# Can You Identify This Music Artist From a Vague Description **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 21, 2018, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-identify-this-music-artist-from-a-vague-description/810965 "2018-03-21T14:03:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2018, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-identify-this-music-artist-from-a-vague-description/810965/1 "2018-03-21T14:03:19Z")
I heard a snippet of a song the other day on the sound system at the grocery store, and no one working there knew whose playlist was playing or where it was coming from. Best I can figure, the artist sounded like Nate Rateliffe and the Night Sweats got together with Edwin Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeroes, smoked a doobie and mellowed out, then invited Mumford & Sons to jam with them. It was folksy, country-ish, and bluesy. … and that’s all I got. Does this sound familiar to anyone? ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2018, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-identify-this-music-artist-from-a-vague-description/810965/2 "2018-03-21T14:07:17Z")
**Ray LaMontagne, You’re the Best Thing** : [Ray LaMontagne - You Are The Best Thing - YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vJ3xTjvj9tw) ---
**Author:** ![MoonMoon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moonmoon/32/2959_2.png) [@MoonMoon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MoonMoon)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2018, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-identify-this-music-artist-from-a-vague-description/810965/3 "2018-03-21T14:18:05Z")
Could be any number of bands/singers. I’d need at least a snippet of lyrics to figure it out. ---
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2018, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-identify-this-music-artist-from-a-vague-description/810965/4 "2018-03-21T14:19:54Z")
> [@WordMan](#): > > **Ray LaMontagne, You’re the Best Thing** : [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vJ3xTjvj9tw](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vJ3xTjvj9tw) Thanks for the attempt, but that wasn’t it. ---
**Author:** ![Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/prof.pepperwinkle/32/13627_2.png) [@Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Prof.Pepperwinkle)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2018, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-identify-this-music-artist-from-a-vague-description/810965/5 "2018-03-22T15:01:27Z")
The Dead South? [The Dead South - In Hell I'll Be In Good Company [Official Music Video] - YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B9FzVhw8_bY) They’re a Canadian group sometimes known as Mumford & Sons’ Evil Twin. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2018, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-identify-this-music-artist-from-a-vague-description/810965/6 "2018-03-22T15:52:09Z")
OK, this has got to be some song they play on WXRT. Seems to describe a number of them. [Vance Joy - Saturday Sun](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3175ZqIvvEE)? (Probably not bluesy enough and maybe too uptempo given your description.) [Lumineers - Ophelia](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pTOC_q0NLTk)? [Lumineers - Cleopatra](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aN5s9N_pTUs)? [Lumineers - Ho Hey](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zvCBSSwgtg4)? (OK, I suspect you’re sensing a theme there.) [Kongos - Come With Me Now](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gz2GVlQkn4Q)? Once again, probably not mellow enough, given your description. Any of these kind of in the ballpark? ---
**Author:** ![Channing\_Idaho\_Banks](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/channing_idaho_banks/32/250_2.png) [@Channing\_Idaho\_Banks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Channing_Idaho_Banks)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2018, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-identify-this-music-artist-from-a-vague-description/810965/7 "2018-03-22T16:06:00Z")
I like this game! How about this: Popular but despised 70s folk singer who played guitar. ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2018, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-identify-this-music-artist-from-a-vague-description/810965/8 "2018-03-22T16:08:28Z")
I don’t have a guess, but I find myself in a similar situation often. If you have a smartphone you can ask Google Voice Search “What is this song?” and it will listen and tell you. I would assume Siri would do the same thing. Also this used to be done by an app called Shazam which I assume is still a thing. ---
**Author:** ![BobBitchin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7ea924/32.png) [@BobBitchin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobBitchin)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2018, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-identify-this-music-artist-from-a-vague-description/810965/9 "2018-03-22T16:26:42Z")
> [@Channing\_Idaho\_Banks](#): > > I like this game! How about this: Popular but despised 70s folk singer who played guitar. Cat Stevens? ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2018, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-identify-this-music-artist-from-a-vague-description/810965/10 "2018-03-22T16:28:48Z")
I took my big swing. 😉 Unless I get more data, I will hang back. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2018, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-identify-this-music-artist-from-a-vague-description/810965/11 "2018-03-22T19:06:01Z")
> [@Channing\_Idaho\_Banks](#): > > I like this game! How about this: Popular but despised 70s folk singer who played guitar. James Taylor. ---
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2018, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-identify-this-music-artist-from-a-vague-description/810965/12 "2018-03-22T19:19:39Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > OK, this has got to be some song they play on WXRT. Seems to describe a number of them. > > [Vance Joy - Saturday Sun](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3175ZqIvvEE)? (Probably not bluesy enough and maybe too uptempo given your description.) > > [Lumineers - Ophelia](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pTOC_q0NLTk)? > > [Lumineers - Cleopatra](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aN5s9N_pTUs)? > > [Lumineers - Ho Hey](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zvCBSSwgtg4)? > > (OK, I suspect you’re sensing a theme there.) > > [Kongos - Come With Me Now](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gz2GVlQkn4Q)? Once again, probably not mellow enough, given your description. > > Any of these kind of in the ballpark? Not any of those, although the style of the artist is very similar to The Lumineers, and it may well have been one of their songs, I’ll take a closer look at their mix later today. I love that Kongos song - it was used to great effect in a series of Universal Orlando commercials a while back. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2018, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-identify-this-music-artist-from-a-vague-description/810965/13 "2018-03-22T19:36:58Z")
Something from [Milky Chance](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iX-QaNzd-0Y)? ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2018, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-identify-this-music-artist-from-a-vague-description/810965/14 "2018-03-22T19:40:18Z")
My Morning Jacket? I don’t have a link but they are easily found. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2018, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-identify-this-music-artist-from-a-vague-description/810965/15 "2018-03-22T20:51:48Z")
> [@HeyHomie](#): > > Not any of those, although the style of the artist is very similar to The Lumineers, and it may well have been one of their songs, I’ll take a closer look at their mix later today. > > I love that Kongos song - it was used to great effect in a series of Universal Orlando commercials a while back. Another possibility might be checking out The Head and the Heart. I hear that a lot on the radio here. It’s not quite as mellow as the Lumineers songs I linked to, but kind of in that modern folky rock tradition, whatever the hell you want to call it. Here is [All We Ever Knew](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W50zP8K04-E), for instance, but I suspect that might be a bit more upbeat than what you’re looking form.