Your favorite band that never made it big... Thread

[eits1986]

As we all know, sometimes circumstance seems to overshadow talent, and many great bands never break the surface of the mainstream ocean of success. Do you guys know of any good bands this has happened to?

My favorite would probably be Dinosaur Jr. I'm sure some of you have heard of them, but they never made millions, even though it is the opinion of this ruggedly good-looking homo sapien that they should have. Also, if you have heard of someone else's choice, let them hear your opinion!

Unless its negative, to which I respond you can go straight to hell.

[caddywumpus]

My favorite bands that never made it big...

Frodus
Blenderhead
Roadside Monument

...all post-punk bands in the 90s that I listened to in my teen years. When I throw in a CD, it takes me back.

[eits1986]

My favorite bands that never made it big...

Frodus
Blenderhead
Roadside Monument

...all post-punk bands in the 90s that I listened to in my teen years. When I throw in a CD, it takes me back.

I am starting to explore the punk movement of the mid-late '80s, and will probably end up slow-crawling through the post-punk revolution, after which I plan on somersaulting through the mid-nineties Christian death metal explosion.

[DrummerDavid]

Porcupine Tree.

Circus Or Power

[tbmills]

addison groove project......

[Mr. Pasquini]

Depends on what you mean;
Today is the Day is a somewhat respected band, however I am always impressed that no one knows who they are. I don't know, I guess you could technically say they made it but I highly doubt Steve Austin is getting rich off that endeavor.

Spastic Ink with their tech-metal is another one I am really sad to see not getting a ton of recognition.

[rmandelbaum]

Ok so obviously any band I have been in ;-)

I really like a band that never really broke over here in the US call "It Bites"

Has anybody heard of them?

[rogue_drummer]

There was a good regional band in the D/FW area in Texas way back in the 80's and early 90's called Lo Della. Roughly translated it meant "the band" I believe. They played a lot of the larger night clubs in the area. They were always tight and always rocked the house, even with their own material, but never caught on enough to get a lot of exposure. And the local jerk radio stations never played their stuff....

You'd think the radio stations would be more than happy to play local favorites, but I'm not in radio so I don't know all the "rules".

Also the Toadies are from around here. They were semi-successful, but the record company never really marketed their CDs properly. They sort of cut the CD, then didn't market it, and eventually the Toadies broke up, I believe. At least that is what I read in the newspapers....

[jay norem]

There was a very fine band from Atlanta called the Swimming Pool Q's. They appeared at the same the Athens scene was taking off and they rather got lost in that shuffle, so they didn't get the full national attention that I though they deserved. They're still around, I believe, but they, like a lot of Atlanta bands, were overlooked due to all the attention the Athens bands were getting at that time.
Really, even on a bad day the Swimming Pool Q's could blow REM right out the water, and their music was far more interesting, and better played, than that REM bunch.

[VedranS]

Dredg.

20202020202020

[Joe P]

I've never heard of these bands.

(ha. get it? I'm so clever...)

[Construct]

Spastic Ink with their tech-metal is another one I am really sad to see not getting a ton of recognition.

Seconded. Bobby and his omnipotence, geez.

[crdirtRider856]

Someone mentioned Dredge...I love that band, I think that they had moderate success for the audience they were aiming for.

Someone else said Porcupine Tree...I think they ve had more than enough exposure to be mainstream, but thats not so...and I love the fact that after 20 or so years, they are still considered "unknown" to many(commercial radio listeners esp.). But to hard-core fans, its better that way. I can still get a great seat at any of their shows and I dont have to deal with a bunch of lame-ass bandwagoners that are only there for the "scene"(DMB cough, cough). Not to mention we have the great Gavin Harrison right here, answering every query from the average "guy next door" drummer. IMO, I think its better to actually have a "musician's band" around these days. And they are about as good as you can get, talent-wise. But I digress.....lol

The band Oceansize never really took off. Not that I know of at least.

The band Seemless. Their first album was an absolute work of pure ROCK art.

Minus The Bear- still havent figured out their genre, but thats ok..

40 Below Summer- Local guys(for me) and beats RATM anyday, IMO.

The Apex Theory- ?????, Mr Bungle??,Acid Mother's Temple? Liquid Groove?....so many more.

I kinda like the fact that they never turned into another played-out, corporate, show band. But hey, thats just me. : )

[eits1986]

I've never heard of these bands.

(ha. get it? I'm so clever...)

Ban him.....................

[Construct]

I've never heard of these bands.

(ha. get it? I'm so clever...)


