she's got the respect; now she needs the hits.

Released on March 30, Grace's most recent single is called "Clearly." It's a re-imagining of Johnny Nash's 1972 hit "I Can See Clearly Now," and he's credited as a co-writer. As with most of her best work, there's more to this than is apparent at first listen.

 

An old band of mine lost a battle of the bands-type deal to Bow and his band a few years back, and deservedly so.

 

I'll plug The Lassie Foundation again, a "sunshine shoegaze" California band active in the late '90s through the mid-aughties who never got the recognition they deserved. Their second to last LP El Dorado saw them take a powerpoppier direction, and that's where this horn-trimmed track comes from. Mixes some nice clangy guitar tones with a warm, breezy feel. Their guitarist-songwriter Jeff Schroeder went on to be Billy Corgan's sidekick in the revamped Smashing Pumpkins.

 

I played the hell out of Pacifico back in the day ... just listened to it a few weeks ago for the first time in a long while. Still enjoy it.

 

De Novo Dahl. Saw them at a festival here in Denver more than 10 years ago and loved this song. I wrote them up big, but I don't know if they even exist anymore. I love "Make Some Sense." Nice blend of rock and new wave in 2008.

 

Emitt Rhodes has gotten some degree of cult status for his Macca-isms but I would argue these guys did it even better on their one album and a handful of singles tracks released in the mid 70s. Their stuff is all beyond top notch if you you like this sort of stuff (I do!) Even a little bit of a Smile vibe in this track for good measure.

 

What...? Whaaaat...?

My friend...YouTube search "Pomplamoose". And get back to me. Put on a pot of coffee, you're gonna be up all night.

 

Reality by Second Hand is a freaky early prog monster '68 lp that few people know about. A combination of Syd Barrett era Floyd, Kaliedoscope, early Crimso, with some intense sections that are as good as any other prog I've ever heard. And the band were all in their late teens. Amazing record and one of the best debut lp's of all time IMO.

 

An article in my news feed turned me onto this group. The song in question was this: Torpedo Love, which was recorded in an abandoned nuclear silo. I’ve listened to their other 4 singles and they aren’t as good, but I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this song.

 

most certainly, saw them all live

also the mighty micks' other endeavors, blacktop, and the screws

and ko,s band - ko and the knockouts

 

would also like to give a shoutout to some other awesome detroit bands, the paybacks and the demolition doll rods

 

also like to add my own personal favorites, screaming females, going to see them open for the breeders at the end of the month,,,, stoked

 

Owsley (RIP)
Martin Newell

 

Quinn Sullivan, for starters.

 

Baby Shakes:

 

He has 3 #1 hits, but he's still severely underrated. Great guy that I consider a friend in this industry, an amazing guitar player, and a helluva nice guy.

 

Becoming better known now
Durand Jones and the Indications
Currently on tour and coming to a town near you...
Nashville, Philly, Brooklyn, etc. then off to Europe..

RUN don’t walk to see them!
genuine Soul
They have a new batch of songs too.

 

Martin Kohlstedt, I mean, he can sell out two London dates in a row and also Hamburg's Elbphilharmonie, still he's not as well known as other piano players:

 

Blanche Blanche Blanche

 

Boy do I remember the early days of Hollywood Records. They had some decent groups, like The Suicide Machines, Fastball, Polyphonic Spree, The Minus 5, and, oh yeah... Queen. And I remember Tsar-they definitely should have been bigger.

 

Eileen Rose.