Five Underground Bands to Watch for in 2009
Rogue Wave, Say Hi, Other Indies Poised for Big Year
Dec 23, 2008
From Seattle side streets and raucous Midwestern roadhouses to swanky one-room lounges that give NYC its "city that never sleeps" mantra, underground rock groups are out to prove that 2009 is poised to be the Year of the Indie Rock Band.
Technology's at their fingertips. Fan-access is a 24/7 game. And major-label players are yesterday's must-have for Indie-inclined forces sputtering full-speed ahead. Say Hi (to Your Mom), Rogue Wave, Margot and the Nuclear So and So's and a bevy of other acts own the potential for breaking and entering a bigger scene next year, armed with new material, national tours and legion of die-hard fans clamouring to get their tracks on the charts. If there are fans not listening to them now, here is a handful of Indie biggies they ought to be downloading (legally, of course).
West-Coast Shakers Prime for Big Year
Say Hi (to Your Mom) has worked the West Coast long enough to build a healthy hatred for "your mama" jokes, move closer to a modest million page views on their MySpace page and - at last, it seems - hook up with Seattle Indie cats that comprise underground-to-mainstream fameBarsuk Records (Death Cab for Cutie, Nada Surf, the Long Winters - all of which, subsequently, should be staples on any substantial fan's playlist). Seattle-based Say Hi is taking a breather, after spending 2008 in the studio, till late winter - just enough time to build anticipation for the release of "Oohs & Aahs" March 3, 2009, and tour to follow.
Like their West-Coast musical peers, Oakland, Calif., boys of Rogue Wave could just ride the tailpipe of recent success into the new year - namely the momentum the band has built from 2007 release "Asleep at Heaven's Gate." But this testament to the purity of rock music continues to crank out new tracks reminiscent of the yet-unwritten genre of vintage rock. They've kept pedal to the metal, touring with Death Cab for Cutie, picking up late-night gigs on Letterman in 2008, and come 2009 the Brushfire Records independents are full steam ahead.
Midwestern Talents Making Waves
It'd be a crying shame should attentive ears have missed Margot & the Nuclear So and So's spread online at Billboard.com recently - or the Indianapolis gang's highly listenable "Animal! And Not Animal (Epic Records). Headed for prime time, these folk-infused former Indies are proof that 2009 may be kind to "undiscovered" talent - even if it's found outside proverbial music capitals of the world.
Fellow off-the-mainstream talent Verona Grove made history in Dairyland this fall, when the Fond du Lac, Wis., punk-rock trio became the first local band to hit No. 1 - let alone make it on the list - of major radio station WIXX's "Top 9 @ 9." Punked-out hair, tight jeans, sweet souls and resonant lyrics that fall well amid regular players on the airwaves have propelled these Midwestern musicians (Pat's Record Company) to the mainstream at last.
East-Coast Players Swing Into '09
Not already boasting rising New York underground fivesome The Bravery on one's play list might be simply "An Honest Mistake". Whether mainstream's ready or not, these East Coast players - who've already invaded campuses on MTVu and saw more air time on VH1 in 2008 - are coming out swinging in '09. Rock fans can get an early fix and preview of the band's next record, "The Sun and the Moon Complete" (slated for a March 18 release), at www.thebravery.com.
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