Bands You've Never Heard Of

We started this one differently. No theme song. No intro. Just the video for "Desert Moon" — dark, shot in a Savannah swamp at midnight with one light on the back of a truck. That's your introduction to Dallas Wax. Ryan Dallas Wax (yes, that's his real name) moved from Peachtree City, Georgia to New York City, found four other Southern guys who'd all ended up there, and forme...

Most gigging musicians have no idea what they're actually making per hour. Cliff Adams did the math — and it wasn't pretty. After 120 gigs in a year, Cliff (jazz pianist, IT veteran, former #1 Uber driver in Cincinnati) realized his gigs were often paying less than minimum wage once drive time, setup, and rehearsal were factored in. So he built MoneyGigs — an app that tracks gigs, rates ve...

Stick around to the end. The opening track from Yes Officer's brand new album —  Ignore the Town Crier  — plays in fullafter the credits. Jeremy Harnum is a one-man band from St. John's, Newfoundland making "loud and abrasive music for those who like loud and abrasive music." He grew up in a town of 450 people. Came out in 2018. Taught himself to record. Made three albums entirel...

Stick around to the end of this one. There's a prize. Susanna B is a New York-born, LA-based singer-songwriter with a voice that lands somewhere between Alanis Morissette and Sheryl Crow — and a story that goes way deeper than that. Daughter of a celebrated Broadway composer. Actress. Foster and adoptive mom. Led a weekly choir for formerly incarcerated men for three years. She's been maki...

JR asked Spotify's AI to find bands perfect for this show. This is one of them. The Schwa is Eric Intile and Cooper Phillips — two college friends from Greenville, South Carolina who met in 8th grade, graduated with music business degrees, built a recording and content studio in a carport, and are now releasing short, sharp power-pop songs that sound like the Black Keys, the Hives, and the Ram...

They met on a Disney movie set in 2003. Reconnected 22 years later on the sequel. Started writing songs in between takes. Got one into the film. Now they're a real band. Hudson Rubin is Hayley Hudson and Danny Rubin — actress, singer, multi-instrumentalist, and a high school history teacher from San Diego whose brother is the new drummer for the Foo Fighters. Their music has fewer than 10,000...

The Beard and the Bird are Jon and Cat, a bi-coastal rockabilly/Western swing duo splitting their time between San Diego and upstate New York. Five songs on Spotify, a YouTube series filming bands in bars across the country, and a brand new single you're going to hear in this episode before anyone else does. We found them the best way possible — Uncle Ben's Remedy shouted them out mid-inte...

No pre-roll. No credits. Just news. Two bands we've featured on this show have major updates — and we couldn't wait for a regularly scheduled episode. Blackbeard's Tea Party just lost their lead singer of 15 years and made a very AC/DC decision about what to do next. Three for Silver just dropped a new album out of nowhere. Both bands came out swinging. Fifteen minutes. Two bands. Zero...

Three brothers from Long Island. Started playing jazz together when the youngest was eight. Won Amateur Night at the Apollo — multiple times. Opened for Slash and Living Color. Endorsed by Paul Reed Smith. Most played song on Spotify: 15,000 streams. The band is MJT. They were the Michael Jazz Trio until they decided they'd rather be like the Foo Fighters. The jazz crowd was not thrilled. They...

JR found this band using AI. He's going to have to tell them that. They're not going to love it. Dr. Sure's Unusual Practice is a five-piece synth-punk art rock band from Melbourne, Narrm, Australia — and they are exactly as described on their website: rock music for oddballs and outsiders. Henry Rollins put their 2024 album Total Reality in his top 10 of the year. Rolling Stone put it...

This one's different. No living room discovery session, no cold open with Gary going in blind. This episode starts with an email — one of the best pitch emails JR has ever received — and ends with a love story that spans 50 years, a religious cult in Hawaii, and a box of two-inch master tapes that almost didn't survive long enough to be heard. The band is Freedom Quest. The album is Freedo...

Bad Mother Nature became the first band in BYNHOPod history to come back for a second episode — and they didn't come back empty-handed. Corey, Ryan, Axl, and Johnny (yes, the drummer's here this time) join JR and Gary to world premiere four brand new songs from their upcoming EP before they're available anywhere else on the internet. In part one, JR springs all four songs on Gary cold. Midnight Wi...

No new band this week. Instead, JR and Gary each pick their five favorite songs from the first year of Bands You've Never Heard Of — 30 bands in — and make the case for why these songs have stuck with them long past the episode recordings. JR's picks: Leather and Pearls by Room for Zero, Keeps the Candy Tight by Cowboy Destroy, Stay Away by Inside the Trojan Horse, Waves by Banana Gun (JR...