Ban hammer, BAN HAMMER!!!

[secondXheartbeat]

Also the Toadies are from around here. They were semi-successful, but the record company never really marketed their CDs properly. They sort of cut the CD, then didn't market it, and eventually the Toadies broke up, I believe. At least that is what I read in the newspapers....

I love the Toadies! I'm also from the DFW area. Have you heard the Burden Brothers? Its the same singer from the Toadies they gained alot of local notoriety a few years back, but again I don't think they caught on outside of Texas.



But anyways, Frodus was a good choice, I got into them from Thrice's amazing cover of "The Earth Isn't Humming."

But my favorite was Terminal from Forth Worth, Texas. They were a local staple for a short time and then got picked up by Tooth & Nail Records and ended touring as main support for Hawthorne Heights in 2004, but broke up soon after. Some of the members have now formed Oh, Sleeper which is slowly gaining ground nationally. I caught the Terminal reunion show in Plano, Texas last year, it was a great show.

[turbinesaint]

Minus The Bear

I've really enjoyed their music over the years. For me there are a couple of post punk bands that never really did mainstream, but I still listen to their music:

Unwound
Hoover

Plus, there is a band called "In a Nutshell" from Russia that my wife has been listening to a lot of lately. They're not too bad either (even though they are fairly new but because of location might never see mainstream US or even Europe).

[jay norem]

Here's a little group that I was quite fond of at the time, Animal Time that is.
Songs at the bottom:

http://blackstrap.org/2005/08/animal-time-chap-stick-for-punks.html

[drumbum1977]

The Scream....John Corobi left for Motley Crue and that was it....for both bands!

[maddrummr]

I second Minus the Bear.

they have a great sound.

[Billy Brown]

I second Minus the Bear.

they have a great sound.

Sharks Keep Moving were better. (Jake Snider's band prior)

[eits1986]

Sharks Keep Moving were better. (Jake Snider's band prior)

I am assuming these are both daughter bands of Bear vs. Shark? I must remember to check them out...

[boomboomda]

Keb' Mo

I guess he's still kinda working on it his fame, and is also known very well in the Blues Society, but I think he deserves a little more credit.
Maybe it is because alot of his music has a lot of just him and his guitar, what does not appeal to the masses, but when he plays with the band, the music is absolutely great.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YnE8c_Dd3i8

[deadbirdsoup]

Peiphery, a band who are almost famous through just soundclick and myspace. The guy 'Bulb' is the main dude in the process, with the drummer 'Travis Orbin' providing busy, brain crunching drumming. A must listen for metal/prog lovers. Even though they are still early in their career, I thought it would be an appropriate place to mention them.

I also second Porcupine Tree.

www.myspace.com/periphery

[rockinrider]

Johnny Clegg and Savuka:

Here's an example:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vpTKH_2Poio



.

[jollymosher]

See you next Tuesday.


Look them up.

[MSPaintClock]

Shadowy Men on a Shadowy Planet

and Dinosaur Jr, but I'd kill to do what they're doing right now.

[aydee]

Mine would have to be 2 Ton Shoe.

Dave DiCenso's band that almost never was. A small cult following around Boston and songs sold off the internet is all that happened, I think.

Oh, they were like the Beatles in Korea though.......

[Ian Williams]

Fight -> from Rob Halford.

[fugazi]

Fugazi :D

and dinosaur jr, drive like jehu and focus! oh and urban dance squad :(

[Citizen Insane]

X, some of the best punk rock ever made, and The Dead Kennedies. But I'm glad these guys never broke the mainstream.

[MykeyInChains]

Echolyn

Isis

Candiria

[trkdrmr]

Mine would be "Nantucket" and the side group "PKM"

Links: http://www.2112online.com/nantucket/pkm.html

The drummer Kenny Soule: http://kennysoule.com/

[Drumsword]

Back in pre school there were 3 kids, one had a plastic guitar, one had a plastic drum and one had a plastic sax. I think they could have gone all the way with a little more guidance.

[Der Februar]

The Blood Brothers and the Refused are both super awesome.

[trkdrmr]

Back in pre school there were 3 kids, one had a plastic guitar, one had a plastic drum and one had a plastic sax. I think they could have gone all the way with a little more guidance.

Me and some guys from school had a band and we tried real hard.
Jimmy quit and Jody got married. Shoulda known we'd never get far.

[aydee]

Back in pre school there were 3 kids, one had a plastic guitar, one had a plastic drum and one had a plastic sax. I think they could have gone all the way with a little more guidance.

