Ten Easy Ways To Discover Your Next Favorite Band

One of the most often asked questions I get from people is: “Dude, where do you find all of these weird bands you listen to?” The answer I usually have for them is simple: just pay attention. There are lots of great ways to discover new bands and explore new music out there – especially with all of this new internet technology out there today. So many new artists are online. And there’s a whole host of new music discovery services literally right at our fingertips now. But I often opine that it’s even easier than scouring the inter-webs sometimes. Here are ten easy, simple, and fun ways to discover your next favorite rock band. You might just discover that it’s been hiding right under your nose.

1.) “THERE’S NO PLACE LIKE HOME A LIVE MUSIC VENUE”

I realize this gets much easier in actuality after the age of 21 (at least in the U.S.). But one of the easiest ways I can think of to discover your next favorite band is to go out. Find some kindred live music junkies, concert buds, social butterflies, what have you (hell, go stag if your friends don’t get it)…get out of the house and start going to shows.

Too often, I hear people saying “man, I’m tired of my old tired music playlist – I need some new tunes,” or “gimme some ideas of some new bands to listen to.” Then they spend entire weekends burning up time on iTunes or whatever, trying to catch up with old Rolling Stone or SPIN issues, or gluing themselves to some shoddy “music video” channel.

But 9 times out of 10, my next favorite band became my next favorite band because a.) I saw them live in a small club and maybe even met them later at the bar; b.) I kept an open mind and paid attention; and c.) I had a great time creating fond memories with friends and fans in process.

2.) JUST LISTEN

Many times, it’s just that simple. Just listen. For example…if you’re watching interviews with your favorite artists, listen to what they say, the [band and artist] names they drop, the influences they mention, etc.

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve stumbled upon a great band just by listening to my favorite artists talk about who their influences are, and where their inspirations come from.

Chances are pretty good that if you dig a favorite band already, that you’ll likely be drawn to similar artists that helped mold their sound. And many times, you’ll discover a new artist you never even knew existed, or re-discover one that you might’ve slept on or forgotten about.

3.) READ DEEPER

This one is pretty simple as well. But it seems to be one that many people often gloss over. For example…read closer into your favorite bands’ liner notes inside of their CD. Bands usually have HUGE “thank you” sections at the end of their liner notes, where they shout out and give credit to many of the other bands they’ve toured with, been influenced by, etc.

If you admire something about a particular band or a certain musician, you’ll probably equally feel a connection to their friends, tour mates, label mates, etc.

4.) GET TO THE SHOW EARLY

I first discovered VOLBEAT when they opened for MACHINE HEAD and METALLICA in Las Vegas, on the Death Magnetic Tour. If I wouldn’t have left my uncle and his brother-in-law at the casino and bolted for the show early, I might not still even know about them, today.

Many people I talk to buy tickets for shows only to see the headliner whom they’re probably most familiar/interested with. What a crock. First of all…

a.) you may as well get your money’s worth

b.) many times the opening acts are just as great, if not better than the headliner

c.) the headliner often hand-picks the opening acts who come out on tour with them – so they’re often of similar style and craft to the headlining act

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve discovered a new favorite band that opened for the headliner. If you don’t get to the show early, you might miss out on a golden opportunity to hear some great tunes from a new artist you never would’ve known about otherwise.

And when you get to the venue early, you increase your chances of maybe running into the band members outside while they’re loading their equipment, setting up their merch table, or just hangin’ out at the venue.

This ends up being pretty cool too…because many new bands just getting started obviously want to attract fans. So they’re not afraid to chat with you, take time out for a photo opp, or maybe even sign your t-shirt.

5.) INTERNET RADIO

This one is also pretty obvious. But occasionally I talk to folks who may not be familiar with new internet radio services like Pandora or Live365.

The cool thing about these kinds of services is that there are a whole host of different stations that are programmed (or can be programmed by the user) to play only the types of bands and music that you like to listen to (or might be in the mood for at that moment in time).

