There are many simple pleasures in life: watching the sun set in west Texas, enjoying an ice cream cone on a hot summer day, and trolling YouTube for fascinating new music...
We've been having an absolute blast sharing great Americana music with you folks on this blog, as well as the great folks we've met on YouTube. There are many YouTube characters that I'd like to recommend to you, and please bear in mind that not all of their music can be classified as "Americana." That being said, these five folks are definitely worth a look:
1. Ottowarocket. The great Ottowa Rocket...very cool/bizarre dude. This guy is holed up in an apartment building in Ottowa and video tapes many cover songs (and a few originals). He is a true character! I've posted a link to a very quirky cover (by Canadian legend Stompin' Tom Connors) called "The Ketchup Song" below. The Rocket is always entertaining.
2. bandofheathens. Okay...you most likely know who these guys are, and if not, please get familiar with them ASAP! They post cool stuff on their YouTube channel, from video blogs in Germany to interviews at Steamboat. With only five videos uploaded to their channel thus far, we expect many more in the future.
3. GSBAND. This is the YouTube channel of Granger Smith. While I'm not completely sold on his music, he has posted some of the funniest videos I've ever seen...like this MTV Cribs spoof.
4. rickshunter1. Just an Illinois guy video taping himself and his buddy's jammin'. Lots of bluegrass. YouTube was created for stuff like this!
5. guitar52th. Just a kid playing a geetar in his room. Has done some amazing covers, like this one from Wade Bowen.
There you go...those are my five YouTube channel recommendations for y'all! Enjoy.
-Ben Krech