Top 10 Discoveries of 2011: #10

Name: Kingston
Original Post: http://corneroflostandfound.blogspot.com/2011/10/kingston.html

Why: I can always do with more country in my life, and they are wonderful. They seem like the sweetest guys and they make the greatest covers and they seem to be working REALLY hard on some music for us all. Plus, I can appreciate boys who face their biggest fears, especially when it's because they're keeping a promise to their fans for helping them reach their Pledge goal. (They also donated to Children Miracle Network with that money. So yeah. They are sweeter than maple syrup.)

What they've done since I posted about them: Like I said, they faced their fear of spiders (It was quite entertaining)


And they did a cover of Katy Perry's latest single, "The One That Got Away"


I think I also like them so much because they're from Nashville, and now that my family lives two hours from Nashville, I like to pretend I know stuff about Nashville. :)

Plus, have I mentioned how adorable they are?

So here's the deal

I'm going to be doing a Top 10 Favorite Discoveries of 2011. So every day I'll post one of the 10. I'll tell you why they're on my list, a little bit about them if I haven't posted about them/ what they have done since I've posted about them. That sorta thing.

:)

Cool?

Glad we had this chat. It shall start tomorrow with #10

GET PUMPED!

Finding Atlantis

http://www.facebook.com/findingatlantis

Ok, ok, I'll admit it. I've been neglecting my blog because I've been sucked into the black hole that is Netflix's Romantic Comedy Instant Watch Category. Go ahead. Laugh all you want, but that is why BTNLT has been so devoid of human activity. BUT FEAR NOT LOYAL READERS! Because Finding Atlantis has brought me back.

Luck would have it that I checked my email today and saw a Twitter email saying a street team had started following me. Odd, since I didn't know the band in which this street team repped, so I went to rectify the situation, if only just to make myself more knowledgable in the musicverse. And it led me to this band's Facebook, and from Facebook, to their songs. And then where from their songs, you ask?

Straight to rocking out and ignoring the sweet, sweet cries of yet another couple who would end up living happily ever after.

Now, what is this band's appeal? What about them dragged me away from my 2011 Thanksgiving Movie Binge?

This pop rock band from Winston-Salem, NC has two songs. Just.... two songs. One has 94 plays (soon to be 95 as I am listening to it, again, as I type) and one that has 638 plays (probably 639 as soon as this post is done) and upon first hearing them, I just sat back and let both of those song play three times each.

They're wonderful! Chris Lane's voice is the voice that you have always wanted to hear when you pressed play on a pop rock band's music and never gotten. Shawn James provides excellent back up vocals and do NOT even get me started on the playing he, Arthur Balwah and Josh Willis are doing on these two tracks. It's just.... superb.

This young band has ALL the right beginnings, and you can bet that I'm going to be keeping an eye on them. Really, the only way they can go is up, and the future just looks oh so bright for them. Seriously. Check them out.

Go Download: Their song "The Saltwater Cure" from Facebook. Oh, and I should probably mention that it's free. Can't get much better than that, right?

Happy Belated Thanksgiving!

I'm sorry I didn't post this yesterday, but I was off in Aggieland having the most stressful night of my life.

I'll have some new bands up for you soon.

It's just that it was a holiday and all, and you know how holiday type stuff goes.

Austin Nivarel

http://www.purevolume.com/new/austinnivarel

If one wanted to visually represent the sound that is Austin Nivarel, they need to look no further than his past Facebook profile pictures.



Just look at it. He's happy, colorful, and just looks like one of the sweetest guys ever. Now, go liste to his music. Happy. Colorful. And Sweet. This boy is what I started my day with on Friday, and it led to not only a wonderful morning, but a wonderful day. (It should be noted that I am the furthest thing from a morning person you can get, so anything that can make me smile when I wake up is on to something.)

My first thought about this Wisconsin-onian (is that what they're called?) was that he was like a male version of Taylor Swift (minus the inability to sing live) which is why I greatly aprove of his cover of her song "Enchanted". His version is great, and he definitely did it justice. I actually think it's better than the original (I'm sure I sound like a T-swizzle hater, but I would just like to say that I'm not. I actually own all her albums. Just as an FYI.)

