5 Underground Singer/Songwriters Who Won’t Be Underground For Long

Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly- Sam Duckworth, an Essex, UK native of Burmese ethnicity, is Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly. Get Cape is one of the most innovative and interesting projects I have found in a long time. Since Get Cape is a one man show, it consists of Sam playing his guitar and singing, and working with his keyboard/synthesizer on the side. Duckworth is one of the most eloquent and creative acts out today, as well as an activist for many anti-racism campaigns, including one of my favorite organizations, "Love Music, Hate Racism". With a sound bridging the gap between Hellogoodbye style keyboard work and Owen-esque lyrics and musicianship, this is a guy worth checking out. http://www.getcapewearcapefly.com/


Bedroom Eyes- yet another one man show disguised as a group act. Jonas Jonsson, of Ostersund, Sweden, is a man who strives to make simple indie pop songs with meaning and melody. So far he has released the “Embrace In Stereo EP”, as well as the “Valentine Vacancy EP”. One his best loved songs, and my current favorite song, “Dancing Under The Influence” starts off with a banjo solo, then breaks out in all it's folk-rock glory, with an uplifting melody throughout. It’s a good time song, talking about “drinking till we can’t take no more”, a fun notion not many people would object to. http://www.bedroomeyes.se/


Owen- Mike Kinsella is Owen. For those of you who are into the folksy-rocksy, meaningful lyrics and existentialism, Kinsella’s your man. In “Bad News”, Kinsella explores the shallowness of society, as well as people’s inflated egos, stating that “Whatever you think you are, you’re not.” And “Whoever you think is watching you dance from across the room…they aren’t. If anything, they feel sorry for you, because you try so hard.” It’s that kind of brutal honesty and observation that Owen makes in his songs, about all different types of people, from pretty people, to ugly people, to people who’ve just lost someone, to people who are still looking for someone. “Owen” as he’s called, can relate to us all, and give it to us in amazing-song-form. http://www.purevolume.com/owen

Josh Rouse- not so much underground, I know, but still not well known on the pop scene, Josh Rouse is one of those guys who knows how to turn out lyrically amazing, melodically moving folksy songs one after the other, and very rarely does he produce a dud. With his nerdy-cute looks and his timid voice, Rouse feels like a close friend as he tells you stories about past relationships (his album “Under The Cold Blue Stars” narrates an entire relationship, starting with falling in love, and ending in pain), places he’s been, and where he wants to go. Rouse is personally my favorite artist for all of the above reasons. http://www.joshrouse.com/


Dave Melillo- first seen on the underground music "cult" movie “Bastards Of Young”, where he performed “Wait For It” as an impromptu audition for Drive-Thru record owners Richard and Stefanie Reines, Dave Melillo is an 18 year old phenom on the underground scene. With his dark curly hair and puppy dog eyes, girls swoon before he even opens his mouth, and once he does, they’re hooked for life. With only one EP out so far (“Talk Is Cheap”), Melillo’s true-life songs about teenage love and angst are a hit with indie music fans everywhere. Melillo pens honest and heartfelt lyrics about how everyone screws up[including his own gender “Vatican Roulette” is a perfect example of this]. http://www.davemelillo.com/