 "Photo: photo courtesy of parachute")
In a day and age when the best way to sell records is to keep your face in the tabloids, wear the most outlandish outfits you can think up, and have a live show filled with lasers, fireworks, and enough back up dancers to start a small army, one might wonder, what happened to the music? At some point in time we actually cared about the quality of the music, but somewhere down the line it seems we just stopped. And even though we no longer appreciate artists for the quality of their music, the true musical artists don’t mind because they don’t do it for fame and fortune. They do it because that’s what they love to do. And since you’ll never catch these artists dressing like a schizophrenic dominatrix or pop locking across stage, most won’t ever get the attention they deserve. But here is a list of a few who, if you haven’t had the opportunity to hear them yet, you should take a second to get familiar with.
James Morrison. Born in the UK, Morrison spent most of his teen years busking on the streets around his neighborhood and attended Treviglas Community College where he studied music. After graduating he spent two years performing at a local bar’s open mic night where he gained a small following and earned a record deal. When you hear him sing “there’s so much craziness surrounding me, so much going on it gets hard to breathe, when all my faith is gone, you bring it back to me” with the soulful pain of a broken man who has nowhere to turn but to the love of his life then you start to understand this is no regular artist. That, paired with his unique heart-melting vocals, makes him a talent seen once in a generation. He has performed on the Jimmy Kimmel Live! show and most recently had a song featured in the major motion picture She’s Out Of My League.
Songs to Download: Wonderful World and Undiscovered
Gavin Degraw. Probably best known for his song I Don’t Want To Be, the theme song for the TV drama One Tree Hill, Degraw began singing and playing piano at the age of eight and later attended the Berklee College of Music. His vocals are so pure and sincere that with each note he has the ability to put you in a state of bliss or tug at your heart, and in most of his songs he finds a way to balance the two perfectly.
Songs to Download: I Don’t Want To Be and We Belong Together
Parachute. The young Pop-Rock band from Virginia formerly known as Sparky’s Flaw has been together since high school, apart from lead guitarist Nate Macfarland who joined the band while the boys were in college. The band started touring together after they graduated from school in 2008 and have slowly gained a small but devoted fan base. The pieces are all in place for the band to get attention worldwide with a catchy up-tempo single (Under Control), a lead singer with a falsetto and a baby face the girls swoon over, and talented musicians who all play their instruments like seasoned vets.
Songs to Download: Under Control and She is Love
Eric Hutchinson. This Washington, D.C. native was once signed to Madonna’s Maverick Record label but the label shut down before the release of his first album, which forced him to release it on his own. His music is a mix of rock, folk, and pop, delivered with subtly strong yet smooth vocals. He attended college in Boston where he was hailed as one of the best singer songwriters in the city. He plays both piano and guitar and has played his music on The Tonight show with Jay Leno as well as Late night with Conan O’Brien.
Songs to Download: All Over Now and Rock n Roll
Marie Digby. Her music is a mix of pop-rock and acoustic songs with a folksy feel. Her smooth vocals and creativity are just a few of the qualities that set her apart from every other musician in her genre. But the real story here is how she got to where she is today and how 20 years ago she would have been just another talented artist lost in the crowd. The 27 year old was born in New York and moved to Los Angeles, where she went to high school. Digby later attended the University of California, Berkeley; during her freshman year she won the Pantene Pro-Voice competition, which earned her the chance to work on an album with a professional producer. From there she built a strong internet fan base by doing covers of popular bands including Linkin Park, Maroon 5 and The Game
on YouTube.
Songs to download: Umbrella and Miss Invisible
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