Basically, I guess what you need to know most from this post is that Austin Nivarel might be the most spirit uplifting music I have blogged about. If you just want something to make you smile and make your day just seem that much better, you should look into his stuff.

(I would also like to point out that with the exceptiong of percussion, which is played by Tony Wick, Austin plays all his own instruments :) Boy has some talent.)

Go Download: You can get can get is cover of "Encanted" and his song "Brightest Thing" for free here. Then, I suggest downloading One Day at a Time

Take The Day

http://www.facebook.com/wearetaketheday

The last thing I listened to on my laptop, was low. Which probably explains why the volume was all the way up on both my computer AND Youtube. So, when I clicked on Take The Day's "FTW" it's needless to say that my ears were assaulted with heavy guitar and crashing cymbals. Maybe assaulted isn't the best word, since it connotates something negative, something that this band, is far from.

Milwaukee claims this currently unsigned band, but honestly, I can't see them staying 1) in Milwaukee and 2) unsigned for long. With the idea of wanting to spread "positivity, passion and love" through their music, I can't say that they have failed. In fact, listening to them does remind me of my younger music days, rocking out to Simple Plan's "I'd Do Anything", The Ataris' with their cover of "Boy of Summer" and Bowling for Soup's "Girl All the Bad Guys Want". Whether that is what they're aiming for, I probably won't know, but needless to say, the put a smile on my face this fine November morning.

I found Take The Day because they liked a quote I posted on Tumblr, and I think that quote shows just what type of band these guys are, so I'm going to share it here as well.

What I feel most obligated to is sourcing inspiration and chasing it down and living inside of it and not obsessing over whether or nor this track is going to be on the radio or whether or not this album is going to be gold. Instead, [I’m] just trying to do things that are worth doing and leave me with a feeling like I’ve created something- and I didn’t create it for somebody else, but I CREATED something and I’m proud of it. -Andrew McMahon

So yeah, in a world filled with people making music just to get rich and famous, I feel that these boys have jumped into for the right reasons. And I definitely look forward to what they have in store for us.

(I'd also like to throw on out their that their logo is super cool, and they have badass taste in music. Facebook says we like pretty much all the same bands lol)

Go Download: "Won't Wait" off their EP City Lights & Summer Nights (Part One) on iTunes. **EDIT**: Tonight, at 8 CST, they'll be releasing a free track on Facebook, so go hit that up too, cuz nothing is better than good free music.

Young Guns

http://www.facebook.com/younggunsuk

What do I like best about Young Guns...

Honestly? I don't know. But, it's most likely the fact that they are producing some of the best rock sounds I have been able to find in a while. Not pop-rock. Not punk-rock. Straight up rock sound. And I love it.

They are an extremely hard working group of boys, especially Gustav Wood and Fraser Taylor, who are the only ones who have been a part of the band since their creation in 2003. Their debut album, All Our Kings Are Dead, was self-released. And not only was it self-released, but it was a self-release that reached enough people to help them sell out their shows.

AND, not only have they sold out their own headlining tours, but they've even supported Bon Jovi. Yeah. BON. JOVI. So, I feel justified in saying that this band has their shit together, and they are definitely making wonderful music.

Gustav's voice is one of my favorite's in the rock scene. It's just so... pleasant? Is that the word I want? It's.... befitting the genre. And it has this very pure quality to it. It's just really clear, and I like it a lot.

Also, I think it should be mentioned that when I saw Yellowcard, LP was wearing a Young Guns hoodie. I told him I was really freaking jealous cuz I love them and Sean was like "Yeah, they're amazing!" and then rubbed it in that they get to see them next month T.T

Anyway, the moral of that story is that Yellowcard thinks Young Guns is amazing too.

