Bands come and bands go. It’s hard to say why some make it and some don’t. The business is finicky. Sometimes an artist or band seems like a perfect fit for the time and for the market, and they just don’t pan out. As I’m writing this I keep thinking of music that I know and love by people who no longer make music. But, since this is a list of five, here are my top five desert island bands that should have made it. At the bottom of the page I’ve added a Spotify playlist that elaborates a little more on each of these groups.
Dayroom
Dayroom was a pop-rock band from Athens, GA through the 1990s. Calling it quits in 2000, they left on amicable terms and have reunited a couple times in the past decade. They self-released three studio albums and towards the end of the 90s they seemed to be taking off but for some reason is didn’t happen. Here is one of my favorites of theirs:
Dag
Dag was a neo-funk band from Raleigh, NC playing throughout the 1990s. They disbanded in 1999 and as far as I know they have no plans for reuniting. Again, it seemed like they were on the cusp of taking off, even getting some songs featured in movies. An interesting side note on Dag is their drummer Kenny Soule who is also in the rock band Nantucket. Here is one of my favorite Dag songs:
Lake Trout
Lake Trout was (is?) a Baltimore band that played through the 90s and 2000s. Influenced by jazz, break beats, and alternative rock, their music really transcends genres. I saw Lake Trout play live many times and was always blown away. Though Lake Trout has not released any new music since 2008, it doesn’t actually appear that they’ve officially broken up. Maybe there’s hope for a reunion? Here is the best live video I have been able to find on the Tubes… Bands that stopped playing before smartphones were everywhere have virtually no presence on the Tubes… I like this song, though it’s not my favorite of theirs. Since they are such a quintessential live band, this will give you an idea of what they did:
What It Is
What it Is was a band and there is virtually no information I could find about them. A friend in college introduced me to their one and only album When Groove was King. Here is one of their songs:
Evoka
Evoka started out as Evoka Project in Winston-Salem, NC in the early 2000s. Strictly alternative rock, they are still one of the better live bands I’ve ever seen. They made an EP and then a full length album and then nothing… I had an opportunity to see them play in 2008 and got talked into doing something else. Had I known that was the last opportunity I would ever get I would have made a different decision… Here’s one of their songs:
I would add Green River Ordinance for me. I really liked them and was sad to learn there'd be no more. Oh, and The Backstreet Boys, of course. ;)