FEATURED POST

There are a lot of things I love about what I do for a living.  Getting to be creative with close friends.  Working outdoors a good chunk of the year. Right at the top of the list is finding the music for my various projects. How do I find the music? I get asked this question a few times a week.

The easy answer is that music is a part of my life and always has been, but there are more concrete ways I go about finding songs for projects.  First off, to actually be able to afford music for our projects, I have to be on the front end of a song’s popularity. I’d love to use Adele’s Rolling in the Deep in The Classics, but we would go broke paying for it. I look for artists on the rise, not whoever is on the current cover of Rolling Stone. If your mom knows a band, it is way to late.

Finding music isn’t all that different than telling and creating stories. I think there are three go-to rules for keeping your ears happy. Plus I’ve added in some resources for listening.

Dr. Dog at KEXP. Photo courtesy of KEXP and Lori Paulson

1. Be curious.
I go through lulls where I get bored with the music I have on constant rotation. There is nothing better than finding a bunch of new music.  I live in Seattle, so live music is constantly coming through town. Often I just open up our weekly paper – The Stranger – and see who is coming to town and then pop on over to MySpace – remember that? – to give a listen.  Look in the weekly paper in the nearest metropolitan are close to you. Use that as a reference. You don’t have to make the shows, but it’s a great way to learn about up and coming acts.

2. Don’t be afraid to try new things
Remember the first time you tried Sushi? You probably weren’t sure what to make of it. Sometimes new sounds have a texture that takes some getting used to. It’s uniqueness should challenge  your comfort zone. Non-corporate music sounds different from everything else.

3. Look for small venues and small festivals.
If you like seeing music, see it at small, intimate venues where your proximity to the stage is dictated by when you show up not your wallet.  Typically, I won’t spend more than $20 on a ticket for a single show. Show up for the opening acts. They may surprise you.  When it comes to festivals, I pick small local events to go to and I try to go earlier in the day and see a bunch of bands I’ve never heard of.  As the day turns to night,  it seems that festivals become about the party rather than the music. That’s when I know it’s time to go home.

4. These four letters – KEXP
To be more specific – KEXP.org.   This not-for-profit radio station based out of Seattle is the best thing in music.  Luckily for all of us, you don’t have to live in Seattle to take advantage of what they have to offer.   The radio station was an early adopter of live streaming and archiving. Every year, they host around 500 in-studio sets. For many acts, these shows are their big break. You can listen to them in the On-Demand section. If there is a genre, KEXP has a show dedicated to it – whether it’s American roots, Electronic or World Pop.  The live stream is often what’s on in our office.

Happy Listening.