The unfortunate thing about Young Guns is you can't buy their album in America, probably because it IS self-released. I, for one, had to find it off of Mediafire. But, it should be noted that as soon as I CAN buy it, I will. Their next album, Bones, has a planned release date of Febuary 6, 2012. So fingers crossed so we Americans can get in on some Young Guns action, because we are SERIOUSLY deprived.

Go Download: Though you can't buy their full length, you can get their 2009 EP Mirrors on iTunes. (My personal favorite off of it is "The Weight of the World")





AMERICA WANTS YOUNG GUNS!

I can name about 100 different reason as to why my blog class is my favorite

But I think I'll just share our Class Love Playlist and let you see for yourself :)

Right HERE 22 lovely songs brought to you by one of the coolest classes ever.

RadioDriveBy

http://www.facebook.com/radiodriveby

Let's face it, it was a terrible day for any new music to be discovered by me today. The stream of Marianas Trench's Ever After went live, and there were very few things that were gonna stop me from listening to anything other than that today.

That was until I had listened to the album three times and then checked my email and saw that I had a new twitter follower. And you guys know the philosophy. Give me a chance, and you get one in return. So I stopped what I was doing, and put RadioDriveBy on.

I think what I like best about this Arizona based band is that they "want to make your ears happy" and that's exactly what they did. They didn't try to sell me something other than upbeat, fun pop rock (and we all know how I feel about my pop rock).

Trent's voice is really interesting, and is always switching between familiar and completely unique. It intrigues me. However, he isn't the only member of the band, and Adam, Austin and David should be mentioned as their playing meshes so well together with each other as well as Trent.

I'd be lying if I said I hadn't been slightly bitter about the fact that I had to like this band in order to listen to their music, but I have seen in the error in my ways, because they are well worth the like. I'll be keeping my eyes on these boys. And I sincerely hope they'll be heading down to Texas (and by Texas, I mean Austin) sometime soon so I can enjoy them live :)

Check out their latest single, "Hope You Know" below!

Go Download: My personal favorite "Deny" off their single Nothin' But Better. ("Shine" is in a close second)

Siri Svay

Now, if you frequent my blog, you'll remember that a bit back I wrote about my friend Siri and her sister Tavy. If you don't frequent my blog, you can find that post, HERE. I mean, it's one of my first posts, so it isn't as awesome as it should be, but you get the jist.

But this post, this post is all about Siri.

You see, she's auditioning for The Glee Project 2. Now, if there is anyone that I think could fit in with the cast of Glee, it's Siri. She's funny, she can sing, she's down to earth, and I mean, basically she's one of the coolest people I now.

She sings Carrie Underwood's "Before He Cheats" in her video, and it would seriously mean a ton to me, and the world to her, if you take just 4 minutes and 34 seconds out of your day to sit down and watch her video and like it. Maybe share it?

I can honestly say, that if there is any post on my blog that you read, it needs to be this one.

SO GO HERE! IT'S WELL WORTH YOUR TIME! I PROMISE!


(I may or may not have picked this picture so I could tag Coca-Cola XD)

Charlie Simpson

http://www.facebook.com/#!/charliesimpsonmusic

I liked Busted. I REALLY liked Fightstar. Why do I bring this up, you ask?

Busted, a British boy band, and Fightstar, a British rock band, have one key component.

Charlie.Simpson.

Now, I know what you're thinking. This guy went from being in the British version of the Jonas Brothers (Though, we should all take note that they 1)Happened before the JoBros and 2) Were far superior), to being in a rock, almost hardcore, sort of band, and now he's doing the folky scene?

I get it, and if I hadn't already been sold on Charlie Simpson beforehand, I might have had the same hesitance. Luckily, I've been in love with Charlie for some time now, and dove into his solo work head first.

And it was like jumping into a pool full of all the best things possible. Chocolate. Rainbows. Winning football teams. Puppies. You get the picture.

I will admit that had you told high school me that he'd be singing music like this, I would have laughed at you. But now, I can't even imagine him going back.

Charlie's voice is like a little slice of heaven and it actually kind of sounds like it was made for this genre. The acoustic guitars and harmonica play so beautifully with his distinct, husky toned voice.

