season 6 UNKNOWN UNKNOWNS

For our season finale, and possibly our last Unknown Unknown ever, I am proud to add Matthew Grimm to our illustrious and unfortunately underappreciated list. Matthew is the former lead singer of the band, The Hangdogs, one of Tom's and my favorite bands. While he wrote the lyric, "the uncommon champion of the common man," to characterize Henry Wallace, I think it speaks equally well o Matthew as a songwriter and performer. His voice is needed now more than ever, so please give Matthew a listen

 Directed by John Carroll Lynch, this 2017 film features Harry Dean Stanton in an unforgettable role as a 90-year-old man who has outlived (and outsmoked) his contemporaries.  While it appears to have flown below the radar, Tom recommends this as a must-see, featuring a great actor in one of his final roles.

 Keeping with the Canada theme, only seems right to highlight an underappreciated band from Up North. 6 total albums, including the most recent from 2023 - Love Songs for the Long Game. Lead singer is Neville Quinlan (hence the NQ). One reviewer compared his voice to Richard Buckners, after a few too many years on the rodeo circuit. Great songwriting and I love the “rodeo worn” voice. A truly great song is "The Autumn Leaves" from 2005’s Last Supper in a Cheap Town. 

This Columbia, Missouri band came together in the wake of the No Depression movement out of St. Louis and southern Illinois.  They didn't produce much recorded music, but what they recorded was outstanding.

 Out of Metuchen, NJ, the Roadside Graves are truly underappreciated. Their latest album is 2023's I Won’t Cry Alone, which is a tribute to Rumblefish and follow up to 2011’s We Can Take Care of Ourselves, which is a similar tribute to The Outsiders. My favorite album is 2001’s If Shacking Up Is All You Want to Do - with standout songs being Winter In Tennessee, Reno (The Sundowner is Closed) and Shit on the Roof Everytime it Rains, which sounds like a lost Flying Burrito Brothers song.

 Tom has been a fan of Chicago's Devil in a Woodpile pretty much since they first started playing in the early 1990's. They are described as bringing a fresh sound to 80-year-old blues music, and founding member Rick "Cookin'" Sherry plays a mean harmonica. Devil in a Woodpile was inducted into the Jug Band Hall of Fame in 2015, but they are still far too underappreciated, hence their designation as our unknown unknown band for Episode 2.

 Hailing from West Plains, Missouri, the band is named after Ha Ha Tonka State Park. Their current album is BloodRedMoon, with standouts being “Carry It Around” and “Somehow It Gets Away From You.” Earlier albums like Heart Shaped Mountain all have outstanding and catchy tracks, with "Everything" and "Race to the Bottom" being two of my all-time favorite songs.  

A sadly under-appreciated alt-country band in the vein of the Bottle Rockets and V-Roys. Tom especially recommends "Ordinary Day," the third song in on the album, Rocket Surgery.

Alt-country band originally from New Hampshire.  Look for "Here Again: A Retrospective (1994-2002)

Little known but extremely talented singer-songwriter compared to early Dylan, Peter Case and Pete Droge.  Listen to "Big Slow Mover."

An indie rocker with a gift for thoughtful, insightful songwriting. Joe has fronted multiple bands, including the Scud Mountain Boys, Chappaquiddick Skyline,  the New Mendicants, and the Pernice Brothers.  "Who Will You Believe" is the latest release by the Pernice Brothers and well worth checking out.

A funky, soulful performer who epitomizes the gritty swampy New Orleans sound, Adcock has two solo albums worth checking out:  "C.C. Adcock" (1994) and "Lafayette Marquis" (2004).  

While not intended as a play on words, the Woes, out of Brooklyn, NY, are indeed woefully underappreciated. Having only 1 follower on YouTube Music when this choice was made as our first ever Unknown Unknowns, we strongly recommend you check out their songs, "Joy To Me," "The Secret," and "That's All Goodnight."