Provo Music Scene (Part 3)

These are the bands that have not yet made a splash but are capable of doing so in the Provo Scene.  This article from an informative blog about all things provo gives a list of the top 10 provo bands that could potentially reach outside the provo area.

One of these bands, Parlor Hawk, has been participating in some newer aspects of the online music world. They recently did a kickstarter campaign. Kickstarter is a site that allows bands (and really anybody that wants to raise money) to ask fans to donate some money so that they can record an album. The premise is that the fans get to help a band they like make there album while at the same time getting shirts and other prizes for donating their money to the kickstarter campaign. Parlor Hawk was able to raise $15,265 via 337 backers (people who donated). Very impressive for a local band. This shows the power of online marketing, as a quick look at their kickstarter page will no doubt impress visually and sonically. Needless to say, the album was produced and released. To generate hype, they made and posted to Youtube a live recording of one of the new tracks a few weeks before release, which acted as a powerful visual reminder/notice to fans and others that the new album was about to come out.

You can watch that here

Parlor Hawk has recently had a couple songs featured on the hit television series "The Sons of Anarchy."

Another band that has been making some impact in the local scene is Polytype.

They recently released a concept video.  Highlighting once again the strategy (perhaps considered traditional at this point) to couple music with a visual, online experience.

Another good band is Eli Whitney. They have taken a different approach than the previously mentioned bands in soliciting their music. They have in on their website. You can listen to all the songs, and if you like them and want to download them you can pay. I like this idea because the money goes to the musicians and not some third party. The drawbacks to this of course are that not as many people are going to stumble across the music when it isn't in a "share" environment like Soundcloud or Pandora. They do however compensate for that by releasing videos onto youtube.

And finally, a band that has done an interesting thing with Video is Red Yeti. They have made a "micro-trilogy". This concept is interesting and allows for the viewer to watch more than just one thing on the band (and short enough to keep your attention), thereby getting a deeper perspective on who the band really is. I see this concept really helping out bands that are harder to figure out on first sight. Just like some people's personalities are harder to place than others on a first meeting. This represents some of the innovation going on in the digital realm.