# What band would you expose to mainstream audiences? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 21, 2002, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-band-would-you-expose-to-mainstream-audiences/104852 "2002-04-21T20:34:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Phoebestar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/13edae/32.png) [@Phoebestar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Phoebestar)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2002, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-band-would-you-expose-to-mainstream-audiences/104852/21 "2002-04-22T20:46:07Z")
[The Push Stars](http://www.pushstars.com) [Moxy Fruvous](http://www.fruvous.com) [They Might Be Giants](http://www.tmbg.com) (although they do the Grammy award-winning theme song to Malcolm in the Middle, which is pretty mainstream already.) And a few people have mentioned Dar Williams. I second/third/whatever that nomination. However, I’m not sure I’d want to expose ANY band to the mainstream. In fact, I quite regret the fact that I wasn’t into Barenaked Ladies when they were an obscure little band from Canada. There’s nothing like going to a small club, seeing your favorite band, and interacting with the members of said band afterwards. It seems to make the music more personal, to me. On the other hand, it’d be nice if people knew who the heck I was talking about when I said my favorite band are They Might Be Giants and Moxy Fruvous. ---
**Author:** ![Legomancer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/779978/32.png) [@Legomancer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Legomancer)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2002, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-band-would-you-expose-to-mainstream-audiences/104852/22 "2002-04-22T20:51:34Z")
**Fountains of Wayne** It is a crime before God and man that not only am I not currently sick of hearing these guys on the radio constantly, they don’t even have a label anymore. What is wrong with this country? FoW makes great catchy hook-laden power-pop. How is this NOT on the radio? ---
**Author:** ![BillyGnos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/71c47a/32.png) [@BillyGnos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BillyGnos)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2002, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-band-would-you-expose-to-mainstream-audiences/104852/23 "2002-04-22T21:27:39Z")
**Face to Face** I would issue copies of _Ignorance Is Bliss_ to everyone. If I could only have one CD with me on a deserted island, it would be this one. And I own over 600 CDs. I can’t say it enough, this album is simply remarkable. ---
**Author:** ![Coil](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/bb73d2/32.png) [@Coil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Coil)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2002, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-band-would-you-expose-to-mainstream-audiences/104852/24 "2002-04-22T21:33:23Z")
[Welle:Erdball](http://www.welle-e.de). Commodore-64 fans should check them out, they do one or two songs per album completely on a C-64. I´ve seen them live twice and they are a great live act. I agree that Einsturzende Neubauten deserve more recognition though. ---
**Author:** ![interface2x](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c0e974/32.png) [@interface2x](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/interface2x)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2002, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-band-would-you-expose-to-mainstream-audiences/104852/25 "2002-04-22T23:49:39Z")
Out of all the bands I listen to, I’d say:: [Anything Box](http://www.anythingbox.com/) - used to be happy synthpop but have evolved into an electronic rock outfit. Great stuff, very catchy and I definitely think there’s an audience for it out there. [Mesh](http://www.mesh.co.uk/) - Their newest album _Who Watches Over Me?_ is amazing, and unfortunately it probably won’t be released in the US. People who like Depeche Mode will almost certainly like these guys. They have a sound similar to DM, but I really think they’ve got their own feel and are awesome songwriters. So there you have it. Colin ---
**Author:** ![Dub56](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a5b964/32.png) [@Dub56](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dub56)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2002, 4:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-band-would-you-expose-to-mainstream-audiences/104852/26 "2002-04-23T04:39:10Z")
**Atmosphere** May not qualify in some places, but very good hip hop for those that like the ‘intelligent’ rap (which i’m sure some will think is an oxymoron) **The White Stripes** Quietly releasing sick rootsy rock albums . . . **O.A.R.** Staple of the college music scene, need more exposure nationwide ---
**Author:** ![Grelby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a5b964/32.png) [@Grelby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grelby)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2002, 4:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-band-would-you-expose-to-mainstream-audiences/104852/27 "2002-04-23T04:51:19Z")
[The Demons of Stupidity.](http://www.demonsofstupidity.hollywood.com) Hey, they’re friends of mine; I figure I owe 'em. In all seriousness, download the sample pack on the website, which includes “Generic Rock Song,” (their greatest hit!) and “The Hits of Techno,” actually more of a sketch in the style of Vestibule (formerly known as Radio Free Vestibule). In any case, they are a comedy act… but they have some definite potential. The best moments of their CDs really are excellent. ---
