Discovering new music thanks to Forecastle Festival

When Forecastle Festival released their 2014 lineup earlier this week, I had an inexplicable sense of dissatisfaction. I heard the early rumor of OutKast joining the line up and that had me all kinds of excited for many and more large names that I recognized. So when the lineup was released, I thought "man, that headliner set is stacked, but what about everything else?"

You see, I was unfamiliar with pretty much every band from the 4th line down. So I hit up the social media sphere to see what all my friends were saying about the line up. It was a pretty healthy mix of people super excited about the line up saying it's the best one yet, and people like me who thought the headliners were excellent but that it lacked some popular bands in the middle. Seeing that my concerns were validated, I decided the best course of action was to get on Spotify and start exploring these bands I never heard of. And now I get the excitement.

Here are some artists that I want to catch Forecastle weekend:

Flume

Electronic DJ from Australia. If you're looking for a break from the typical bass shattering dubstep, this guy is definitely the one you want to check out. Check out his song "On Top" feat T.Shirt:
http://youtu.be/bnUhA3TOv_k

Reignwolf
I immediately fell in love with that gritty, nasty, chewed-up-and-spit-out blues rock sound they produce. I think it's safe to say if you like The Black Keys, you'll want to check Reignwolf out. Check out their song "Are You Satisfied":
http://youtu.be/gfJNAfzgEkw

The Districts
Indie rock with some southern influence. This is a band that will be amazing to see live. Check out their song "Lyla":
http://youtu.be/zN-NUC3zzwY

The Wans
Similar to Reignwolf with the dirty guitar riffs and the blues vocals. I was actually listening to Forecastle's Spotify playlist on random, which played their song "Want You" after a Jack White song, and I didn't even notice the transition. I won't be missing this band come Forecastle weekend.
http://youtu.be/HemHicVZFyk

Goodbye June
A little more on the progressive rock side, I really dug their music. This will be another set that I'm going to try my best to catch. I hope no one conflicts. Check out their song "Man I Am"
http://youtu.be/gQ6yuxZcFpc

Chrome Sparks 

Another refreshing break from, what a good friend of mine dubs, "the wub-wub" that is dubstep. Chromes Sparks is an electronic DJ that incorporates uptempo beats with mellow tones. Reminds me a bit of Mimosa. Spark one up and listen to the song "Marijuana":
http://youtu.be/5aeukmFc3sU

For more information on Forecastle, head over to their website