Ah, music. It soothes the savage beast. It puts fire in the loins of rebel teenagers. It can sing you to sleep, it can make you dance for 36 hours straight, it can make you laugh, cry, and shake your booty. What you'll find here is music that I like. It's a pretty wide variety of sounds, so if you don't like one of them, feel free to move on to the next. NOTE: I generally tend to support and hype unsigned and independent musicians here. The ones that are signed usually have quite a budget at their disposal to do their promotion, and the independent ones decide whether to buy groceries or print out those flyers for the next show. The flyers usually win. So give these folks a listen. Most of them have MP3's directly on their sites, or links to the sites that house their MP3's. Many of them have CD's for sale as well, and you can go directly to them without having to give any of your money to the huge music conglomerates. Nice deal, huh? And hey...it's not all about me. If you know of a good band that needs to be featured here, send me an email and let me know where I can find them. I'll need to be able to hear them myself before I'll feature them, either live or via some recorded medium (CD, MP3, whatever), but I'm always ready to hear new stuff. First off, a NYC funk phenomenon: Ejectrode. Formerly known as EbenLevyDisasterReliefFund, this funk will grab you with high shine, organic crunch, and some of the smartest lyrics I've heard to date. The band is led by former Chucklehead genius (and I don't use that term lightly) Eben Levy. If you're in NYC or the surrounding area, get on the mailing list and as soon as you hear about a show, cancel all other plans you had for the night except dinner beforehand. When you have that dinner, carb up, because you'll need the energy. Next, continuing on the funk with crunch (funch? crunk? I dunno....), we've got Munk. He's got soul, he's got funk, and he's got a new CD out called "Anime Sweetheart". His music's been on the WB's "Charmed", but he hasn't gotten a swelled head from it. Go....listen. You'll be glad you did. If you're looking for something a little less funky, more melodic, great lyrics and a lead singer with a voice that nearly makes me faint, maybe Unspun is more your style. With songs like "Fashion to Ashes", "Bombs Away", and "Here It Comes To Kiss Me" (my three faves), I can't really describe them except to say that I love them a whole lot. If you're tired of most of the prepackaged Creedlets on the radio, but still crave melodic music that really rocks, these are the boys for you. They are getting radioplay right now, but it's only late late at night on K-Rock. Better than a poke in the eye with a swordfish, but not as good as it could be. Help me get the word out about this fabulous band. Okay. So modern music really isn't your style, and you're more into a Doobie Brothers/Allman Brothers type groove that still makes you tap your toes, dance all night, fling your underclothes about the bar with wanton abandon, and indulge in near criminal amounts of whiskey and beer? Have I got a band for you. Sol Dog. Extended bluesrock jams, GREAT live shows, and a whole lotta talent. They have a CD out, there's music clips on the site, and they're working on a new release as well. Grab a beer and give them a listen. Get on the mailing list if you're so inclined, and if you're in the CT/NY/NJ area, go see a show! How can you say no to great live music? If you're lucky, it may even be Buy The Band A Shot Night. That's all I've got for now, but keep checking back. I'm listening to new stuff all the time and seeing bands as often as I can, so when I come across something good, I'll let you know. I'm also still interested in writing a book abou tindependent musicians and what they go through with record companies. If you've got info that you think might be helpful, or wish to share your experiences, I'd love it if you were to drop me an email and tell me all about it. In the meantime, happy listening!