Maybe I run in a bit more musically informed circles, but I do find it surprising that any of the bands mentioned would be unknown to someone between the ages of, say 30 and 45 or so.
My contribution would be the Mekons. Contemporaries of Gang of Four and Sisters of Mercy, they started in the DIY punk aesthetic, being notable in that they actively spurned learning how to play their instruments at all. Then after a bit of woodshedding, they re-emerged with two brilliant albums,* Fear and Whiskey* and Honky Tonkin, that set the blueprint for alt-country bands like Uncle Tupelo, Wilco, Ryan Adams.
Then, they worked into a more straightforward alternative rock vein, culminating in two more superb discs, The Mekons Rock N Roll, and The Curse Of The Mekons I particularly love Rock n Roll, finding it to have a similar energy, musicianship, and tone as London Calling
The difference is that they are still active, and their last two albums have incorporated folk and Welsh music, alternative, country, and Eastern influences. Their leader, Jon Langford, once said that “The Mekons are the most successful punk band in the world. after all, the otehrs are all dead or working regular jobs”.
Jon Langford now lives in Chicago, and does some jock work on XRT. I like to think that he and Cecil trade beers occasionally in some dive, listening to Bob Wills.
I completely agree. I never heard of any of the bands or musicians in this thread either until I got to be about high school age and started seeking them out. Most people are content with the FM radio stations (I never was and still am not) and never feel the need to look for any “better” music. More power to them I guess, I just hate when you ask them what kind of music they like and they say “Everything. No, really, everything!”
Now, for a band that I can genuinely say I’m SURPRISED that most people haven’t heard of, unlike most of the bands in this thread:
311
They’ve sold literally millions upon millions of records. They’ve had 18 - EIGHTEEN - top 40 songs, and TWO number 1’s, yet everytime I mention them to someone I get confused stares. I’m lucky to even get a “who” - usually it’s a “huh?”
My usual answer to “Do you like [x band]?” is “I don’t know, I’ve heard of them, but I don’t think I’ve ever heard them!” I’ve heard of a lot of (maybe even most) of the bands mentioned, but I’ve actually heard very few of them, and even those, maybe one or two songs. So I’m really no music geek, but…