JR kicks this one off differently — no intro, no bio, no warning. He just lets Uncle Ben's Remedy walk through the door and introduce themselves with "Jesus Never Took the Wheel." Gary's first words: "I think they're the remedy for sobriety." And we're off. Uncle Ben's Remedy is a five-piece roots rock band out of Western New York who sound like they were ra...

Guy Collins is a South African-born, Norway-based guitarist and songwriter blending Delta Blues, African roots, and global folk — and he joins JR and Gary live for this episode of Bands You've Never Heard Of. Full Description: JR introduces Gary to Guy Collins — a guitarist, singer, and songwriter who has spent 35 years blending Delta Blues, African roots, Zulu Maskandi, Southern Gospel, and r...

JR goes solo for the first-ever S.O.B. — State of BYNHOPod — a "State of the Union" check-in on almost one year of Bands You've Never Heard Of, what's coming next, and how listeners can help the show grow. Full Description: No Gary, no band this week — just JR with the first-ever S.O.B.: State of BYNHOPod. As the show approaches its one-year anniversary, JR breaks down the number...

Discover Blackbeard’s Tea Party — a high-energy pirate folk rock band mixing sea shanties, Celtic-leaning folk, and sharp political protest songs — on this episode of “Bands You’ve Never Heard Of.”​ JR introduces Gary to York, England’s own Blackbeard’s Tea Party, a high-energy folk rock band blending sea shanties, traditional tunes, punk attitude, and theatrical stage vibes. You’ll hear how JR di...

What happens when you mix Marine Corps drill cadence with heavy guitar riffs and a "no fads" attitude? You get 434, a band that is reclaiming the raw energy of rock and roll. And we have some serious role reversal going on in this one — Gary introduces JR to a new band he's never heard of (sort of)! In Part 2 of our feature on 434, we sit down with Mike and Scott to discuss their Cen...

Joudy is a three-piece New York City based Shoegaze, heavy grungy rock band originally from Venezuela. They were kind of a big deal in Venezuela before they had to flee the country in the late 2010s, for obvious reasons. They reunited here in the states and continued making music in a whole new place, with new politics, and a new mindset. JR and Gary explore several of their songs in preparation f...

This is a bonus episode, featuring just JR talking about a new song from a new artist that he is convinced is an AI creation. Then JR goes in to what it takes to get a band on the show.   www.bynhopod.com   www.youtube.com/@bynhopod Bands You've never Heard of - The Complete Playlist https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1zT8HHOprlVgO78X9rjcQB?si=2e6da457a471406b   Email us here:bynhopod@gmail.com   #...

We've already introduced you to the unbridled restraint, soulful melodies and harmonies of Nashville based Tobacco Road, now it's time to introduce you to the actual band. Annabelle, TJ, Hayden, Briggs, and Madi joined us for a sit down interview before their show at The Southern Café and Music Hall, the fourth stop on their winter tour, supporting their new album, All in Time. They are in the mid...

The Psycodelics are on their winter tour, they have a new album coming out this spring, and the whole band joins JR and Gary live for an in-depth interview in the booth at The Southern Cafe and Music Hall. www.thepsycodelics.comhttps://thepsycodelicsmovie.com/www.bynhopod.comwww.youtube.com/@bynhopodBands You've never Heard of - The Complete Playlisthttps://open.spotify.com/playlist/1zT8HHOprl...

Don't let the name fool you, Joan Smith and The Jane Does are somebody. They are coming on strong in the Canadian Rock scene, based out of Toronto. Jane's vocals, dirty guitar, along with Tom's edge of insanity lead guitar bring to life a sound that is both 90's alternative rock and as fresh as the falling snow. If you are a fan of Nirvana, Queens of The Stone Age, Rage Against the...

Out of Nashville, Tobacco Road will be coming to Charlottesville as part of their 2026 tour, stopping in at The Southern Café and Music Hall on the Downtown Mall onFebruary 1, 2026 . In this episode JR introduces Gary to the band and their music. Part two will feature a live interview with the band, at The Southern and will be dropping in the podcast feed in February 2026. Stay Tuned!   Tobacco Ro...

Out of Charleston South Carolina, The Psycodelics blend fresh funk and rock in to something truly magical. The Psycodelics will be coming to Charlottesville as part of their 2026 tour, stopping in at The Southern Café and Music Hall on january 17. In this episode JR introduces Gary to the band and their music. Part two will feature a live interview with the band, at The Southern and will be droppi...