The Best Bands You've Never Heard Of

As a general rule, Obies tend to be musically inclined. It kind of comes with the territory of having a world-class conservatory on our campus, but many people play instruments, sing, write music, or at the very least enjoy listening to music. It’s impossible to find two people with the exact same music taste, so Oberlin’s musical landscape is incredibly diverse and varied. This means that anytime a new concert is announced, whether it be at the ‘Sco, the Cat in the Cream, or in Finney, I’m bound to see at least one of my friends reposting an Instagram story with a string of excited emojis and exclamations, and chances are I’ve never even heard of the band performing. 

My music taste, by my own admission, is fairly basic. I like pop, 2000s pop-punk and “emo,” and indie, but I tend to be less adventurous and I don’t stray too far out of my comfort zone.

At least—I didn’t. 

Being at Oberlin, among so many incredible musicians and music lovers, I’ve been exploring more and more music over the course of the year, and I’ve attended several concerts and picked up many new favorite artists.

The first concert I attended was Branford Marsalis in Finney Chapel as part of the Artist Recital Series. Every year, Oberlin hosts this series of concerts in Finney, and they’re free for all students, so I’d definitely check one out! I loved this concert, and it was a great introduction to the Oberlin music scene. Next, I went to Field Medic in the Cat in the Cream. Field Medic is a folk musician, and the concert was very chill and the music was gorgeous. 

One of my favorite concert experiences so far was Hales Late Nighter, an annual event at the Cat in the Cream & Hales Gymnasium with concerts and performances going from 8pm until midnight. This year, The Cat in the Cream hosted student performers like the Oberlin Obertones, one of our acapella groups, and Dog Dog, a student band, but also amazing outside performers such as Black Voltron and Daymé Arocena. Black Voltron was absolutely mind-blowing—they performed an insane fusion of jazz, soul, hip-hop and probably more. I’d never heard music like that before, and now I want to hear more! Daymé Arocena is a Grammy nominee and she performed Cuban jazz that was incredibly fun to dance and sing along to. Most recently, I saw Winter, an indie rock band, also at the Cat (clearly, I’m a big fan of concerts at the Cat), and had a blast as well. 

Of course, I have to mention the one band I had heard of, The Army, The Navy. Before I saw them at the Cat, I wouldn’t have called myself a huge fan, but I knew a few of their songs. However, that concert turned both me and all of my friends into fans! Their songwriting and their harmonies were absolutely gorgeous. 

Really, though, all of the shows I’ve been to so far have been absolutely amazing! They’ve spanned many genres, and no show has disappointed me yet. Every band has had great stage presence and great music, and every audience has also been really responsive and fun to be in. This is also just a small portion of all the shows that have taken place on campus this year. The ‘Sco hosts a lot of concerts, especially student performers, but also some big names like Jane Remover, and at the end of every semester Oberlin hosts a music festival, Solarity. If you’re on campus and looking for something to do, chances are there’s a concert right around the corner, and chances are it’ll be incredible. So, if you do get the chance, I’d highly recommend exploring the concert scene at Oberlin. It’s brought me many memorable evenings with friends, helped me broaden my musical horizons, and given me some new favorite artists! What more could I possibly ask for?