Live 365, for example, has thousands of different stations that’ll spin music from the bands you like, as well as spinning in music from lesser known, more obscure bands that you might not have heard of.

And when you’re streaming live radio on services like this, they make it pretty easy to track the tunes they’ve spun (i.e. you can usually go back and pull a track history of what they played and get a whole list of the artists that you can then explore further).

There are some great radio/internet based news services out there, too. NPR has even started to feature new (sometimes raunchier) rock bands in their interviews. Hell…I think I remember catching something about RED FANG on there not too long ago.

6.) THE SAMPLER DISC

You’ve probably stumbled upon dozens of free sampler discs over the years. Many music labels, magazines, and publications still offer free sampler discs from un-signed and/or recently signed artists. Many times, all you have to do is contact the label or draft a short e-mail and ask for it. Other times, you may have to actually purchase the magazine or subscribe to a mailing list.

This is another great way to discover new artists. And many bands and labels are often happy to include song samples and/or bonus freebie discs when you purchase other merchandise from their sites, or place orders over a certain amount.

7.) TALK TO PEOPLE

When you’re at those live shows, just start talking to other fans that you meet at the venue. Many music fans wear t-shirts and such from other bands that they like at rock shows. Don’t be afraid to compliment them on their choice in music/attire and strike up a conversation. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve discovered a new band simply because I was curious enough to go up to somebody and ask them about the band/t-shirt they were wearing.

Plus…it’s just a lot of fun meeting music fans. You might even make some new friends along the way. Real music fans love talking about music. And chances are likely that they’re listening to something new and interesting that you might not be.

8.) STAY AWAY FROM THE MAINSTREAM

What?!? Yes, stay away from the mainstream. You’ll never discover new and upcoming artists listening to pop radio or following USA Today headlines. Why? Because those kinds of outlets are only covering bands that are already popular, or have already made it over a certain level of buzz.

To find those new hidden gems out there, you’ve gotta go underground. You gotta hang out in the dive bars, talk to your local indie record store folk, and read your local independent city papers, etc. That’s where the good stuff stews and brews. This is where you get the “no bullshit” opinions and coverage on breaking bands and buzz.

Don’t get me wrong…there’s many a great music mag published and sitting on the shelves at your favorite bookstore. But the indie/underground spots are typically where it all starts to buzz and broil. Plus, you’ll feel better knowing you’re supporting your local small businesses, clubs, e-zines, and bands.

9.) STICK AROUND FOR THOSE MOVIE CREDITS

This is another pretty obvious one as well. But I can’t tell you how many times I watched a cool movie (or sometimes a shitty one) that just had a killer soundtrack that totally kicked ass. Or…there was a certain scene or part in the movie where a piece of music was used that made my ears perk up.

Stick around for those movie credits at the end, and they’ll usually credit a complete list of all of the songs and artists used in the movie. Jot ‘em down quick in a notepad or on a Note in your mobile device. Then, you can always check those artists out on the web when you get home. If it turns out they cut a Soundtrack for the movie…even better. Say what you will about those Jackass movies, but those guys put together some killer soundtracks over the years.

Now, I know what you’re thinking…some of this seems like a lot of work, right? Who has time to do all of that reading, listening, and research? Well…for some of us rock music audiophile nerds (like me)…that’s just what we do. And that’s when you can simply just…

10.) FOLLOW ROCKTHOUGHT.COM

My wise-ass uncle joked at me a couple weeks of ago as I was on my way to visit for a night-over in Phoenix. I asked “There aren’t any live shows happening [that night] that I need to be aware of, are there?” Jokingly, he replied “Why don’t you check out ROCKTHOUGHT.COM and find out.”

I chuckled at the wise-crack/compliment, and then realized he was totally spot on to put me in my place. You can always contact us here if you ever have any questions, thoughts, opinions about a band, or just about anything else music-related. We love getting emails from folks, chatting up about bands and music, hearing what you’re up to, what you’re listening to, and sharing great stories with each other about our various musical passions.

* Got other great ideas on how to discover new artists? Feel free to share them in the Comments below.