Unearthed

Esquire, July, 2006 by Andy Langer

I STILL DON'T HAVE A MYSPACE.COM PROFILE. But damned if it doesn't seem like I spend half my day on MySpace anyway, listening to music I couldn't have possibly known was out there. Nothing's made it easier for music fans to discover the unsigned and unsung. Start with your favorite band's page and you're never less than a friend of that band's friend away from finding something new. Here are five promising young acts I found in just under an hour.

1) THE MERCERS: MySpace friends of Nada Surf and Dr. Dog, these Austin misfits claim to be influenced by “cheap beer, big dreams; sad, sarcastic pop bursts.” Who isn't? The band's best MySpace MP3, “Sexy Youth,” sits at the shady crossroads of swagger and sensitivity; one day this one's gonna be an excellent soundtrack to a show-closing montage on Grey's Anatomy. ...