Ask A Boston Expert: Best Ways To Discover New Music

Joe Graham has been answering the question of where to go and who to see among artists along the eastern seaboard for the past 10 years. His beginning as a radio personality set the foundation for continued success in building outstanding relationships with venue owners and event planners focused on bringing the joy of music to the public. Graham is relied upon heavily as the contract talent buyer for the Uptown Roots Festival, Outside the Box Festival and a host of other music events that have drawn hundreds of music lovers together. Curator for the New England Music Exchange, Joe Graham searches diligently through popular venues, events and night clubs, relying on his street team within the six states of New England to find the creative talent new to the music scene each year. His obvious passion for music continues to build his reputation as a trusted and driven voice for the music industry of today, promoting local performing artists and the causes that go hand-in-hand with the business of music.

Joe Graham recently produced the popular recognition event "Last Band Standing" hosted across New England where local bands performed to a standing-room only crowd at each performance. Acquiring local talent for the current JDCU Presents, NEMA Nights series currently being hosted at the Olympia's Zorba Music Hall of Lowell, and producing the upcoming New England Music Awards celebration in April 2016 located at the Blue Ocean Music Hall in Salisbury. Here's the go-to man for local music of Massachusetts, producer Joe Graham:

"Independent radio stations have local formats that air at the oddest of times during the week, That is the challenge, finding the station that suits your tastes. There are a number of stations out there that have online feeds, so you do not actually need to tune in to enjoy. Evolvement Radio is a fantastic example, the Cheap Seats, Almost Famous, Frank's Local Music Show, and Almost Acoustic immediately come to mind. These are all very accessible, featuring local live acts on their shows, and each have ranked in the top most popular of Independent radio for Boston music lovers. Pay close attention to Sunday evenings at 10 p.m. or the odd Tuesday late evening shows, for whatever reason Independent's hit the air waves at non-mainstream hours."

"Online music services, podcast radio, browsers and music applications have rapidly replaced the mom and pop music stores that once flourished in Harvard Square, Cambridge or other music hubs commonly found in Boston. "ReverbNation," Graham says, "is the first that comes to mind. An artist can create their own electronic press kit, and that kit is parked on that website." ReverbNation is one of the largest online music services which allows the user to search in non-specific ways to find just the niche, the newest sound and bands that hit the sweet spot. "Chose to search by popularity, genre, ranking, by state or style. Once you've found a fit, ReverbNation will automatically lead you into the next track of the same genre. Bandcamp isn't as user friendly, you'll have to know the specific name of bands to search on the Bandcamp site. If the goal is to find the best bands of Rhode Island, your best bet is to use ReverbNation's search engine.

"Some type of transition is going on in Boston, known staples of the music scene, for example Johnny D's, have announced their closing." Graham explained. "As a result, new venues are popping up." When discovering the newest night clubs and places to head in town for entertainment, the music circuit is outfitting Boston with a fresh look. A new club may be around the corner instead of directly ahead, the names of bars may continue to change, but the talented performers welcomed in Boston continue to bring music lovers back for more. "The Sinclair located in Harvard Square is one destination spot able to cater to all different styles of music with opening acts featuring the newest local bands as they rise in popularity," Graham offered. One of the most underused facilities Graham would love to see used to it's fullest is the Hard Rock Cafe, housed just outside of Faneuil Hall Marketplace. With the crush of visitors attracted to Faneuil's vibrant outdoor markets, and shops and specialty eats continuing to expand outward from the central Quincy Market, parking lot availability is sparse, causing prices to soar past the cost of a ticket to most shows in the area. Public transportation is the preferred mode of thousands when heading to a larger attraction hub such as Faneuil Hall Marketplace.

Related: The Boston Music Scene

"A number of recognition events, like Limelight, New England Music Awards and Worcester Music Awards are annually scheduled for the beginning of each year. Right now is the prime time to find the best and greatest acts nominated for their performance excellence for the year 2015. Getting out to any of these events is a great idea," says Graham. Local bands that have been noted as a notch above the rest steadily continue to grow in popularity with these types of best of showcases under their belts. Online event sites do a wonderful job keeping the schedules current for Boston's theater district and popular concert venues. Discovering the best on the Indie Scene, the hottest new brass ensemble, the heart throbbing latest blues sounds can be found easily due to the technology of the day via the internet calendars and recognition events.

Rolling with the ongoing changes in the music industry means getting on board with the latest technology. Joe Graham receives daily emails from venues, festivals and private event planners in search of his knowledge of the Boston areas musical talent Big Crush Records represents. Beginning simply by owning a company domain, Joe Graham has bridged the gap and gotten on board. Social media sites, event pages housed on Facebook, specific interest groups and internet clubs are all vital parts in discovering the newest music. After seven years of hosting a popular radio show, thousands of local bands have come into Joe's company and it became almost too obvious that each and every one of the artists have had at least one event page or had created a band page on the Facebook site. You'll find Joe's ongoing promotions of events the NEMA series housed there as well: up and coming music festivals, private functions or weekly showcases featuring new and local music makers. The choices are varied and the opportunities never stop with the music man of Massachusetts. Thank you, Joe!

Related: Boston's Best Bars With Live Weekday Music