**Author:** ![Duke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e8c25b/32.png) [@Duke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duke)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2002, 6:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-band-would-you-expose-to-mainstream-audiences/104852/28 "2002-04-23T06:37:56Z")
**Legomancer** : > [@](#): > > Fountains of Wayne The beloved Fountains suffer from the same lack of exposure that all power-pop acts seem to have. Example: the other night I was looking at Power Pop Radio and the webmaster’s Top Five lists. I thought of my own all-time top five: 1. Sloan, _Twice Removed_ 2. The Super Friendz, _Mock Up, Scale Down_ 3. Matthew Sweet, _In Reverse_ 4. Fountains of Wayne, _Utopia Parkway_ 5. Teenage Fanclub, _Howdy!_ …and realised that two of the albums (Super Friendz and TF) were never released in the US, and the other three acts lost their record label immediately after releasing the above albums. So, yeah, all five of those, plus The Flashing Lights and Elevator. ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2002, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-band-would-you-expose-to-mainstream-audiences/104852/29 "2002-04-23T13:29:47Z")
I vote for Cowboy Mouth too. They are the best concert band ever yet they don’t get the radio play that they deserve for some reason. It may be because their style is hard to pigeon-hole because they have several lead singers/writers that come up with very differnt songs. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2002, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-band-would-you-expose-to-mainstream-audiences/104852/30 "2002-04-23T14:01:13Z")
I don’t know what stations you guys listen to, but most of these bands have been on the stations I listen to… Especially Cowboy Mouth. They’ve several singles that were played frequently, deservingly but they’re not unknowns. (" Whatcha gonna do" was on the top five for weeks on WCYY; " Jenny says" was on the countdowns even longer on the Boston/Providence stations I used to listen to…) They could use _more_ exposure, of course, but they’ve had at the OP’s at least a month of regular exposure already…same thing goes for Face to Face, Guster(had a song on " Andy Richter" this week, whoo hoo!) and Fountains of Wayne. Anyway, I’d love to expose [**6Gig**](http://home.maine.rr.com/sixgig/home.htm) and [**Jeremiah Freed**](http://www.jeremiahfreed.com/index_intro.html) to the masses. The first is a hardcore/punk band, the second is more alternative/folk. JF just released their 1st major label debute, so maybe they’ll find their way into mainstream eventually. ---
**Author:** ![Phoebestar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/13edae/32.png) [@Phoebestar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Phoebestar)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2002, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-band-would-you-expose-to-mainstream-audiences/104852/31 "2002-04-23T16:42:43Z")
Minor hijack: After reading elfkin477’s post, I decided to look up this WCYY station. They have a website with streaming audio at [http://www.wcyy.com/](http://www.wcyy.com/) I’ll give it a listen, it sounds like they play great stuff. ---
**Author:** ![Legomancer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/779978/32.png) [@Legomancer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Legomancer)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2002, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-band-would-you-expose-to-mainstream-audiences/104852/32 "2002-04-23T17:01:32Z")
That WCYY does sound good. We have nothing like it here, and my firewall at work makes streaming audio impossible. ---
**Author:** ![Bedrosian\_Bixby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ecae2f/32.png) [@Bedrosian\_Bixby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bedrosian_Bixby)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2002, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-band-would-you-expose-to-mainstream-audiences/104852/33 "2002-04-23T19:05:56Z")
**Marah** - The last Rock and Roll band. I love these guys. True straight forward roots rock with a bit of alt-country and Philly soul. Their new album will be out in June and I heard most of it. They arr doing a much more mainstream sound this time around, so you may be hearing them on the radio soon. The first single will feature Bruce Springsteen backing up the vocals and playing the guitar solo. Check these guys out…they truly rock! I’ll second the **O.A.R.