Musical acts you love that you figure hardly anyone knows about

You need to add Dave Ray along with Koener and Murphy. Murphy's band, Willie and the Bees, was the backup band on Bonnie Raitt's first album. btw.

Thanks also to those who recognized others with Minnesota connections - Lamont Cranston Band and Leo Kottke.

My contribution, although not Minnesotans, is Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings.

 

Recently discovered Burcham. Going to see John Moreland in a few weeks. Enjoy Millsap and McPherson as well. Will be checking out the others, thanks.

 

I always assumed Mother's Finest was nationally known, until a few months ago I was talking to a coworker of similar age who grew up in a different part of the country and had never heard of them. So I submit MF for your consideration. Oh, and they had a killer album title: Another Mother Further.

 

Lots of good stuff, including in O_T's OP. Bob Schneider has some great songs.

I've mentioned Courtney Barnett before ... although she may be better known after her musical guest stint on SNL's season finale. She and the boys in her band have fun in this video:

And of course I must mention the late, great Supergrass. The band's mid-1990s hit "Alright" has been licensed for ads and even a movie; otherwise you might not know their stuff.

They were part of the bripop explosion in the 1990s, with plenty of hits in the UK, but never made it big in the U.S. like Oasis or others.

Although I (rather randomly) picked their debut LP for my SJ.com name, their second album, "In It For the Money," is my favorite. Here's a cool song from it:

 

I saw them in Philly back in May. They were great live.

 

And let's not forget the Mary Jane Alm Band, either. They had quite a following in the Cities, Iowa and the Dakotas as well.

 

She had 4 minutes with her one song, but what a song, but most people have forgotten about Heather Nova.

 

When I saw this thread I figured I was in a race with @TheSportsPredictor to see who posted Butch Walker first. He won -- but here's Butch's video for "Synthesizers," which brought Wooderson back.

Another TSP-approved act: The Pernice Brothers. Joe Pernice may be the best lyricist around.

I discovered Larkin Poe when I saw them with Elvis Costello this year. The band is fronted by two sisters. This is my favorite of their songs, and they're worth looking up on You Tube for the dozens of covers they've uploaded -- everything from Tom Petty to Michael Jackson.

David Mead. Guy's got an amazing voice. Love this song.

The Silver Seas. GREAT band. They're from Nashville. They were originally The Bees, but there was a British band called The Bees, so they changed (after two albums) and became The Silver Seas.

 

Don't know David Mead or The Silver Seas. Will definitely look them up.

Here's one more I love ... Great Peacock. Saw them open for St. Paul and The Broken Bones and if SPTBB weren't so awesome, Great Peacock would have upstaged them. So I guess add both to the list.

And if you like those, no way you won't like Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats:

 

I'd throw out Rory Gallagher. Since he's been dead since 1995, and because he never attained the success he deserved, people tend to forget just how good a guitarist he was. According to legend, Jimi Hendrix, when asked how it felt to be the greatest guitar player in the world, responded, "I don't know, go ask Rory Gallagher." He could produce some of the purest tones imaginable from his beat-up Stratocaster.

Also, a plug here for Webb Wilder, whose music has best been described as swamp music. Added bonus is that he's originally from the city where I live.

 

This is the only Webb Wilder song I know but it is great:

And Rory Gallagher, was great, criminally underrated....

 

Webb Wilder, the last of the full grown men. Work hard, rock hard, eat hard, sleep hard, grow big, wear glasses if you need 'em. Good shit.

Junior Brown, on the only guit-steel you are likely to see. This guy plays everything from hardcore truckstop country to surf rock, and hearing him quote Hendrix looking like that always makes me smile. This one is a decent sample as you get a little of all of it.

I love the songwriting and vocal on this one, even if it is the lamest video ever. That's really his wife playing the wife (and rhythm guitar in the band).