Ask A Sacramento Expert: Best Ways To Discover New Music
The Heart Miners
Sacramento, CA
(415) 272-7581
www.katieknipp.com
Katie Shmidt (AKA Katie Knipp), is a local musician, teacher and lover of music. She has played hundreds of shows throughout the Sac area and California, and has been praised for her natural, organic sound and soulful music. She has opened for shows like the Doobie Brothers and Tom Castro, and is continuing to shape herself into a forceful voice in the California music scene. According to Knipp, when looking for new music things can be kept quite simple.
Things like iTunes Radio and Pandora are awesome avenues for discovering new music. Pandora, for example, is an arena where you can simply start with one or two things you like to hear and it will do the rest by getting to know your styles and habits.
Today, music fans have many more options than just the radio when searching for some new tunes. Knipp made it a point to mention magazines like Under The Radar. Or, go technology based; Knipp is also a fan of apps like NPR Music. Also noteworthy according to Katie, is the fact that some music magazines include a free sampler CD or collection of music downloads.
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Hip-Hop Artist - Various Venues
Sacramento, CA
www.mrhoopersmusic.com
Mr. Hooper (Virgil Jerome Hooper III) is a well known and established local artist who has his finger on the pulse of all things musical. He has released 12 albums, including his most recent "All In A Day's Work" last December. Mr. Hooper has represented Sac since coming onto the hip-hop scene in the early 90s, and he has represented his hometown well, having earned numerous awards and recognitions throughout his career. Check out his videos on the site, maybe you will acquire a new appreciation for hip hop. Mr. Hooper explains that all things depend on which method of discovery a person prefers.
Hooper points out that online sources can be great, as you can link to bands you may be already familiar with. Most music sites also tend to batch similar sounding bands together. Therefore, if you go with the online route, you can discover several bands in one sitting.
Mr. Hooper still prefers to discover new bands at clubs and small venue shows. According to Virgil, that is where you can get a real feel for a band's talent, energy and overall appeal. Furthermore, if they are good enough to get him over to their merchandise table, they have earned themselves a new fan in him.