** nomination. They are such an energetic, loose band. Alot of fun and I hope they make it around my area sometime, I would love to see them live. ---
**Author:** ![Tretiak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a88e57/32.png) [@Tretiak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tretiak)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2002, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-band-would-you-expose-to-mainstream-audiences/104852/34 "2002-04-23T19:41:00Z")
**Cibo Matto** - Funky cool. ---
**Author:** ![Podkayne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/edb3f5/32.png) [@Podkayne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Podkayne)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2002, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-band-would-you-expose-to-mainstream-audiences/104852/35 "2002-04-23T23:06:58Z")
Everyone must hear **Dave Carter and Tracy Grammer**! They describe themselves as postmodern mythic American music. I don’t know if that means anything, actually. I’d say they’re on the contry end of folk, but way cooler than anything else I’ve ever heard in either genre. Their musicianship and vocals are competent, and their lyrics are absolutely brilliant. **novacaine** , I listen to the Crow soundtrack obsessively, and I love "After the Flesh.’ “I am the new way to go. I am the way of the future.” _Picture Podkayne headbanging alone in her office_ “There are a lot of innocent people being . . . crucified.” I’d love to hear some more MLWTTKK. (You know, if they really want to broaden their appeal, the first thing they need to do is shorten their name. 🙂 ) Can you recommend an album? ---
**Author:** ![Pythagoras](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/48db29/32.png) [@Pythagoras](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pythagoras)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2002, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-band-would-you-expose-to-mainstream-audiences/104852/36 "2002-04-24T00:26:38Z")
**Mr Bungle!** One of the freakiest and coolest bands ever [http://www.bunglefever.com](http://www.bunglefever.com) ---
**Author:** ![Sgt.J](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ec9cab/32.png) [@Sgt.J](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sgt.J)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2002, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-band-would-you-expose-to-mainstream-audiences/104852/37 "2002-04-24T04:29:40Z")
put me down for Cowboy Mouth as well. The wife and I saw them in New Orleans during Mardi Graw and THEY ROCKED!!! ---
**Author:** ![Badtz\_Maru](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e36b37/32.png) [@Badtz\_Maru](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Badtz_Maru)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2002, 7:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-band-would-you-expose-to-mainstream-audiences/104852/38 "2002-04-24T07:08:33Z")
Eerie Ln. They are a metal group from Fort Worth that combine '80s speed metal riffs with death metal-style singing. Their songs are unusually catchy, obviously strongly influenced by The Misfits, and the band doesn’t take itself very seriously and are obviously having tons of fun. I discovered them on [mp3.com](http://mp3.com) and when I wrote them an email asking about when they were going to play gigs locally they sent me a CD, a bunch of old concert flyers, pins, and other nifty stuff. They deserve a lot more attention than they are getting. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2002, 12:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-band-would-you-expose-to-mainstream-audiences/104852/39 "2002-04-24T12:34:51Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Phoebestar \* > \*\*Minor hijack: > > After reading elfkin477’s post, I decided to look up this WCYY station. They have a website with streaming audio at [http://www.wcyy.com/](http://www.wcyy.com/) > > I’ll give it a listen, it sounds like they play great stuff. \*\* You might like this one too, then. [http://www.wfnx.com/](http://www.wfnx.com/) My favorite thing about living near Maine is the radio stations 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Junior\_Spaceman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/eb8c5e/32.png) [@Junior\_Spaceman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Junior_Spaceman)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2002, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-band-would-you-expose-to-mainstream-audiences/104852/40 "2002-04-25T00:11:03Z")
**The Dirty Three** - Ten years on, it’s about time somebody picked these youngsters up and gave them a go. Sure they don’t have a singer, but having no singer is better than having a bad singer, and there’s more space for _music_. I know it’s a lost cause, but we can dream. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-band-would-you-expose-to-mainstream-audiences/104852.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-band-would-you-expose-to-mainstream-audiences/104852.md?page=3)