He's one of my favorite British artists, and quite frankly, I would very much like to be able to get his music in America. (So either A) The UK needs to share or B) America needs to let this kid over!)

Also, he said he may be coming to SXSW :)



If this happens, you can bet I'll be there. So quick.

Go Download: Like I said, if you're from America, getting his music is a little tough. Luckily, you can get his FREE EP here

Do you guys remember Moonlight Social?

They were one of my first posts, which you can see here. It really doesn't do them any justice and honestly, I should probably redo it now that I know what I'm doing.

But I digress.

You guys already know that I absolutely adore them and want nothing more than for them to make it big.

LUCKILY, we (yes, WE) have the opportunity to help them :)

They have the chance to work on their debut full-length album with Matt Noveskey of Blue October this January.

So where do you come in? Well,you see, they need help making some money for costs. $16,000 to be exact. So, if you could please, PLEASE, help em out, that would be marvelous. Not only can you get goodies depending on how much you donate, but you can get the opportunity to say you helped a great band get their start.

And even if you don't have much to spare (trust me, I understand not having any money) there is a dollar option. (Every little bit helps, yeah?)

Even if that is out of your budget, PLEASE spread the word.

Jennica and Jeremy are awesome people, with a TON of talent and they deserve recognition.

So head on over to their Facebook so you can see just how good they are.

Then, once you've fallen in love, head on over here to help em out

:)

The Brobecks

http://www.facebook.com/TheBrobecks

So, I've been meaning to listen to The Brobecks for some time now. I would see them on my Tumblr dash and make a mental note to check em out because I think Dallon Weekes, the current touring bassist of Panic! at the Disco and main member of The Brobecks, is the bomb dot com. But something would always come up and I never would get around to it.

Until last night.

You see, I follow Breezy Weekes, his wife, on Tumblr and she posted a picture of her tattoos, and from what I gathered, they are in the song "Le Velo Pour Deux".

Now, anyone who knows me knows that I 1) Plan on marrying a man who can sing so he can write songs for me; 2) Am a complete and total sucker for love, especially love that is sung about.

Ex- My Chemical Romance's "Summertime". The line "You can run away with me, you can write it on your arm, you can run away with me, anytime you want" is in reference to messages Gerard Way and his wife would write on themselves during a tour they did together. CUTE I SAY!

So yeah, upon seeing that, I dashed to Youtube and searched "Le Velo Pour Deux" (Translation: Bicycle for Two) and became an instant fan. (Plus, I mean, come on. How adorable is "I would spend my whole life with you on a bicycle built for two"?)

This indie band has a wonderful feel. Sometimes I feel like I'm listening to a band from an older era-- "Le Velo Pour Deux" at some points sounds like a twisted waltz)--, and other's feel like I'm listening to a weird indie version of Muse. (Now, hear me out, I say Muse, because no matter what song or how I listen to it, Dallon's voice reminds me of Matt Bellamy's. You can call me crazy. I probably am. But that's what I think of.)

But either way, I love what I'm listening to.

Dallon is quite a musician and lyricist, and I honestly cannot get enough of The Brobecks.

The worst part about this band? The fact that they have been missing from my life for so long.

Go Download: "Love at First Sight" from his album Violent Things on iTunes

Myka,Relocate

http://www.facebook.com/mykarelocate

I like screaming. I won't lie. Maybe not screaming the whole time, but the second you gimme a song that is about half and half, chances are I'll greatly appreciate it.

That being said, Carter Banks actually suggested this band.

Within the first 10 seconds, I knew I would like this band. They have everything going for them that I love when it comes to screamo. There are the pop rock vocals to counter the screaming. The screaming isn't that scary death metal screaming. (The only band I listen to with the scary screaming is Asking Alexandria.) And the production is just phenomenal.

While some members have been playing together for roughly four years now, the current lineup has only been around since January of this year. And what is even more impressive is that they have 1) Been able to perform with the aforementioned Asking Alexandria, We Came As Romans and Saosin. 2) They have been on not one, but TWO east coast tours. 3) They've done not one, not two, BUT THREE regional tours. 4) They've been asked to perform at Unsilent Night.

