Photography courtesy of Jess Luther
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Even with plenty of music-intensive blogs in town pointing listeners to worthwhile local bands and labels, it still can be confusing (and maybe a pinch intimidating) to crash through the local-release section of your favorite record store. Making that process a bit easier is the collectively curated music blog I Went to a Show, which has compiled a representative list of area bands in its Bandcamp directory.
As we’ve noted, Bandcamp is an artist-friendly way for acts to get music directly to fans, with artists often releasing both physical media and digital downloads on the site simultaneously. IWTAS’s list allows the visitor to sample a variety of sounds across a full spectrum of genres. The mix is a really rich one, with even a good-size chunk of posthumous bands.
Just as Bandcamp’s been a nice resource for independent musical artists to reach listeners in a direct, efficient way, IWTAS’s list is the same sort of boon for local listeners. We’d offer some suggestions, but that might ruin a bit of the fun of discovery. Instead, listen to a song by every fifth band, or those whose names simply draw you in. Allow yourself a bit of time, as this type of Web-surfing can lead you down the good kind of Internet rabbit hole.
