What to listen to: Vol. 1

I will come right out and say that I am NOT a musical trendsetter.  All the bands I like have thousands of fans, but I often get to introduce other people to them since none get a lot of radio play, even though (I think) they're a jillion times better than the stuff on the top 40 stations. 

That said, I'd like to play a little game.  I'm going to post 5 artists I think you should check out, and would love for some of you to do the same in the comments so I can find new music this summer.  I know this is not the kind of thing you came to read today, but I just wasn't feeling a fashion post.  Sooooo.... Ready set go!

Matt Nathanson
I have loved Matt Nathanson since college, and his pop-ish love songs make me happy.  He doesn't get near the attention he deserves, and his new album Modern Love is as good as the last two.  Plus, he's really funny.

Eric Hutchinson
I'm embarrassed to say I discovered Eric Hutchinson via Perez Hilton (yeah, I read it) but am so glad I did because Sounds Like This is one of my favorite albums ever.   It's really upbeat and he has a unique sound that makes me happy when I'm in a bad mood.

Jack's Mannequin
This is a totally obvious pick, but there are still people who have never heard of Jack's Mannequin and I cannot believe it.  JM is probably my favorite band, and I love the piano-heavy songs and have had a celebrity crush on Andrew McMahon since I was 20 and he was the lead singer of Something Corporate. 

Straylight Run
This band is another college favorite, and I walked down the aisle to an instrumental version to one of their songs at my wedding.  Sadly, Straylight Run broke up last year because they couldn't make enough money to keep going (even though I went to their Dallas show with a fever in the SNOW) and the guys have recently reunited with their old band (Taking Back Sunday).   However, these songs will always be on my iPod until I'm an old lady and you should check them out.

Tristan Prettyman
A lot of people discovered Tristan Prettyman this year when she got engaged to Jason Mraz (another favorite of mine), but I've enjoyed her music for a few years now and she is one of my go-to artists when I want to hear something soothing and girly.