Did they have a singer called Yoko?......




.....& the Plastic 'oh no' band ?



( drum roll, ducks for cover )...........

[crdirtRider856]

The Blood Brothers and the Refused are both super awesome.

Yes they are...Refused is done for but the the singer(Dennis, I think) is in a new band, I forget the name. And Blood Brothers...!!!...they are definitely an acquired taste. I love em though.

KMFDM, or their latter MDFMK.

Dust for Life

Lacuna Coil

MINDLESS SELF INDULGENCE!!!

Soilwork

Haste the Day

Hell Yeah

Sparta

And I hate sayin this... but Ugly Kid Joe. They had that one hit wonder but thats a damn good cd, IMO... I ll have a bunch more as my memory complies with me...

[crdirtRider856]

Echolyn

Isis

Candiria

3 more good ones. 202020

[Mr. Pasquini]

Lacuna Coil

MINDLESS SELF INDULGENCE!!!

Soilwork


I think all of those are very well known bands.

[crdirtRider856]

I think all of those are very well known bands.

Maybe well known to people like us, that actually make it a point to find new or different music, but to the "majority" they are mostly less than commonly known.
Dont get me wrong, I enjoy the success that they ve achieved, but if you were to mention some of these bands at say a party or a "commercial" type concert, you d have alot of people scratching their heads and saying something like " Soooo are they like.. 3 Doors Down?, or more like Seether?" Know what I mean?

Porcupine Tree has been mentioned a few times and if you go to a site like Youtube, compare their view count to some of the other bands mentioned... Its kind of surprising that they re not played more, or more well known. Its the way that mass-marketed bands that are played out day after day have just been accepted by too many people that dont care enough about expanding their tastes, and are content to just listen to it, day in, day out, and when their favorite radio station execs think that the "sheep" are ready for a new flavor in their slop, they introduce it, play it alot, play it more and more, and continue to play it out until another similar song or band comes out, and they repeat the cycle.

Sorry for that huge run-on sentence, btw...

But you get my gist. Alot of the bands mentioned here are well-known, but have they really "made it big?" I ve said it before and I ll reiterate- I like the fact that alot of these bands arent household name-bands, It means that if they re still around, and still playing shows, I can still get a decent seat and I dont have to deal with the all the idiots that are there for the tailgating, or just there because its where everyone's friends are at...Like OzzFest, or Dave Matthews Band, or (damn, I just broke my cigarette, lol) what Lollapalooza was becoming.

For a quick example, I went to a Yes show a few years back, and the parking lot was empty. When we got in the venue, it was so empty that we were able to get the best seats because no one was there to argue with us. And Yes was a HUGE band back in the day. We went to the same venue(E- Center in Camden, NJ) a week or two later for DMB, it was the complete opposite. Same with OzzFest, the general behaviour of the crowd was so bad, we had to leave before something ended up happening. What does that say about concert-goers today? Sorry to whoop n holler, but I d like some of my favorite bands to stay alittle bit "under the radar" so to speak...sorry but so on and so forth, etc, etc, etc....: )

[metal overlord]

Razor, Rigor Mortis, Attacker,

all those underground thrash metal bands

[Drumsword]

Me and some guys from school had a band and we tried real hard.
Jimmy quit and Jody got married. Shoulda known we'd never get far.

LOL
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[stasz]

If you live near Chicago, there are a huge number of jam bands in that music community and I think pretty much all of them have the right idea about how to play good music. Some that I like: Umphrey's McGee, Family Groove Company, 56 Hope Road

[slingerland755]

Mother's finest had a great run but never really made "the show."

[michael drums]

Band of a Thousand Names/Expensive Hobby

The one time bass player for Crack The Sky, Cary Zieglers' solo bands.

Local Baltimore band that STILL plays the local circuit as Expensive Hobby.

Excellent talent at every instrument, and highly recommended to see live.

Cary Ziegler - Extraordinary bass player! As good as there is.


Oh, and actually, Crack The Sky themselves really never made it as big as they should have. Really popular in the 70's and 80's along the east coast of the US, but not so much west of the Mississippi.

Really strange, 'cause these guys were incredible musicians, and put on monstrous shows live. And they STILL do live shows in the Maryland/Pennsylvania area. Original singer John Palumbo and guitarist Rick Witkowski, still with 'em.

;-)

[speedwolf]

King Crimson.....and, yes, I know they are "big," but it's amazing to me how many people have never even HEARD of them.

.....listen to King Crimson!