Not impressed yet? Yeah, this band is unsigned.

According to their Facebook page, they have a full length in the works for next year AND a national tour for this winter.

So yeah, this Houston band has been doing a lot. And it shows. They're great and I absolutely love what they have up.

Give em a shot so we can wait for their full length together :)

Go Download: You can get their song "Natural Separation" for free in exchange for a tweet here

The Cab

http://thecabrock.com/

I've known The Cab for awhile. How long you ask? I discovered them when their first album, Whisper War came out in 2008. It also was the year I saw them for the first time with Danger Radio, The Maine, Forever the Sickest Kids and Metro Station at Emo's Outside.

So yeah. It's been awhile. Long enough for me to just assume that everyone knows about them. Which is exactly why I have decided to talk about them today. (That, and the fact that I got to see them, again, last night.)

There are many things I love about The Cab. Their music is wonderful, they're some of the sweetest guys you'll ever meet and they work hard for what they want.

It took them awhile to release their latest album, Symphony Soldier which came out just a couple of months ago, mainly because of setbacks such as lineup changes and conflicts with their record label. But it was an album WELL worth the wait.

Now unsigned, The Cab is doing everything on their own and they deserve way more recognition than they get.

All in all, The Cab is that sexy pop rock that so many bands wish they could make, but just don't quite get there.

Go Download: "La La" off their album Symphony Soldier. And also check out one of my favorites from Whisper Wars below :)

Tanner Patrick

http://www.youtube.com/user/TannerPatrick

There are a few things you should probably know about Tanner Patrick before I get into the meat of this post.
1) He was another Siri suggestion.
2) He is the most adorable thing to happen since puppies. Yes. Puppies. And if you don't believe me, just look at the picture below. He was Toon Link for Halloween. Your argument is invalid.

3) He is the only person that has made a version of "Pumped Up Kicks" that I thoroughly enjoy. (That's right. I don't even enjoy the original.)

That being said, I have high expectations for anything Siri may suggest to me, mainly because she has such awesome taste in music, so I mean, Mr. Patrick had a lot to live up to. (Especially since I've been known to prowl Youtube for cover singers and I don't mean to brag, but I've found some EXCELLENT singers via Youtube. So yeah, stiff competition.)

However, Tanner Patrick has one of the sweetest voices I have ever heard. It oozes with sincerity and if we're being honest, I've listened to his cover of "Stereo Hearts" like 10 times today.

He also plays all his own instruments. So far I've seen the acoustic guitar, the keyboard and the drums.

And, on top of all that, he doesn't just stick to one genre for the songs he covers, which is refreshing to see. I love to see artists tackle different song types and make them their own.

I actual think this boy may be able to do no wrong, and I am EAGERLY anticipating his own original work, because if he can do this with songs that already exist, I can only imagine what he can do with his own music.

Go Download: He currently doesn't have anything for download but go like his Facebook to be informed as soon as his single drops.

Carter Banks

http://www.facebook.com/carterbanksmusic

Suggested to me by the lovely Siri, Carter Banks is sugary sweet, absolutely adorable pop music that is sorely missing from my iPod.

Hailing from McKinney, TX, this singer/songwriter sounds like a pleasant mix of The Ready Set and Never Shout Never. In fact, I actually think he does The Ready Set and Never Shout Never better than they do.

With songs perfect for the tween girl with a crush, or for lying out by the pool in the summer (or I guess pretending you're out by the pool since it's November and I don't think anyone will be swimming anytime soon), Carter Banks will always have a market to play to, because honestly, who doesn't love a feel good pop song every once and a while?

(Also, I can totally overlook the fact that he goes to Tech even though it is rather unfortunate timing that I'd find him the week of the Tech game. \m/)

Go Download: His single "Like At First Sight" on iTunes But you should also check out his song "Honestly Amazed By You" because Siri likes it a lot :)